Jane Bown took this photograph of The Queen at the start of Her Majesty’s eightieth birthday year. Bown (a fellow octogenarian) has worked as a professional photographer since the late 1940s. She has been one of the principal contributors to the Observer (the national Sunday newspaper) since December 1949. In 1995 she was awarded a CBE for her outstanding contribution to photography. Bown is known for her unpretentious technique, working at speed, using only available light, and for working in black and white rather than colour.