John Varley (photographer)

Varley was born in 1934 in Doncaster, West Riding of Yorkshire, England.^{[citation needed]} After leaving school at 14, Varley worked for a local newspaper, the Yorkshire Evening News.^[1]

Varley was inspired to become a photographer at a young age when a neighbour took a photo of him with his dog. The neighbour went away and developed the photo before presenting it to Varley the next day.^[1]

Varley worked in photography from 1948 onwards. He spent the early years of his career working in Yorkshire, covering many local incidents. In 1958, he achieved his first career milestone when one of his photos featured on the front page of numerous national newspapers. The photo was a policeman carrying a small child through flood water during flooding in South Yorkshire during 1958.^[2]

The popularity of the photo enhanced Varley's reputation as a photographer. He soon landed a role at The Daily Mirror, where he became the northern correspondent for the tabloid. The role was based in Leeds, where he remained for his entire career, despite numerous offers to relocate to London and run the Daily Mirror's Picture Desk.^[2] Varley spent much of his time at The Daily Mirror photographing war zones and natural disasters. In a New York Times article, his peers commented that Varley had "what other photographers described as an instinct for being where things might develop, and a patience to wait for the crucial moment."^[2]

Varley spent time in Northern Ireland during the Northern Ireland civil rights movement in the 1960s and 1970s, famously taking the photo of a church's cross surrounded by barbed wire. He also was one of the first British photographers on the ground in Nigeria during the Biafra civil war. He took photos of children during the conflict, which were commonly used in Britain when referring to the conflict.^[1] He also attended The Beatles concerts, where he took professional photographs.

From 1966 onwards, Varley covered every FIFA World Cup until 1982. He agreed with The Daily Mirror that he would take a sabbatical from work every four years in order to do so. Only a handful of photographers took colour photos of the 1966 FIFA World Cup Final between England and West Germany and Varley was one of them. He famously took photos from the stands during the first half, before approaching a messenger during halftime and asking if he could use his credentials. He then approached a steward and in broken German, explained that he had gone to the toilet and lost his pass. The steward allowed Varley onto the side of the pitch, where he took numerous memorable photos of England winning their first World Cup.

Varley attended the next FIFA World Cup in 1970, where he took one of the most famous sports photos of Pelé and Bobby Moore embracing following the match.^[2] He also covered two Muhammad Ali fights against Henry Cooper and Richard Dunn. From the 1980s onwards he also attended a number of music concerts, photographing The Rolling Stones, Madonna and Michael Jackson.

In 1979, Varley was the winner of World Press Photo Award in the Science & Technology category, for a shot of the acclaimed sculptor, Henry Moore. The photo was taken during Moore's 80th birthday exhibition in Bradford, England.^[3]

Varley covered numerous royal events during his career, including the Investiture of the Prince of Wales, the launch of the QEII cruise liner, and the wedding of Andrew, Duke of York, to Sarah Ferguson in 1986. He retired a couple of years later, taking voluntary redundancy from the Daily Mirror and agreeing a deal to take ownership of all his photographs.^[4]

Varley is best known for taking the iconic sports photo of Brazilian legend Pelé and England captain Bobby Moore. The photo was taken on the pitch straight after the final whistle in the 1970 FIFA World Cup game between Brazil and England.^[5]

The photo of the two men is seen as iconic. In a recent^[when?] BBC documentary, Pelé commented "that photo has gone around the world. I think it was very important for football." He continued, "we demonstrate that it's a sport. Win or lose, the example, the friendship, you must pass these on to other players to the next generation."^{[citation needed]}

• World Press Photo Award (1979)