Eamonn McCabe: Award winning photographer and former picture editor of the Guardian newspaper.
In the interview below Eamonn discusses his life in photography with Popperfoto owner and Managing Director, Bob Thomas. Tragically, Eamonn passed away suddenly on October 2nd 2022 and we are grateful to Eamonn’s family for their help and support in allowing this video to be shown.
Eamonn McCabe began his career as a freelance, moving to The Observer in 1976, where he specialised in photographing sport. He found huge success in this field, winning the British Sports Photographer of the Year award four times between 1976 and 1984. While working as a sports photographer, McCabe was covering the 1985 European Cup Final between Liverpool and Juventus in Brussels where he captured the tragic images of the Heysel Stadium Disaster, winning the News Photographer of the Year award for his photographs of the disaster. McCabe also photographed many special moments including Chinese table tennis player Li Zhenshi and his uniquely high serve, legendary tennis matches between Bjorn Borg and John McEnroe, and the 1978 Boat Race that saw the sinking of the Cambridge boat.
In 1988 McCabe was appointed picture editor of The Guardian newspaper. He was once again hugely successful in this role and went on to win the Picture Editor of the year award a record six times.
Whilst at the Guardian McCabe also turned his focus to portraiture of those in arts, photographing many actors, writers, artists and musicians, as well as building an important portfolio of Artists’ studios and Writers’ rooms.
McCabe was a Fellow of The Royal Photographic Society and the National Museum of Film, Photography & TV, as well as an Honorary Professor at Thames Valley University. He held Honorary Doctorates at the University of East Anglia and Staffordshire University. Very sadly, he died suddenly in October 2022.
