Shirley Baker obituary

Documentary photographers of the mid-20th century captured the world around them as they saw it, and it is a shame that there were so few women working in this field at the time. Shirley Baker, who has died aged 82, was one of the rare female photographers who chronicled life in the north of England from the 1950s onwards.

When Baker studied her trade at Manchester College of Technology, there was only one other woman on the course. On finishing, Baker's plan was to work in-house at a company, recording processes and producing promotional images. She started at Courtaulds fabric manufacturers before freelancing for other businesses and doing some journalism, including for the Guardian. Baker encountered difficulties getting a press card, so was unable to pursue photojournalism seriously, and believed she was only given the assignments deemed unsuitable for men.