Roger Sargent (born 1970, London) was The Libertines' photographer of choice, responsible for their iconic second album artwork as well as celebrated photographs of the band in their prime, in particular the iconic shots of The Libertines in red military jackets. He also designed the artwork to Dirty Pretty Things' second and final album, Romance at Short Notice, and provided the photographs featured in The Libertines: Bound Together.
Sargent was born to a maverick English teacher mother and a father who filmed TV classics The Professionals and Minder; casting shadows further, one grandfather was the clapper boy on Hitchcock’s The 39 Steps, the other invented the police siren. His transient childhood took in Somerset and South Africa, with a brief break in Gwent along the way.
After becoming a mod with a passion for punk rock, he joined Magnum legend David Hurn’s renowned documentary photography course at Newport College, but almost dropped out to go on the road with Fabulous, a band made up of NME Journalists and porn stars. On graduating - and following a brief sojourn at Melody Maker and I.D. Magazine - Roger went to NME, surviving trauma and trends for a decade. Having worked for Rolling Stone, Mojo, Daily Telegraph and The Guardian amongst others, he has most recently won critical and popular acclaim for two major exhibitions, The Libertines - Boys In The Band and Future Legends, and has been called “the UK's most important music photographer".
