Elliott Franks
The talented, well-respected, and much-loved photographer Elliott Franks has died at his London home at age 62.
Gramilano knew him as a dance photographer, and he was always helpful and generous with his contributions to our site.
Aside from his theatre photography, he produced editorial photographs, and indeed, today in The Times, one of his photos is featured.
He would wait patiently outside 10 Downing Street or the BBC for a photo op, as well as taking his camera to violent demonstrations.
Elliott Franks outside 10 Downing Street
He contributed photos to Dancing Times magazine for many years. Its editor at the time, Jonathan Gray, said:
I am shocked to hear of the death of Elliott. Not only was he a marvellous photographer, he was such a kind and considerate person as well. His most famous photo – the one he will be most remembered for – is the image, taken just a few years ago, of a drunken England football fan with a lit flare sticking out of his bottom (it made the headlines everywhere), but he was also a sensitive and gifted dance photographer.
His pictures graced the cover of Dancing Times several times when I was editor of the magazine, and I was always pleased to catch up with him regularly at the Critics’ Circle National Dance Awards.
I last saw him in June at the 2026 ceremony, when we kissed and promised to meet up soon. Little did I know that would be the last time I would see him.
2025 National Dance Awards – Ryoichi Hirano, Lauren Cuthbertson, Viola Pantuso and William Bracewell, photo Elliott Franks
Elliott Franks worked as a professional photographer since 1999. His passion was producing black-and-white, dark and moody portraits for actors’ headshots. One of the actors he worked with was in a West End show, and the director asked him to do the production photography. It was the first time that his work was published.
Franks attended theatre and dance photocalls during the day and photographed live music at night, with the images used to accompany reviews in newspapers and magazines. More recently, he focused on dance photography and took on commissions from dance companies.
Graham Watts, Chairman of the Dance Section of The Critics’ Circle and of the UK National Dance Awards, said:
Elliott was a kind and generous man. Since his death, so many people have messaged me to say that he gave free photos of dancers.
He photographed the National Dance Awards for over 15 years and never once asked us for a fee since he knew we ran the whole event on a shoestring. He photographed politicians and documented the Stop the Hate campaign against anti-Semitism without any fanfare or self-promotion.
He was a self-effacing man who preferred to stay behind the camera.
When print outlets began receiving free photos to accompany their articles, he needed to diversify and so began covering news and politics: political party events, party conferences, and election campaigns for all the major parties in the UK, as well as commissions from trade unions, political parties, members of parliament, and think tanks.
He was a member of the National Union of Journalists the British Press Photographers Association.
Elliott Franks in print – politics
Elliott Franks in print – theatre
Elliott Franks in print – dance
Elliott Franks in print – news
Social Media Tributes
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Danny Clifford, the live music photographer: Elliot was a friend of mine for over 25 years. We were often photographing side by side. He was a brilliant photographer and a lovely person. This is a great loss and I am in total shock.
Journalist Alexander Seale: Really sad to hear Elliott Franks passed away. He was a great photographer and an @FPALondon colleague. I saw him last at the FPA [Foreign Press Association] summer party and at Wimbledon. Thinking of his family.
The Foreign Press Association in London: We are heartbroken. One of our much-loved members, Elliott Franks, 62, has passed away. One of the official photographers at the #FPAawards and a dedicated presence at our #FPABriefings A kind, special soul will be deeply missed. Our thoughts with his family.
ArenaPAL – Performing Arts Picture Library: We are deeply saddened by the sudden death of our contributing photographer @elliottfranks,who has died aged 62. His extensive archive stands as a testament to a remarkable artistic talent and a lifelong love of performance with a particular passion for ballet.
Photographer Amanda Rose: A true gentleman. The most genuine, gentle, funny and kind person. So much more than the exceptionally talented and creative photographer we all admired. May his memory forever be a blessing.
Actress Shelley Blond: I cannot believe what I am seeing. Elliott was at every rally, counter protest, event and not only was he an incredible photographer, but was a gentle, sweet soul, always ready with a smile and a sparkle in his eyes. I am so terribly sorry for his family and for the loss of all of us of this lovely lovely man. May his memory be an eternal blessing.
Graham Spicer, aka ‘Gramilano’, is a writer, director and photographer based in Milan. He was a regular columnist for Opera Now magazine and wrote for the BBC until transferring to Italy. His articles have appeared in various publications from Woman’s Weekly to Gay Times, and he wrote the Danza in Italia column for Dancing Times magazine. Graham was the historical advisor on Codice Carla, the 2023 documentary on Carla Fracci.
Graham also works as a dance photographer, and his photos have appeared in many books, theatre programmes, and magazines, including Dancing Times, Dance Spirit and Ballet2000, as well as all the major Italian newspapers.
He is a member of the Dance Section of The Critics’ Circle.