Vincent’s life behind the lens

Photo: Vincent Brown

The most memorable shot for Vincent is of a young Latics fan David Hazelhurst who had a dart thrown at his head at the Latics match against Burnley in April, 1978. The picture also made it to the front page of the Daily Mail

2 More Image(s) In Gallery

FIVE decades and half a million photographs later, Chronicle photographer Vincent Brown is showcasing his work in his latest exhibition.

Picture editor Vincent (64) has been working hard for three years for the review of events seen through his lens.

All the images will be projected on to a big screen at the Queen Elizabeth Hall on Saturday, where there will also a be a stage production to accompany the display.

Oldham actor Jeffrey Longmore — who has recently appeared in “Hollyoaks” and “Cilla” — will be playing Vincent and young Kian Hurst from Saddleworth Drama Centre will play his grandson Henry Brown.

Before starting work at the Chronicle in January, 1973, Vincent was a medical photographer at the Oldham and District General Hospital.

Vincent said: “I was into the scientific side. It was slow and very specific. Everything had to be done to scale and size.”

And he worked alongside Dr Patrick Steptoe and Professor Robert Edwards, who put Oldham under the world spotlight with the world’s first test-tube baby Louise Brown. He photographed the first egg fertilised outside the human body.

Vincent first put together an exhibition after 21 years in the job and now comes his second after another 21.

He said: “I’m not retiring, it’s just something I’ve wanted to do for the past few years.”

His first job at the Chronicle was to take a picture at Woodhouses Farm where there had been an outbreak of pig flu. He went along with then news editor Mike Attenborough. Vincent was also named regional photographer of the year at the print awards in 1974.

Here are some of Vincent’s many favourite photographs.