Depeche Mode’s second album “A Broken Frame” was released in 1982. The album was written entirely by Martin Gore and was recorded as a trio after the departure of principle songwriter Vince Clarke. The style of the band began to transition from the pop sounds of “Speak and Spell” towards the deeper and darker themes that the band would further explore on subsequent releases. 

The artwork for the album provided a masterpiece photograph that would become one of the greatest photographs ever taken. Despite being a photograph, the cover artwork is intended to resemble a painting. It depicts a woman cutting grain in an East Anglian field, near Duxford, Cambridgeshire. It was taken by Brian using a mixture of natural and artificial lighting.