My 30 years photographing the North East and Cumbria

Owen Humphreys' phone has been on 24 hours a day for the past 30 years.

"I could be asleep in the middle of the night and something might have happened," he says.

"As soon as we get the phone call about these disasters or events, we basically head straight out there."

He is in his 30th year as PA Media's news photographer in the north-east of England and Cumbria.

Formerly known as the Press Association (PA), its photos are shared to outlets around the world, and is often the first the public gets to see of the magnificent highs and terrible lows of major news events.

Here are just some of the memorable stories he has worked on.

Humphreys had been part of the Angel of the North's story "from the very start".

"It was just incredible to see from it being in pieces on the floor in the factory [in Hartlepool], to actually being erected in Gateshead," he says.

The 66ft (20m) tall landmark was built on the site of a former coal mine in 1998, during his first few years at PA.

The main thing that has changed since then is the move from film to digital cameras, he says.

"It was a lot more difficult," Humphreys says.

Film cameras used light to capture images, rather than a digital sensor.

"You were very limited to the number of shots, so you were really relying on your knowledge of the camera, your lighting," he says.

"Once that moment had gone on film, there wasn't another chance to get that back."

Foot-and-mouth disease gripped the UK in 2001 and Humphreys was sent to capture the scenes.

Farming families in Northumberland and Cumbria saw thousands of their animals culled.

"It was awful to be honest with you," he says.

"You'd be driving along the A69 and from your left to your right there'd be no cattle, no animals, no sheep."

"All you would see was pyres and smoke, and the smell was awful."

On 23 February 2007, a 300-tonne train travelling at 95mph on the West Coast Main Line careered down an embankment at Grayrigg, in Cumbria.

"I wasn't really sure when I got the call how bad the crash was until I actually got to the scene," Humphreys says.

"It was just complete carnage."

One train passenger died and 28 were seriously injured.

He has been sent out into countless storms and flooding incidents over the decades.

Torrential rain in November 2009 saw rivers burst their banks, flooding Carlisle and Cockermouth.

"The water just engulfed villages, roads," Humphreys says.

Moments like that make him grateful for the kit he keeps in his car boot for all weathers.

"On something like this, we put a pair of fishing waders on because we don't know how deep the water's going to be."

The Sycamore Gap tree next to Hadrian's Wall in Northumberland "wasn't really only a tree", Humphreys says.

It was a beautiful spot for photographers, walkers and local businesses, and meant a lot to people all over the world, he says.

Waking up to the news on 28 September 2023 that it had been felled, Humphreys did not believe the videos he was seeing at first.

"I headed straight up there and yeah, to my horror, it was on its side," he says.

"Just complete disbelief."

He spent three or four days there while the world's media arrived, and followed the criminal case through the courts for PA.

"I've covered Newcastle United for actually over 30 years, probably 35 years, and I've seen the ups and downs," Humphreys says.

He saw the team end its 70-year wait for silverware, with its victory in the League Cup in 2025.

"To finally see them lift a trophy at Wembley was just incredible, it was just an amazing day as a photographer and as a fan," he says.

But how did he keep calm and get the shot?

"It's very difficult because sometimes you want to jump up and cheer, but you know you've got to stay professional and get the picture," Humphreys says.

"I've been caught a couple of times, up and celebrating when the goal's been at the wrong end," he admits.

Humphreys says he gets a buzz knowing his work is being seen by millions of people around the world.

"Opening the papers the next day and seeing something that you've created is just fantastic," he says.

"It's a job I absolutely love," he says, adding: "I am very lucky and privileged.

"Even now after 30 plus years, I get up every day just wanting to go out and take more."

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