1. What are you up to at the moment?

I’m a jack-of-all-trades. In order to survive as a sole-trader, I do various things, photography-related. For example, just before Christmas I went to Kenya and made a photo-story about a young woman who de-mined land. I’m currently pitching that story to Marie-Claire. Also, I’m waiting for authorization to get access to a military hospital near London. This is the first port-of-call for British soldiers injured in Afghanistan and Iraq. I should be going to the hospital with a BBC Radio 4 producer.

The other side of things is that I teach. One day a week I teach photography at the University of Newport. I also visit schools in the Newport area and give presentations to 13-16 year-olds about entrepreneurship. And I am also a mentor for a program which helps local artists set-up for business in a scheme funded by the EU. Oh yes, and sometimes I do newspaper reviews for BBC Radio Wales.

2. Why do you like photography

Photography is a means of communication and my goal is to not only inform people but to communicate my views on things. That’s very important to me – I want to shape people’s perceptions on things.
It’s also important to me that my work is about individuals. I’m less interested in the broad news reportage, more the personal, intimate stories that are created within that.

Career-wise, being a photographer is a way of life. I remember what it was like when I was 15, waking up for school and feeling utter dread…that feeling that I had to do something and had no choice in the matter and I thought I never want to feel that again in my life – so in terms of career, it was always unlikely I would have to go into an office everyday and work directly for someone else.

3. What or who has helped you get where you currently are?

Essentially it was one inspiring A-level teacher and one inspiring university lecturer. They made me a better photographer because I wanted them to be proud of me. They mentored me – they were more just teachers. They believed in me.

4. What advice would you give to a young person who wants to be a photographer?

I think the most important thing is to choose something you are utterly passionate about in an incredibly obsessive way. This will mean you are prepared to sacrifice things as you will no doubt need to do. I think it’s just about passion and faith. And if you are that passionate about something, it shouldn’t be that hard to do it – not as hard as doing something you hate anyway.