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Camera Girl
Doreen Spooner was a pioneer.
Starting as a photographer in the 1940s, she ended up back in the male-dominated world of Fleet Street in the early sixties, when a personal crisis forced her to take her camera back out to work.
This memoir tells, in her own words, of her struggles with marital heartbreak, money worries, bereavement and working-mother guilt while she fought to establish herself in a cut-throat newspaper world.
Leaving her children and domestic dramas at the front door each day, Doreen entered a world of political scandals, glamorous superstars and cultural sensations – shooting stars by day, cooking fish fingers by night. It’s an uplifting and touching story, and a hugely enjoyable portrait of postwar Britain.
Front-page scoops, royal indiscretions, stroppy celebrities – they’re all part of Doreen’s unforgettable, and beautifully photographed, journey.
Starting as a photographer in the 1940s, she ended up back in the male-dominated world of Fleet Street in the early sixties, when a personal crisis forced her to take her camera back out to work.
This memoir tells, in her own words, of her struggles with marital heartbreak, money worries, bereavement and working-mother guilt while she fought to establish herself in a cut-throat newspaper world.
Leaving her children and domestic dramas at the front door each day, Doreen entered a world of political scandals, glamorous superstars and cultural sensations – shooting stars by day, cooking fish fingers by night. It’s an uplifting and touching story, and a hugely enjoyable portrait of postwar Britain.
Front-page scoops, royal indiscretions, stroppy celebrities – they’re all part of Doreen’s unforgettable, and beautifully photographed, journey.
- GenresPhotographyBiography
195 pages, Hardcover
Published January 1, 2016
About the author
Doreen Spooner
1 bookDoreen Spooner (1928 – 21 April 2019) was the first woman to work as a staff photographer on a Fleet Street newspaper during a forty-year career, mostly on the Daily Mirror.
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
May 22, 2022
Doreen Spooner was the first female staff photographer on a British National newspaper – The Daily Mirror. In a career spanning from the 1940’s to the 1990’s, Doreen’s big break came in 1963 when she photographed two young ladies in a London pub, from inside the pub toilets. Those young ladies were Christine Keeler and Mandy Rice-Davies. Her photograph made the front pages in both the UK and US and marked the beginning of Doreen’s extraordinary career.
Camera Girl provides a brief snapshot into Doreen’s life. Working in an industry dominated by men, Doreen faces the challenges of juggling her career, motherhood and an alcoholic husband.
This book is easy to read and provides a fascinating insight into Doreen’s life and an industry which is almost unrecognisable to that in which Doreen started. It contains carefully selected photos chosen from the archives, by one of her daughters Catherine. It is remarkable to see how she photographed Albert Einstein, Edward VIII and Wallis Simpson in the early days of her career, to Queen Elizabeth II, Prince Philip, Freddie Mercury and Spandau Ballet in her later career.
A moving autobiography (aided by Alan Clark) by a remarkable woman. I highly recommend this book not just to those with an interest in photography and/or the newspaper industry.
Camera Girl provides a brief snapshot into Doreen’s life. Working in an industry dominated by men, Doreen faces the challenges of juggling her career, motherhood and an alcoholic husband.
This book is easy to read and provides a fascinating insight into Doreen’s life and an industry which is almost unrecognisable to that in which Doreen started. It contains carefully selected photos chosen from the archives, by one of her daughters Catherine. It is remarkable to see how she photographed Albert Einstein, Edward VIII and Wallis Simpson in the early days of her career, to Queen Elizabeth II, Prince Philip, Freddie Mercury and Spandau Ballet in her later career.
A moving autobiography (aided by Alan Clark) by a remarkable woman. I highly recommend this book not just to those with an interest in photography and/or the newspaper industry.
July 6, 2017
Loved this book with all the details of being a women and forging a career in photography, back when no-one else was doing it. Doreen followed her instincts and her dreams and was rewarded for it, but the backdrop of her personal life and how it unfolded was equally striking and only served to show what a strong women she was - and is - to have held everything together and continued to support her family when times were tough, going out to work with 3 young kids when most women would have stayed at home. Can't wait to pass this on to my mum!
