A Tribute to John Alexander Rose 1934 – 2023

The Institute’s Honorary Fellow and former President, John Alexander Rose, FRPS, died peacefully at home on 6th June 2023. He had been in hospital but whilst recovering at home, he was in a cheerful and optimistic mood.

John had always wanted to be a photographer and his nature was to be a good one. For three years, he studied photography at Regent Street Polytechnic (The University of Westminster) along with another close friend, Derek Stirling, also a former President).

Without delay, John Rose began his business of photography and built up a roster of clients, whilst maintaining a love for architectural subjects, in which he excelled. His early career began in the days of artificial lighting, exposure calculation, negative development and producing 8” x 10” glossy prints for clients. He often completed three or four undertakings in one day. After a decade, colour photography emerged and in seeking a partner, he teamed up with John Dyble to form the reliable company, ‘Rose and Dyble’. The British Journal of Photography admired the work of the two men and explained: “… two of the country’s leading industrial, architectural, and advertising photographers.” In 1970, at the invitation of Kodak Ltd., they staged an exhibition of colour photographs in the Kingsway showroom, London.

Eventually, the attraction of in-house printing became a necessity, and John and his wife Linda set up the very successful ‘Harrow Photo Labs’. Without delay, they joined PPLA (Professional Printing Laboratory Association) and soon John was organising meetings and outings.

In the Institute, John Rose was a long serving member and had quickly progressed to Fellowship. He organised successful conferences, he served on the Council, and when he was elected President in 1974, he succeeded in negotiating the dissolution of the Photographic Technicians Association and welcomed the members to the IIP. He served on the Qualifications Board of the Institute and in no time, he was appointed Chairman of the Fellowship Sector.

In many respects, John Rose never retired. John realised photography was changing and pressed for the successful formation of an Archive of Professional Photography. He also brought together the few disparate groups that functioned with casual ties to the Institute. Through his persuasion, he united the Formation Dance Team of Torremolinos, (A group of eminent portraitists : hence FDTT), the Former Presidents’ Club, plus the photographers discharged from the A & Q Board. Emerging as the Best of Friends, the BOFs and their wives assembled annually for week-end reunions in Banbury.

On leaving Harrow to live near Lyme Regis in Dorset, it was tennis, swimming, cruises and long walks with the family dogs that absorbed John’s leisure hours, but he was also active in pursuing the history of the small village, Rousden, with the vigour of his professional days.

Many people from photography and society have reason to be grateful for help, advice and encouragement received from John A Rose. He will be missed in many quarters but not forgotten. His wife Linda and his two daughters will miss him greatly and it is not easy to reconcile his absence from the many interests that he tackled in his lifetime.