After nine years of working in a darkroom I decided I needed to change things and take my photography more seriously. I handed in my notice and did a two year course in photography at the newly opened College of arts and technology in Newcastle.
It was a great two years where I really started to expand my knowledge of photography. It was in the library where I started to come across books by Cartier Bresson, W Eugene Smith, Diane Arbus and Irving Penn. I’ve always felt one can learn more from looking at great photographers work the you can ever from a ‘How to take photographs’ kind of book.
I started a personal project during my first year at college, photographing the people who live and work on the river Tyne. By the time I finished my National Diploma I had an exhibition of these photographs at Newcastle library followed by a book.