Award-winning photographer Roger Bamber dies in Brighton aged 78

Roger Bamber died on Sunday at the Royal Sussex County Hospital in Brighton.

Dozens of former colleagues have paid tribute to Roger, who landed his first Fleet Street job in 1965 before an illustrious career at several national papers before going freelance.

Roger won dozens of awards, most notably the British Press Photographer of the Year twice, as well as News Photographer of the Year twice.

Roger Bamber's picture of David Bowie on May 22, 1973, backstage at Lewisham, London, doing his make-up for a Ziggy Stardust concert (Image: free)

Shan Lancaster, Roger's wife, said: "Roger loved steam trains, one of the reasons he came to Sussex was for the Bluebell Railway but he ended up in Brighton and decided it was the 'best place in the world' and that's why he stayed.

"I first bumped into Roger in the Green Dragon in Sydney Street. We would have been together for 40 years this year.

"Brighton beach was like a great big studio for him. He came down here from Leicester.

"He also adored the Brighton buses."

Alan Sparrow, chairman of the UK Picture Editor’s Guild and former news picture editor for The Guardian, said: “I first met Roger when he became a regular for The Guardian newspaper.

Roger Bamber's famous picture of Brighton's Punch-and-Judy man late Sergeant Stone entertaining a child on Brighton seafront in July 1992 (Image: Roger Bamber)

“Not only was his enthusiasm for his work infectious but the work he produced was brilliant.

“It was a privilege to know him and it has been my pleasure to be his friend for over 30 years.”

Roger also featured in The Argus, including with one of his most famous pictures on the seafront of the Punch and Judy kiosk.

He was awarded an honorary Master of Arts degree from the University of Brighton “for his distinguished photojournalist and the wealth of images of Brighton inspired by the city”.

Simon Dack, a freelance photographer, said: “He was great fun, one of the most inspirational and creative photographers you’ll ever meet.

Picture by Jim Holden. Roger Bamber with his cat Noggin in April 2003 (Image: Jim Holden)

“He was brilliant company, loved talking about photographs. He was always helpful if you ever worked alongside him on jobs, you’d always work together.

“He has taken some of the most iconic pictures of Brighton. The Punch and Judy one is very famous.”

His wife Shan Lancaster, who also worked at The Argus and the Sun, said Roger "couldn't have been better cared for anywhere" than the Royal Sussex and described the staff as "magic".

Margaret Thatcher in a May 1983 election tour. She plunged her hands into a pile of straw for the TV cameras but found it was loose straw on top of a pile of dung. Picture by Roger Bamber (Image: Roger Bamber)

Roger, who lived in Brighton, worked at the Daily Mail for his first role in the industry before moving to the newly-formed Sun newspaper four years later in 1969.

He covered war, rock and pop, hard news and features across the world.

Roger pictured many famous faces including George Best, Maggie Thatcher and David Bowie.

His career at The Sun spanned 19 years before he went freelance and worked for The Observer, The Independent and several magazines.

Roger spoke to The Argus in 2016 about his previously unseen pictures of David Bowie.