Sam Haskins

Samuel Joseph Haskins (11 November 1926 – 26 November 2009), was a British photographer, born and raised in South Africa.

Haskins' formal higher education was at the Johannesburg Technical College 1945–1948, where he did a general arts course followed by a part-time photographic module.

Between 1949 and 1951, he studied at the London School of Printing and Graphic Arts in Bolt Court, later renamed the London College of Printing, and now the London College of Communication.

Haskins started his career as an advertising photographer in Johannesburg in 1953.

He ran what was probably the first modern freelance advertising studio in Africa.

He produced commercial work across a very broad spectrum of photography from still life to industrial, fashion and aerial.

Haskins married Alida Elzabe van Heerden in 1952 and they had two sons; Ludwig (4 August 1955) and Konrad (27 January 1963).

They adopted a daughter, Heidi in 1960, but she died in infancy.

Alida gave up a career in fashion soon after their marriage to become Haskins' business partner.

She played a key role in the launch of his career by acting as a publishing agent for Five Girls when he was still an unknown photographer.

She continued to negotiate worldwide publication of his books, apart from Fashion Etcetera, his last project, a book and exhibition in New York, managed by Ludwig.

His first formal creative output was a one-man show at the popular Johannesburg department store John Orrs in 1960.

This featured black-and-white photography of models in the studio and included some photographs of dolls made by the young Elisabeth Langsch, who went on to become Switzerland's leading ceramist.

His international reputation and his signature photographic passions were established by four key books published in the 1960s.

Although he endorsed Hasselblad for a short period in the late 1960s and early 1970s, his loyalty to the medium format 6x7 camera and lenses from Asahi resulted in a rare long-term association between a camera manufacturer and photographer.

Five Girls (1962) explored a fresh approach to photographing the nude female figure and contained important first explorations with black-and-white printing, cropping and book design, which were a key feature of his subsequent books.

Cowboy Kate & Other Stories (1964) was probably the first book to deliberately explore black-and-white photographic grain as a medium for expression and image design.

It was highly influential at the time, sold roughly a million copies worldwide and won the Prix Nadar in France in 1964.

It continues to influence contemporary photographers, film makers, fashion designers and make-up artists.

November Girl (1967) contained key image collages which formed the basis of many graphic and surrealist experiments in the 1970s and 1980s.

African Image (1967) was a visual homage to the indigenous people, culture, landscape and wildlife of sub-Saharan Africa.

The images represent a lifelong interest in photographing graphically stimulating environments and formally document his passion for indigenous craft.

He broke bones on river rapids and wrote off two Volvo saloon cars on African dirt roads while shooting the book.

Despite its international award, this meticulously constructed book, celebrating a love for sub-Saharan Africa, is probably the least known of his major creative projects, but it is coveted by serious collectors of African art and photography.

He started his career in Johannesburg and moved to London in 1968.

In 1968, Haskins moved to London and ran a studio in Glebe Place just off the King's Road.

He worked as an advertising photographer for international consumer brands Asahi Pentax, Bacardi, Cutty Sark whisky, Honda, BMW, Haig whisky, DeBeers, British Airways, Unilever and Zanders, and specialised in the art direction and shooting of calendars, especially for Asahi Pentax in Japan.

From 1970 to 2000, Asahi Optical (later Pentax) produced 30 calendars, of which Haskins shot and art-directed 15 editions including the millennium calendar.

No other photographer was invited to contribute more than once.

He is still involved with the Pentax Forum Gallery in Tokyo, which hosts his exhibitions.

Haskins is best known for his contribution to in-camera image montage, Haskins Posters (1973) and the 1960s figure photography trilogy Five Girls (book) (1962), Cowboy Kate & Other Stories (1964) and November Girl (book) (1967), plus an ode to sub-saharan tribal Africa "African Image (book)'' (1967).

Cowboy Kate & Other Stories or 'Kate' as the book is often referred to, had its place in photographic history cemented in 2005 when the International Center of Photography in New York included the book in their exhibition The Open Book: A History of the Photographic Book from 1878 to the Present.

He suffered a stroke on 19 September 2009 the opening day of his exhibition to launch Fashion Etcetera at Milk Gallery in New York, and died at home in Bowral, Australia, nine weeks later.

Haskins was born in Kroonstad in the province of the Orange Free State of South Africa.

His father Ben was a goods inspector on South African Railways.

Early creative influences were fueled by an interest in magic tricks, kite making, drawing and the circus.

A talented athlete, as a teenager he excelled at hurdling and trained with a circus, resulting in a job offer as a trapeze catcher.

Alida died on 5 December 2012.

Haskins' artistic estate is now owned and managed by his son Ludwig.

Konrad Haskins, Ludwig's younger brother and only sibling died on 23 March 2014.