Brian Brake

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John Brian Brake (1927 - 1988) was a New Zealand photographer.

Born in Wellington, Brian Brake trained with Spencer Digby from 1945, joining the National Film Unit in 1947, directing Snows of Aorangi in 1950.

He left New Zealand for London in 1953, meeting Ernst Haas, John Morris and Cartier-Bresson, who invited him to become a member of Magnum, which he remained a member of until 1967. He worked as freelance photographer in Europe, Africa and Asia until joining Life magazine in 1958, contributing work to Paris Match.

He is best known for his work China, (where he was allowed an unusual level of access), his photos of Pablo Picasso and his 'Monsoon' series of photographs taken in India during a sabbatical from LIFE during 1960. In 1970 he founded the Zodiac Film Unit in Hong Kong.

In 1976 he returned to New Zealand, building an East Asian influenced architectural award winning house on Titirangi's Scenic Drive, in the Waitakere Ranges to the west of Auckland, where although he continued to accept freelance assignments abroad, he lived with his (male) partner for the remainder of his life. In 1985 he helped establish the New Zealand Centre for Photography.

Brian Brake died of a heart attack in 1988.

The Brian Brake Memorial Award is a major award in New Zealand photography.