I was deeply saddened today to learn that photographer and my friend Keith Mayhew has died. I found out after emailing him this morning after one of his Kaiser Chiefs photos was used on Sunday Bruch, joking that it would be another £2.50 towards the pension fund. His poor wife replied with the news.

Keith and I met at the very first festival I covered over a decade ago and he had been a sort of mentor ever since.

He was a big presence, and was well known and respected by the London snappers, often found three or four rows back at any given premiere or photocall!

That first festival (Hop Farm Festival in Kent, 2009) I had all the gear, no idea. He knew it, and took me under his wing when he absolutely didn’t need to anyway. In fact, when I asked him why he was being so kind to a newb, he replied “Well, you ain’t gonna be any competition for me, I’ve got twenty years on you.” It was both painfully true and hilarious.

The best thing about shooting for Keith over the years was that his expectations of me were very low! As my day job and parenthood became more my focus and I filed less and less- he stuck with me and let me take on the jobs I wanted and chased down the accreditation. Any other agency would have kicked me to the curb after turning down so many gigs, but that was the type of man Keith was. Equal parts raconteur, jaded hack, kind and a font of knowledge, I will miss him so very much.

Thanks for everything Keith, RIP.

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Keith Mayhew