Michael Barrington-Martin.

Keith Tapscott. · Nov 27, 2006

In many photographic magazines of around the 1960`s & 1970`s, there were often glamour/beauty portraits on the front covers taken by a photographer called Michael Barrington-Martin. The brief technical details for the photos would mention the use of an 8x10 inch format camera, I was wondering if anyone knew anything about the photographer and which camera and lenses that he used?

Peter Schrager · Nov 28, 2006

underrated masters

Sorry I can't answer that particular question but in this months American Photo there is a very good article on the Underrated Masters of Photography. Worth checking out. Of course alot of theses men and women are NOT new to me personnally. Bill Silano; Leslie Krims; Philip Dixon; Duane Michaels; Denis Piel; Phillip Jones Griffiths; Bil King; Alon Reininger; Steve Hiett; Ara Gallant; Charles Harbutt. It's nice that a large circulation magazine pays attention to these people. If you are just starting out in photography it is worth a good look to either research or check it out for yourself. Some of the most aamzing photojournalism and fashion stuff ever.
Best, Peter

David H. Bebbington · Nov 28, 2006

Keith Tapscott. said:
In many photographic magazines of around the 1960`s & 1970`s, there were often glamour/beauty portraits on the front covers taken by a photographer called Michael Barrington-Martin. The brief technical details for the photos would mention the use of an 8x10 inch format camera, I was wondering if anyone knew anything about the photographer and which camera and lenses that he used?

When I worked for Ilford Limited in the 1970s, we would occasionally commission a well-known photographer to shoot pix for our campaigns. In the course of this work I met MB-M a couple of times. I did not see him operating a camera, by the 1970s he was shooting rollfilm. As he was a Brit, he should have used a Gandolfi for any 8x10" work! I was more struck by his apparent practice of very much mixing business with pleasure with regard to his models - he seemed to get a new one every couple of years who also became his live-in partner - presumably it was grounds for "divorce" when he ran out of angles to shoot the lady in question!

Regards,

David

grahamp · Nov 28, 2006

Some people just hate to travel to work.

Keith Tapscott. · Nov 29, 2006

Peter Schrager said:
Sorry I can't answer that particular question but in this months American Photo there is a very good article on the Underrated Masters of Photography.
Best, Peter

A magazine I am not familiar with, but thanks for the tip.
Cheers.

Keith Tapscott. · Nov 29, 2006

grahamp said:
Some people just hate to travel to work.

...........and your point is?............

Keith Tapscott. · Nov 29, 2006

David H. Bebbington said:
When I worked for Ilford Limited in the 1970s, we would occasionally commission a well-known photographer to shoot pix for our campaigns. In the course of this work I met MB-M a couple of times. I did not see him operating a camera, by the 1970s he was shooting rollfilm. As he was a Brit, he should have used a Gandolfi for any 8x10" work!

Regards,

David

Do you know which sort of focal length of lens he would have chosen for the majority of his portraits?

David H. Bebbington · Nov 29, 2006

Keith Tapscott. said:
Do you know which sort of focal length of lens he would have chosen for the majority of his portraits?

No direct experience of this, as I said, I didn't see him actually shooting pictures. From what I recall of his work, he seemed to favor a normal type of perspective, so it wouldn't surprise me if he used 120 mm or so on 6x6, 360 to 450 mm on 8x10".

As regards "traveling to work", he did in fact travel quite a long way - I seem to recall that yachting featured prominently in his life.

Regards,

David

PS: Somebody here
http://www.freelists.org/archives/rollei_list/08-2005/msg00088.html
reckons MB-M favored a Heliar!

Robert Oates · May 10, 2008

David H. Bebbington said:
No direct experience of this, as I said, I didn't see him actually shooting pictures. From what I recall of his work, he seemed to favor a normal type of perspective, so it wouldn't surprise me if he used 120 mm or so on 6x6, 360 to 450 mm on 8x10".

As regards "traveling to work", he did in fact travel quite a long way - I seem to recall that yachting featured prominently in his life.

Regards,

David

PS: Somebody here
http://www.freelists.org/archives/rollei_list/08-2005/msg00088.html
reckons MB-M favored a Heliar!

Yes, I believe I had his 10 x 8 which was in a rather sorry state, I believe it was a rather old DeVere. He still worked with a mixture of 6x6 Hassle elm, linhoff and a 5x4, can't recall which. He was a real master of front projection.

David Nye · Jun 1, 2010

Keith Tapscott. said:
In many photographic magazines of around the 1960`s & 1970`s, there were often glamour/beauty portraits on the front covers taken by a photographer called Michael Barrington-Martin. The brief technical details for the photos would mention the use of an 8x10 inch format camera, I was wondering if anyone knew anything about the photographer and which camera and lenses that he used?

Hi, I was Michael -Barrington Martin's assistant from 1964 -1966 @ his studio in Glasshouse street London W1 Michael used a tele Rollie for his medium format Theatrical portraits, he also had a Linhof 5x4 with 10x8 back but I do not remember him doing very much with 10x8 while I assisted him, as it was mostly fashion for Linda Leigh, Rodney dresses ,Aquascutum, using 5x4 which I think was a De Vere.
Michael loved big game fishing and had a trawler from Kinsale, Cork which he kept @ Millbay docks Plymouth. We used to travel down there in his VW microbus @ the week-end and fish off the Eddystone light house.He wrote for and illustrated his articals on fishing in several angling magazines.

His father was a portrait photograper I think in Gt Windmill street London W1. Michael was a very accomplished pianist before becoming a photographer and was self taught, I was the first assistant he had, being promoted from the darkroom as a B&W printer. His wife Peggy was the business brains they had one son called Rory, who I think went to Australia with Peggy and her mother after her divorce from Michael. Yes Michael did love the ladies just like Bailey who was known as "David Bailey makes love daily" this also applied to Michael who regularly had the studio door locked after a shoot.

The last that I heard of Michael was that he was living in Thetford forest with a lady artist, as he was into shooting game & I think he used to run wildlife walks in the forest.

David Nye · Jun 1, 2010

Keith Tapscott. said:
In many photographic magazines of around the 1960`s & 1970`s, there were often glamour/beauty portraits on the front covers taken by a photographer called Michael Barrington-Martin. The brief technical details for the photos would mention the use of an 8x10 inch format camera, I was wondering if anyone knew anything about the photographer and which camera and lenses that he used?

Hi, I was Michael -Barrington Martin's assistant from 1964 -1966 @ his studio in Glasshouse street London W1 Michael used a tele Rollie for his medium format Theatrical portraits, he also had a Linhof 5x4 with 10x8 back but I do not remember him doing very much with 10x8 while I assisted him, as it was mostly fashion for Linda Leigh, Rodney dresses ,Aquascutum, using 5x4 which I think was a De Vere.
Michael loved big game fishing and had a trawler from Kinsale, Cork which he kept @ Millbay docks Plymouth. We used to travel down there in his VW microbus @ the week-end and fish off the Eddystone light house.He wrote for and illustrated his articals on fishing in several angling magazines.

His father was a portrait photograper I think in Gt Windmill street London W1. Michael was a very accomplished pianist before becoming a photographer and was self taught, I was the first assistant he had, being promoted from the darkroom as a B&W printer. His wife Peggy was the business brains they had one son called Rory, who I think went to Australia with Peggy and her mother after her divorce from Michael. Yes Michael did love the ladies just like Bailey who was known as "David Bailey makes love daily" this also applied to Michael who regularly had the studio door locked after a shoot.

The last that I heard of Michael was that he was living in Thetford forest with a lady artist, as he was into shooting game & I think he used to run wildlife walks in the forest.

mihael JOHN AXCELL · Sep 11, 2010

I worked for M B_M from 1959 to 1965 as his studio manager I was his1st.employee in fact I processed his 1st.rolls of film from his 1st. job in my garden shed, this was my dakroom that time, he had no equipment other than a camera.his first job was swimwear.He did have a Gandolfi plate camera & rolleiflex.
John Axcell

Donald K · Nov 2, 2010

Michael Barrington Martin - 60's & 70's

David Nye said:
Hi, I was Michael -Barrington Martin's assistant from 1964 -1966 @ his studio in Glasshouse street London W1 Michael used a tele Rollie for his medium format Theatrical portraits, he also had a Linhof 5x4 with 10x8 back but I do not remember him doing very much with 10x8 while I assisted him, as it was mostly fashion for Linda Leigh, Rodney dresses ,Aquascutum, using 5x4 which I think was a De Vere.
Michael loved big game fishing and had a trawler from Kinsale, Cork which he kept @ Millbay docks Plymouth. We used to travel down there in his VW microbus @ the week-end and fish off the Eddystone light house.He wrote for and illustrated his articals on fishing in several angling magazines.

