Born in Kenilworth, England, Marlow studied psychology at Manchester University, graduating in 1974. He began his photography career in 1975 working on an Italian cruise liner in the Caribbean before joining the Sygma news agency in Paris in 1976. In the late 1970s Marlow worked in Northern Ireland and Lebanon, but soon found that the competition of photojournalism did not suit him. He returned home to Britain, and worked in Liverpool on an eight-year project, Liverpool – Looking Out To Sea. He became associated with Magnum Photos in 1980 and became a full member in 1986. Alongside Chris Steele-Perkins, he founded Magnum's London office in 1987. He served as the agency's president twice and was vice-president numerous times. "The photographer Martin Parr said it was “difficult to overestimate” Marlow’s contribution to Magnum". He also worked regularly for The Sunday Times in the mid-1980s. In 1991 he received an assignment from the Somme department in France to photograph Amiens. Later he began to work abroad again, travelling to Japan, the United States, and other parts of Europe. His later photography is primarily in color. Though well known for his depictions of places, Marlow also documented politics with a collaboration with Tony Blair. Marlow died on 21 February 2016 from influenza contracted during a stem cell transplant as a treatment for multiple myeloma. [Source text: Magnum Photos]