A single image dominates the front pages of today's national newspapers. It shows an open-mouthed Charles and Camilla inside their Rolls-Royce during an attack by tuition fees protesters. So step forward Matt Dunham and take a bow. He is the Associated Press photographer who was on hand to take what ranks as a stunning news picture. It is one of those shots that will surely appear endlessly in future. It will have historical value and be republished endlessly in future because it catches a moment in the political life of Britain and the life of the heir to the throne. So how did he alone manage to get it? It appears to have been a mixture of luck, skill and determination. Dunham had been on duty for AP at Parliament Square since midday. He was popping in and out of the police cordon when necessary to transmit pictures. But, as it grew dark around 6pm and with the protest becoming more violent and chaotic, he was refused entry. He spotted a breakaway group of about 200 young protesters and decided to follow them. "There was a leading group who were out to cause damage," he says. Their first act was to try to set fire to the Christmas tree in Trafalgar Square. "Then there was a cry about going to Leicester Square," he says. "They were kicking bins and trying to smash windows. It was all very fluid, moving all the time, so I just followed them. "When we got to Piccadilly, they smashed the windows of Starbucks and were shouting about going to Top Shop. There were very few police around. "By this time there were probably 300 people. Some seemed to be joining in after work." Others appear to have followed on from Westminster. When they reached Regent Street, Dunham spotted two police outriders. Momentarily unsure of the reason, he then realised there was royal car behind them, though he had no idea who was inside. "It was unable to move because it was surrounded," he says. "It was stuck in a gridlock. There were people kicking it and screaming. So I raced towards it and then saw it was Camilla and Charles. "Charles seemed to be waving calmly at first, trying to be amicable, but then he looked worried. Camilla was visibly agitated. There were a couple of people taking pictures with their mobile phones, but I knew I was the only newspaper photographer around. "I had previously turned off my flash because it had attracted protesters who had tried to wrench my camera away. But the light was so bad by this time it would have been impossible to get a shot inside a car without it. "The adrenaline was running by now. So I turned it on and took five pictures. I realised they were important and I saw another guy shooting video on his phone. "So I got him into a taxi and we went back to AP's offices in Camden." His pictures were timed at 7.20pm, so he knew he was still in time to make the first edition front pages. As, of course, he did. Dunham, 32, has been an AP photographer in the London bureau for five years. Born and raised in Buckingham, he studied documentary photography at university in Newport, Wales. But this is his finest news hour thus far. To prove it, as an AP executive told me, "Matt is already something of a celebrity." With Dunham's image having appeared in many US papers, including the New York Times, he was invited to appear on ABC's breakfast show, Good Morning America. That's what happens when you get "the money shot". I'm sure he will get used to telling his story over the coming year because I imagine he will be picking up many a photography award.
No comments:
Post a Comment