His father was a portrait photograper I think in Gt Windmill street London W1. Michael was a very accomplished pianist before becoming a photographer and was self taught, I was the first assistant he had, being promoted from the darkroom as a B&W printer. His wife Peggy was the business brains they had one son called Rory, who I think went to Australia with Peggy and her mother after her divorce from Michael. Yes Michael did love the ladies just like Bailey who was known as "David Bailey makes love daily" this also applied to Michael who regularly had the studio door locked after a shoot.

The last that I heard of Michael was that he was living in Thetford forest with a lady artist, as he was into shooting game & I think he used to run wildlife walks in the forest.

I knew Michael in London in the 1960's & 70's. His studio was in Glasshouse Street. Then a number of years later he moved to Goodge Street (I think that was the name but it was near the station). I never worked for him but used to help out in the studio when he was short handed.

His assistant at the time was Rodger Donald who I knew and still keep in touch with. He would know quite alot about the technical aspects of Michaels work.

But I do know he used a Linhof for outside work of buildings and in the studio as well. There was the normal Rolieflex and other cameras.

I sold him a Contraflex (I think that was the name) which was a 35MM SLR and at the time was a pretty good camera.

Whe I last knew him he was selling trannies from his large library and my wife was out selling to agents or studious or mags for him. I think it was called "stock shots" or something like, that but his big commissions had pretty much dried up. He was doing travel mags and catalogues and portfolios for wanna be models.

He had a small trawler which I knew about but I think he had sold it .. .but we used to go to Thetford Forest to cull the herd, where he had a rented cottage . We always ended up with a leg of Venison after a hunt which we became apt at roasting.

He was licensed to cull the heard and owned a couple of rifles with telescopic sights. These he used to leave in the VW camper and after we used the VW van we would find the rifles tucked away in the back and always alarmed at the consequences of being stopped. Never new what you would find in the VW.

He lived in a small apartment in Spring Street near to Paddington Station and many a small party with at least one beutiful woman present.

He was a very well read exotic character even though his reading was of a strange nature and he carried an excentric air about him.

I do not know or follow this site as I just on a whim I searced for him and found this blog. But I guess you guys are more interested in F stops and ASA speeds and such items as hasselblads. (Which he also had)

Not too sure where or how his story continued or possibly ended.

Donald Kelshall

Keith Tapscott. · Nov 3, 2010

I had long forgotten this thread, thanks for the replies.

jffrywrght · Jul 12, 2011

I sold my house to M B-M in about 1976 near Thetford. I often called into see him about one thing or another and he always offered a choice of whisky and then handing me the bottle while he held the glass so I could help myself. I noticed one day that he had a camera on the floor being used as a doorstop and I recognised it as a Zeiss Contarex as I also had had one. He did quite a lot of work for British Aerospace (or whatever it was then called) at that time.

Donald K · Jun 9, 2012

Barrington Martin - Status Since Thetford - jffrywrght

I have only just noticed the last entry in 2011 on this blog site after a couple of years, as everyone else seems to have done, and I am interested in knowing what happened to Michael.

In reply to Jeffery Wright (jffrywrght) of Thetford (7 Dec 2011) I would believe that the Camera used as a doorstop was my Zeiss Contarex that I mentioned.

But more to the point from the posts I think that Jeffery must be able to post info on Michaels last known address in Tetford or after, and hoprfully what happened to him.

We are all in the dark and it would be good to record Michael's last few years.

Hope some one can let us in this thread know more or follow-up info on this.

Donald Kelshall

lxdude · Jun 9, 2012

You guys should work together and start a wikipedia page about him.

connoisseur69uk · Jul 16, 2012

After leaving school in the mid seventies I worked for a Nottingham based printers who had a photography studio based in London operating as Michael Barrington-Martin Limited. I was studying Business Studies on day release and as the MB-M Ltd accounts were still using double entry book-keeping I was asked to manage the accounts from the Nottingham office. I only met MB-M once at the studio and I think they were photographing food, ice cream I think and they had substituted instant mash for the ice cream so it would not melt under the studio lights! MB-M Ltd had a number of celebrity clients of the day and I remember getting told off for calling their agents chasing payments for work that was months overdue as the clients paid when they were ready to pay1 How times have changed!

George Page · Jul 1, 2013

Hello, Michael, B&W Printer.

