Janette Beckman’s work has spanned more than five decades as a portrait and documentary photographer. She captured the rise of punk in seventies London, as well as sound system culture, skinhead, ska, and mod revival movements during the onset of Thatcher’s Britain.
Growing up in North London, Beckman was surrounded by art and culture from a young age. She enrolled in a course at Saint Martins with visions of becoming a portrait artist like David Hockney, but she never thought her drawings were good enough. Eventually, she decided to study photography at the London College of Printing.
The Sex Pistols
After leaving college, she taught photography for a while before landing a job working for Melody Maker and later, The Face. She photographed everyone from The Sex Pistols, The Clash, Siouxsie Sioux, and The Specials.
Photo © Janette Beckman.
“It wasn’t just about the bands; I documented the whole scene, particularly the fans. The fans were often as intriguing a subject as the bands themselves. They would frequently end up fronting a band themselves a week or so later.”
Rebellion
This was the late 1970s, and although rebellious youth movements had existed before, the punk scene was different. It changed everything. Janette was an observer and recognised the importance of the whole scene as a DIY act of rebellion – an essential movement, not just in music but also in fashion. It was a two-fingered salute towards the powers that be, and Janette’s photographs captured the zeitgeist and energy of these changing times.
"Punk is an irrepressible attitude. It brought an anti-establishment, raw freshness to music, art, and style. It was about change, the idea that people should question authority and take action themselves." - Janette Beckman.
Photo © Janette Beckman.
Beckman has a relaxed approach to her work, while still getting very involved in her subjects. “The most important thing as a documentary and portrait photographer is people skills. It’s important to make your subject feel relaxed and comfortable to be able to photograph them as they are, rather than making them do something ridiculous that they would never normally do”.
The Islington Twins
Her first photo to appear in The Face was of Chuka and Dubem Okonkwo, also known as the Islington Twins. They were always impeccably dressed in a mod/rudeboy style, and were well respected. The twins were known for hanging around “The Bar” outside Highbury and Islington Station.
Ska
Beckman first met them when she was still teaching. She popped out during lunchtime to go to the pub, where she spotted them fully kitted out in matching ska uniforms. She just had to take their picture. A few years later, when she showed the photograph to Nick Logan of “The Face,” he wanted to feature them in the first issue. She tracked them down again, conducted an interview, and arranged for another photo shoot.
Photo © Janette Beckman.
New York
After moving to New York in 1982, she documented the rise of the hip-hop scene and graffiti culture, taking early press shots of Run DMC, NWA, and LL Cool J, to name a few. Beckman continues to document youth culture from her base in New York, as well as working on various projects and campaigns.
Gallery
Photo © Janette Beckman.
Photo © Janette Beckman.
Photo © Janette Beckman.
Photo © Janette Beckman.
Photo © Janette Beckman.
All Images © Janette Beckman, all rights reserved.
Keep up to date with Janette’s latest work via her website and Instagram page.
You can purchase the books Janette Beckman Raw Punk Streets UK 1979-1982 and Mods & Rockers Raw Streets UK 1976–1982 from Café Royal Books.
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- Article first published
- June 30, 2020
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