Anne Cook's Glastonbury photos go on show to mark 35 years
An exhibition of Anne Cook's Glastonbury photographs marks 35 years of the festival, with the 90-year-old photographer sharing her 'lurking and stalking' technique.
The Full Story
A plain summary built from the channels that reported this story.
A new exhibition of Glastonbury photographs by Anne Cook celebrates 35 years of the festival through the eyes of one devoted observer. Cook, who turns 90 next year, has spent three decades capturing the people, performances and eccentric moments that define the event.
Her method, as she describes it, is simple: "I lurk and stalk. I find a really super background and I'll lurk in front of it and then pounce on people as they walk past." She asks permission before taking each shot, a technique she says she is sharing "for nothing".
Cook first visited Glastonbury in the early 1990s, when the festival had already been running for two decades. Originally called the Pilton Pop Folk and Blues Festival, tickets in 1971 cost one pound and included free milk from the farm. The event has since grown to hold a capacity of 210,000 people, and Cook says she finds it an "anthropological experience" that she cannot resist.
She recalls the festival's earlier, more chaotic days: "People could get in over the wall or under the wall or through the wall. It was a bit dodgy. I liked the edginess." She also remembers first hearing Amy Winehouse: "I had no idea who she was. She suddenly sang that song of hers, Rehab, and I just became her everlasting fan."
The exhibition, titled "One Last Chance", offers a final moment in the spotlight for these images. But Cook is far from finished with Glastonbury. She plans to use a mobility scooter to get around the site, saying: "Something's always happening in those theatre fields, something ridiculous, and you think that is the most ridiculous thing. It's absolutely wonderful."
Her work captures the spontaneous fun and simple joy of listening to music in a field, a record of the festival's enduring appeal through the lens of a woman who has made it her life's passion.
On screen
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Key Claims
Claims reported during this story's coverage, mapped by channel. Ordered by how many channels carried each claim.
| Claim | ITV |
|---|---|
| An exhibition is titled 'One Last Chance'. | |
| Anne Cook has photographed Glastonbury Festival for 35 years. | |
| Anne Cook will use a mobility scooter at the festival. |
Channel Perspectives
What each channel focused on, with key quotes.
ITV's report focuses on Anne Cook's personal story, her age, her quirky method of taking photos, and her memories of the festival. It also provides a brief history of Glastonbury's origins and growth, framing the exhibition as a tribute to both the photographer and the event itself.
- “I lurk and stalk. I find a really super background and I'll lurk in front of it and then pounce on people as they walk past.”
- “They let me have a mobility scooter.”
- “It is a place where so many memories are made that one 90-year-old woman has tried to capture the spontaneous festival fun and the simple joy of listening to music in a field.”
Broadcast Timeline
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