I was interested to read about Michael-Barrington Martin but confused about the dates you mention 1964-1966 because I also worked at Michael-Barrington Martins In Glass house street. That was my first job after leaving school at fifteen at the end of 1960. I developed the half sheet negatives in small hangers in the three black tanks in the small room behind the door in the wash room. One day Michael put up a shelf and drilled through the main cold water pipe. Do you remember! When I started there 1960/61 the printers name was also Michael he used to take me on the back of his motor scooter to Peggy and Michaels flat opposite St Pauls Cathedral. Peggy used to be a teacher and introduced the both of us to classical music. She helped me with reading and remember the book Animal Farm. I have an old Anglers newspaper with a photograph of Michael Barrington Martin with Peggy in a boat holding a large fish he had just caught. They were very nice people especially Michael. If you are the Michael the B&W printer that I worked with I would like to hear from you. Being my first job I have often wondered what happened to you all.

cliveh · Jul 1, 2013

Is this the Michael Barrington Martin fan club?

bob mayston · Aug 12, 2013

Keith Tapscott. said:
In many photographic magazines of around the 1960`s & 1970`s, there were often glamour/beauty portraits on the front covers taken by a photographer called Michael Barrington-Martin. The brief technical details for the photos would mention the use of an 8x10 inch format camera, I was wondering if anyone knew anything about the photographer and which camera and lenses that he used?

MBM worked for me for many years. You will find me mentioned in many of the photo magazines. Michaels used 10x8 Sinar in the studio and also on location. Other than that he used a 5x4 Lindhoff and of course a 2 14 sg Hasselblad. Always using Agfa as I prefered the bluer tones to0 the yellows of Kodak. Bob Mayston

johntheboatman · Dec 22, 2013

Michael Barrington Martin

I worked for Michael in 1970 as a studio assistant and darkroom technician. In reply to your request allbeit from about 7 or 8 years ago.
We used every sort of camera that was available, serious stuff was on 5x4 a de Vere monorail, I think. Contacts were on 35 mm.
I came upon this site while watching Bruce Forsyth being interviewed by Miranda and it made me think of Michael, mainly because we took pictures of Bruce a few times, mainly, while he was married to Anthea.
I hope this helps.

johntheboatman · Dec 22, 2013

Oh and his studio was in Warren street possibly no 20.

Graham Warren · Mar 26, 2014

Michael Barrington-Martin

He worked at Duchess House, 18-19 Warren Street in the 1970's. I was a spotty youth working for Agfa Gevaert on the floor above his studio so our paths crossed quite often. The question of his cameras & lenses seems to have been answered, I just wondered if anyone knew if he was still alive? It's a long time ago but I do remember seeing many 10''x8'' transparencies of very beautiful women he photographed often using Agfa film. CPL (Colour Processing Labs) were our landlords and they had a photo lab on the ground floor processing slide film and large print production. My then colleagues and I were once spraying water from the 3rd floor onto hapless passers-by (as you do) when we noticed Michael leaning out of the window below and yes he got a water bomb on the back of his head. He thought it was Les, his secretary, and to pay him back he put some rotting meat (fish bait) in Les's desk on Friday night. Needless to say by Monday morning the meat was maggot ridden and smelly, a nice welcome for Les, the innocent party. Sorry chaps! Michael's work was seen alot on photo magazine covers, his 10''x8'' sheet film shots often graced '35mm Photography' magazine!

Exeter232 · Apr 28, 2015

I used to work for Michael

Every now and again I search Michael's name and can't believe I came across this site. I was a messenger for him at Glasshouse Street in 1965/6. He called me AARRD. I remember Peggy, who was the mainstay of the business and when her best friend walked into the studio (he forgot to lock the door) and found him on the floor with a model, that was the beginning of the end as far as I remember. i progressed to the darkroom, developing films and printing. Can you imagine being a young teenager in the 60s working in a fashion and advertising studio in London's West End, around the corner from Carnaby Street; the Beatles recorded Let it Be on a roof not far away. David Nye who has posted, do you remember me? I assisted you when your photographed the Bond Aston Martin and various pubs. Where is David Ling and Roger Donald? I'm afraid I was a bit of a pain to him in many ways. I remember a trendy Stones loving young man who I think was Len and Barry Alsutch who now has a estate agents in Hatfield I think.
Michael taught me so much about life and living; he nearly drowned me on a trip on his trawler, he lent us his VW Caravanette to go to Carlisle where we had a great time and I learned about drugs and I would say he was the best boss anyone could wish to have. What a man, what a job I had and what an education in life and living.
Howard.

Michael Barrington-Martin.

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