Back in the days when cameras were great chunks of metal filled with film, and photographers and their phones were anything but smart, the only way of achieving a selfie was to stand in front of a mirror and hope for the best. This was me, 52 years ago.

I took this photograph of the late, great Humphrey Lyttelton when he and his band played at the Marsden Jazz Festival in 2006. I also got the chance to talk to him briefly - what a wonderful man he was.

A photo probably taken in the 1940s of my Aunty Annie in the garden of her house on Carbottom Lane, Bradford. I can just about remember visiting the house and marvelling at the rather grand stone fireplace that they had installed in the front room.

Fifty years ago I was living in London, working in politics, and spending my spare time attempting to capture a photographic record of all the old London Breweries, most of which were in their final years as working breweries. The sites - like the site of Courage's Anchor Brewery pictured here - were in prime … Continue reading Courageous Development

Frost and fog in Fixby. The mist gradually leaches the colour away leaving far fewer than fifty shades of grey.

In these days of global production chains and robotised manufacturing, it is difficult to believe that there once was a car manufacturing factory on the outskirts of Bradford. For a brief period of time, about 75 years ago, the Jowett Javelin was the Tesla of its day. Now we reflect on its glory days in … Continue reading Reflections On A Javelin

I've no idea who George was. His photograph was part of a batch of family photos collected by my father's cousin Ivy and then eventually passed down to me. Whoever he was, he was a handsome fellow. It is the photograph, however, which is the star here, a photograph that must be the best part … Continue reading George

This is a small detail from a photo I took on Market Street, Halifax almost sixty years ago. The main photo is a colourful mixture of social history and nostalgia. However interesting the old shops and ancient cars are, my eye is always drawn to the man walking along the street - a mere detail … Continue reading A Yorkshire Face

Photography always works best when its a two-stage process. Back in the old days you would take photos and then days or weeks later rediscover the images after the film was processed. These days, with digital images, it is often best to return to images months or years after they were taken. This picture was … Continue reading Looking Out On Edinburgh