British photographer
Kevin Cummins (born 1953)[1] is a British photographer known for his work with rock bands and musicians.[3][4][5][6] His work is held in the collections of the National Portrait Gallery[1] and the Victoria and Albert Museum, London.[7]
Career
Cummins studied photography at Salford College.[8] He started photographing rock bands in the mid-1970s in Manchester.[9] Cummins had a 25-year association with the NME,[10] including 10 years as their chief photographer.[11] He has photographed numerous bands and musicians. His images have been seen as a contributing factor in the rise of the Madchester and Cool Britannia scenes.[12]
Cummins was instrumental in establishing City Life,[13] Manchester's what's on guide and was a founding contributor to The Face, the style magazine where he won an award for Magazine Cover of the Year.[14]
Cummins's photographs have been used extensively in cinema and TV documentaries, including Grant Gee's Joy Division and John Dower's Live Forever: The Rise and Fall of Brit Pop.[15]
He worked extensively for the Royal Exchange Theatre in Manchester when it opened in the late 1970s through the mid-1980s. He shoots regularly for the National Theatre in London, most recently for Harper Regan and Mrs. Affleck.[16]
A lifelong Manchester City F.C. supporter,[17] Cummins documented City's final season at Maine Road in the book We're Not Really Here.[18]
In 2005, British pop artist Peter Blake produced a screen print based on one of Cummins' Joy Division prints.[19]
Awards and honours
In November 2009, Cummins was awarded an Outstanding Contribution to Music Photography award by the music industry website: Record of the Day.[32]
In 2015 Cummins was awarded an Honorary Doctorate (Arts) by Manchester Metropolitan University.[33]
Collections
Cummins' work is held in the following permanent collections:
