Picture Editor of the Evening Standard looks back over twenty years as picture editor of the Evening Standard.
Fleet Street’s Finest is thrilled to announce that we have joined with the Evening Standard so that we may bring you the best photography from one of the greatest newspapers in the country.
Recently retired Dave Ofield was the Picture Editor of the Evening Standard for 29 years, he joined in 1987. He had previously worked for the The Daily Star.
We talked to Dave Ofield about his career and a typical day:
I would check my emails to see what happened in the world overnight and was usually at my desk by 5.45 when I start looking at pictures from our night showbiz man Dave Benett.
His pictures are vital for some brightness in the paper especially the diary page who depend on him every day.
Then it’s a quick skim of all the daily papers before we start looking at the pictures that have run overnight from around the world. Most mornings there are thousands of pictures to look at and I must make a selection in time for the morning conference with the Editor at 8am, where the paper is planned for the day.
No two days are the same which is part of the appeal of newspapers
We asked Dave about the most memorable moments “Without doubt the tragedy of Twin Towers attack”. Evening Standard photographer Cavan Pawson was in New York covering fashion week for the Standard, when the first plane hit the World Trade Centre.
“It was lunchtime in London and our first edition was already rolling off the presses” said Dave.” I contacted Cavan straight away and he was already in a cab trying to get to the scene. Within 30 minutes he had sent over a picture of the first tower falling”.
“When it appeared on my computer, I couldn’t believe my eyes” We used it over two pages. And a further six pictures on the inside pages.
The Standard printed over a million copies of that days last edition.
Dave started his career when he joined Sport and General Press Agency as a messenger boy.
He then took the usual route in those days and then moved up to the darkroom.
Like many others he used the opportunity and started taking pictures as a free-lance at the week-ends for Sport and General and then he got a break when moved to Barratts Press Agency as a photographer.
Among the memorable highlights of working as a photographer he covered the Rolling Stones concert in Hyde Park and was inside Buckingham Palace for the wedding of Princess Anne and was able to watch close-up the official Royal Photographer Norman Parkinson photograph the Royal couple.
“It started at 5am when I dragged myself out of bed although I had been doing it for 29 years you still didn’t get used to it.
I would check my emails to see what happened in the world overnight and was usually at my desk by 5.45 when I start looking at pictures from our night showbiz man Dave Benett.
His pictures are vital for some brightness in the paper especially the diary page who depend on him every day.
Then it’s a quick skim of all the daily papers before we start looking at the pictures that have run overnight from around the world. Most mornings there are thousands of pictures to look at and I must make a selection in time for the morning conference with the Editor at 8am, where the paper is planned for the day.
No two days are the same which is part of the appeal of newspapers
We asked Dave about the most memorable moments “Without doubt the tragedy of Twin Towers attack” .Evening Standard photographer Cavan Pawson was in New York covering fashion week for the Standard, when the first plane hit the World Trade Centre.
“It was lunchtime in London and our first edition was already rolling off the presses” said Dave.” I contacted Cavan straight away and he was already in a cab trying to get to the scene. Within 30 minutes he had sent over a picture of the first tower falling”.
“When it appeared on my computer, I couldn’t believe my eyes” We used it over two pages. And a further six pictures on the inside pages.
The Standard printed over a million copies of that days last edition.
Dave started his career when he joined Sport and General Press Agency as a messenger boy.
He then took the usual route in those days and then moved up to the darkroom.
Like many others he used the opportunity and started taking pictures as a free-lance at the week-ends for Sport and General and then he got a break when moved to Barratts Press Agency as a photographer.
Among the memorable highlights of working as a photographer he covered the Rolling Stones concert in Hyde Park and was inside Buckingham Palace for the wedding of Princess Anne and was able to watch close-up the official Royal Photographer Norman Parkinson photograph the Royal couple.
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