Exhibition shows Bowie through the eyes of friends

An exhibition has been showcasing candid photographs of David Bowie, including some taken by a close friend during a trip to a seaside town in the 1970s.

Geoff MacCormack captured the images of Bowie when he had a gig at Winter Gardens Bournemouth on May 25, 1973.

He had been friends with the star since their schooldays and went on tour with him as a backing vocalist and dancer.

The exhibition at Canvas Gallery in Poole will run until Saturday before it moves to Canvas Gallery Winchester from 24 May.

"I certainly got shots of him that a professional photographer, doing a gig, clicking away, wouldn't have got," Mr MacCormack said.

He said he recalled the day the Ziggy Stardust tour reached Dorset.

"I remember Bournemouth because I took a couple of snaps of fans. There was a Rolls Royce there," he said.

"You've got to remember that almost overnight he became a sensation through Ziggy Stardust. That was the point at which his image exploded onto the world."

Another photo captures Bowie sleeping on the Trans-Siberian Express during the Ziggy Stardust tour, which visited Russia.

Mr MacCormack said: "I was up earlier than him and I just saw this picture and I thought 'how fabulous, what a great composition.'"

The collection, called Canvas to Canvas, reveals a different view of Bowie, only seen by those who knew him personally.

"We had costumes made for us, which were outlandish, and we were taught how to dance and apply makeup, but it was all a fantasy thing. I travelled with David because he was my friend.

"I wasn't taking photographs for anything other than holiday snaps."

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