Paul Lowe

Paul Lowe studied at University of the Arts London and University of Cambridge. The recorded working language is English. The field of work recorded is photojournalism and photography. Subjects and genres recorded for the work are photojournalism. Employment is recorded with London College of Communication, University of the Arts London and University of Greater Manchester.

• Birth Name — Christian Paul Lowe • Born — 6 November 1963 • Birthplace — London, England • Died — 12 October 2024 • Place of death — San Gabriel Mountains, Los Angeles County, USA • Occupation — * Photojournalist • educator • writer • critic • Years Active — 1980s–2024 • Notable Works — Bosnians (2005) • Awards — Vic Odden Award, Royal Photographic Society

Lowe was born on 6 November 1963 in London, and grew up in Liverpool. He graduated from the University of Cambridge in 1986 with a BA in history and philosophy. He earned a BTEC in documentary photography from Gwent College of Higher Education; and a PhD in photography from the University of the Arts London.

Lowe worked as a photojournalist in more than 80 countries from the 1980s to the 2000s. The first major event he covered was the fall of the Berlin Wall, and went on to cover the Romanian revolution, Nelson Mandela's release from prison, the Yugoslav Wars, the destruction of Grozny, and famine in Africa. Lowe was a member of the VII Photo Agency; he had also been a member of Magnum Photos in 1998 but withdrew at some later point. He was Course Director of the MA in Photojournalism and Documentary Photography at London College of Communication; a visiting professor in war studies at King's College London; and taught at an academy through the VII Foundation. "His books and lectures, many of which dealt with the history of photojournalism and the ethics of representing human suffering through images, often spoke of photography's potential to help bear witness to atrocities."

Lowe met Amra Abadzic in Sarajevo while she was working as a journalist for Reuters. The couple married in 1995 and spent much of their life in Sarajevo, her hometown. The couple had two sons. He divided his time between London and Sarajevo.

Lowe died after being stabbed on a hiking trail in the San Gabriel Mountains, northern Los Angeles County, United States, on 12 October 2024. He was 60. His 19-year-old son, Emir, was charged with his murder. Lowe had travelled to Los Angeles to try to help his son, who has a history of mental illness and had not returned in two months from a trip to the US that was supposed to last days. The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department apprehended his son soon after he crashed the car he and Lowe had been using while touring the San Gabriel mountains.