'Major figure' in Hampstead photography Eddie Bowman dies aged 91

Eddie was a highly accomplished photographer, gaining a number of awards, including becoming a Fellow of The Royal Photographic Society (RPS) and being awarded its Fenton Medal in 1994.

His son Simon Bowman said: "He was a lovely father and grandfather. He will also be missed by his three grandchildren and step grandson."

Photographer Eddie Bowman (Image: Eddie Bowman)

David Reed, former chairman of the HPS, said: "Eddie was a major figure in Hampstead Photographic Society and in the wider photographic world, and he will be missed by many – especially his wife Pearl, son Simon and his wife Penina – as well as many HPS members who had the chance to see his stunning prints and hear his fascinating views on photography and the wider world of art."

Eddie played an active role in the RPS, with its contemporary group being his idea.

An elderly lady sits by Eddie Bowman (Image: Eddie Bowman)

Eddie was a prominent member of the Association of Photographers, while participating widely in competitions and events around the world.

He described his work as being "entirely about the past – a search for what has been lost – it is work around the theme absence".

Using photography combined with digital imaging and manipulation, he created many deeply thoughtful works showing this, David said.

In 1994, Eddie was awarded the Fenton Medal of the RPS, and he graduated from the University of Derby the following year with a master's degree in photography.

He graduated with honours from the University of Westminster in 1997, having studied an MA in design and media arts.

"Perhaps one of Eddie's major achievements in this wider world was being one of the first photographers to have work accepted for the Summer Exhibition of the Royal Academy, in 2016, when it finally acknowledged that photography could be art," said David.

"Eddie will be sadly missed by all of us who knew him."