John Downing

John Downing, Daily Express

A memorial service in Christ Church, Cockfosters (North London), United Kingdom, for Elvis Presley, who died on 16 August 1977. Photographed on 18 August 1977.

John Downing MBE’s (1940–2020) career spanned over five decades, sending him to more than 100 countries and all seven continents. As Chief Photographer for the Daily Express, he witnessed natural and man-made disasters, war zones and famine, also covering royal tours, political events, and much more.

Throughout his career, he was the recipient of numerous awards, including the British Press Photographer of the Year seven times, the United Nations Gold Medal in 1990, and the International Photographer of the Year in 1994 (La Nation, Argentina). In 1992, Downing was honored with an MBE for ‘Services to Journalism’. In 2001, he was presented with a Lifetime Achievement Award from the UK Picture Editors Guild, and in 2011, he received an Honorary Fellowship of The Royal Photographic Society.

In 2019, Bluecoat Press published ‘Legacy’, a photographic book that chronicles his entire career. His memoirs, completed shortly before his passing, were completed with the assistance of his colleague Wendy Holden, and were published in 2022 by Seren Books under the title ‘Aperture: Life Through a Fleet Street Lens’.