Colour photograph by Paul Graham 'Woman in Headscarf, DHSS waiting room', Bristol, 1984. From 'Beyond Caring'.

Colour photograph by Paul Graham 'Woman waiting, DHSS, Bristol (Woman with red headscarf)', 1984. From 'Beyond Caring'.

Paul Graham (1956 - present) is one of the most influential photographers in Britain, best known in particular for his ground-breaking colour documentary work in the 1980s.

His series Beyond Caring, from which this image is drawn, was published in book form in 1985 and depicts the offices of the Department of Health and Social Security.

Graham was the first person to use colour whilst working in the established genre of social documentary photography. Until this time, documentary photography had been dominated by black and white, with colour mainly confined to advertising and domestic work. Graham's use of colour social documentary photography as a tool for personal expression transformed British photography and remains influential today.