September 9, 2018
Engrossing. For those of us who grew up from the '60's thru' the '90's, with vague recollection sof post-war events then living through the Kennedy/Nixon/Whitlam/Thatcher reigns, ignominous or otherwise. For those who recall LBJ and Robert Maxwell of The Mirror takeover and Phaidon/Pergamon Press changes. The famous sports stars and the infamy of Fleet Street, Doreen Spooner's insight into her life as a Press Photographer is a wonderful reprise through the eyes of a woman on the spot.
There is a sketch of her own personal life and families and what copelled her to continue what her father had begun before. Ambition and a need to cover the mortgage when her equally famous and talented French/Belgian husband suddenly went downhill in the vaunted artistic 'alcoholic haze'. Sad in fact.
She had a great network of 'assisters' from the sunny-side and the shades who were the subjects in her skilful black and whites.
If you remember 'the page 3 girl', The Profumo affair, the many changes of attitude through Beatles, Greer and Watergate....up til now, then you will enjoy this overview of what it is like to be at the beck and call of The Editor and the Egos of the stars and the timeline of history.
There is a sketch of her own personal life and families and what copelled her to continue what her father had begun before. Ambition and a need to cover the mortgage when her equally famous and talented French/Belgian husband suddenly went downhill in the vaunted artistic 'alcoholic haze'. Sad in fact.
She had a great network of 'assisters' from the sunny-side and the shades who were the subjects in her skilful black and whites.
If you remember 'the page 3 girl', The Profumo affair, the many changes of attitude through Beatles, Greer and Watergate....up til now, then you will enjoy this overview of what it is like to be at the beck and call of The Editor and the Egos of the stars and the timeline of history.
May 14, 2023
Back in the 1960s, Fleet Street was the corner of London for all the newspapers where each day was a slew of taking photos, writing articles and choosing the best ones day in day out.
It was a man's world but Doreen grew up around the camera thanks to her dad, who worked on Fleet Street and eventually followed his footsteps into a world where it was hard for a woman to break into and she became one of the only women news photographers for years.
This was such a fascinating look into a person who changed a lot of the game for women photographers and how she did the best she could trying to get the perfect shots and how she travelled photographing the Queen, Twiggy, and more!
A lot of the books and Memoirs about photographers I find are about men and its very refreshing to get an insight into how it was for Doreen, how she balanced being a mother and her husband who struggled over time and turned to alcohol and it changes this to a very moving but positive story about achieving your dreams!
It was a man's world but Doreen grew up around the camera thanks to her dad, who worked on Fleet Street and eventually followed his footsteps into a world where it was hard for a woman to break into and she became one of the only women news photographers for years.
This was such a fascinating look into a person who changed a lot of the game for women photographers and how she did the best she could trying to get the perfect shots and how she travelled photographing the Queen, Twiggy, and more!
A lot of the books and Memoirs about photographers I find are about men and its very refreshing to get an insight into how it was for Doreen, how she balanced being a mother and her husband who struggled over time and turned to alcohol and it changes this to a very moving but positive story about achieving your dreams!
August 29, 2018
A really good read.
I remember so many of these news stories and they were once again bought back to life. A most enjoyable book about a very interesting and gifted woman. Highly recommended.
I remember so many of these news stories and they were once again bought back to life. A most enjoyable book about a very interesting and gifted woman. Highly recommended.
January 11, 2018
A brilliant read!
Read
July 29, 2020Fantastic read!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 14, 2025
Clear pictures of a different time
October 18, 2019
A really interesting book
Doreen’s stories of the people she photographed took me back to an era I well remember,I enjoyed reminiscing with her.
Doreen’s stories of the people she photographed took me back to an era I well remember,I enjoyed reminiscing with her.
January 9, 2020
Biography of Daily Mirror photograper - very good
February 3, 2017
I gave up on this book. It was not what I expected. It was a fairly straight forward account of how the author took up journalism and how her career panned out. She seemed to have it fairly easy. I was expecting some cutting, thorny bits about how she had to pioneer her way through a mans’ world, but none of it.
It was a pretty soulless read and as I want more from a book I let it go. Too many excellent reads out there to waste time on this.
It was a pretty soulless read and as I want more from a book I let it go. Too many excellent reads out there to waste time on this.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews