My earliest memories of photography are probably looking through my parents’ photo albums. Those muzzy old images that you could actually hold in your hands are indelible in my mind.
When I was young, I messed around with my dad’s camera for a while, but I really got into photography while studying for my archeology degree. I was working in Pompeii, and found it was much more fun using a camera to record the excavation than digging big holes in the blazing sun.
I went on to do a photography diploma and got some work experience at a local paper, where I was given work to do and sent off by myself. Practical experience is by far the best way of learning news photography. I must have learnt something because at the end of my internship they gave me a job.
Covering the London 2012 Olympic Games made a big impression on me. For a couple of weeks London was the epicentre of global news; all eyes were on us and the standard of competition was very high.
I love all assignments. I like the excitement of breaking news and I like features because they offer the chance to think more about your images. The most exciting assignment is the next one – you never know what you’re going to be doing when you take a call from the picture desk.
I don’t have any audience in mind – I like to record what I see in front of me, ideally in an interesting way. Hopefully people like the finished result.
There is no one big lesson in photography, but you can learn from most other photographers, good or bad, famous or not. I always try to listen to advice, even if I don’t always follow it.
