During your visit to Escrimis you will be hosted by owner Jayne Barlow, formerly known during her photographic career as Jayne Fincher. Jayne began work in photography in 1975 as a darkroom assistant. Although she grew up in the world of photography and journalism, there were very few women photographers in Fleet Street at that time, and it was not a career she had envisaged for herself.

One of her first attempts at getting a good press photograph was to stand outside the Dorchester Hotel in London in an attempt to take a photograph of the Hollywood couple Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton, who had recently remarried. The famous couple left the hotel surrounded by a pack of Fleet Street's finest, including Jayne. Sadly, at that time her skills in taking a photograph and wrestling with the competition  were nil and she came away without one photograph.

This was not to deter her, and she started regular visits to The Guards Polo Club at Windsor to photograph the then bachelor Prince Charles playing polo. Soon Jayne developed her skills and her photographs began to be published in the national press.

Over the next few years, Jayne began to cover a variety of assignments, news, features and celebrity - including attending the Deauville Film Festival to photograph two new young stars called John Travolta and Olivia Newton John who were publicising a film called 'Grease'.

By 1977, most of her subject requests seemed to be of a Royal nature. This was the year of the Queen's Silver Jubilee and the world's publications were constantly asking for royal photographs for their special issues, Jayne found herself on the 'royal' road more and more. For the next 25 years Jayne went on to specialise in royal images and her accolades during this time included winning the Nikon Royal Photographer of the Year, the Martini Royal Photographic Award on numerous occasions and the Martini Royal photograph of the Decade.

Jayne was accredited with Buckingham Palace and travelled the world widely on official overseas tours. She had the honour of undertaking many personal portrait sittings for various members of the royal family including the Prince of Wales' 40th birthday portraits in 1988 and the Earl and Countess of Wessex' wedding in 2000. She also undertook assignments for members of foreign royal families including King Hussein of Jordan.

​

Jayne is the author and photographer of many books on the British Royal Family including the best-selling books 'Diana, Portrait of a Princess' and Debrett's 'Illustrated Fashion Guide to the Princess of Wales'. More recently she published a book on the First World War.

​

She is currently the owner and editor of The Fincher Files, the photographic archives of the late Terry Fincher, FRPS (father) that formerly traded as Photographers International (1969-2012).

​

Jayne is a regular contributor to many worldwide television and radio productions on the British Royal Family including appearances on the Oprah Winfrey Show and Larry King Live. Jayne was the subject of a Channel 5 documentary in 2001.

After a career break Jayne is currently undertaking a full re-organization and edit of the archives and looks forward to continuing her photography in the near future whilst also enjoying a new adventure at her chapel studio in France where she hosts art and creative courses.

​

​For more details https://www.thefincherfiles.com