Camera Girl by Doreen Spooner with Alan Clark

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.

Bewitched by Books Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️