HOW DID YOU GET STARTED?

My first camera was an Agfa instamatic “point and shoot” which was bought in 1970 for my 11th birthday. I was very proud of it. It had settings for sun, cloudy, and overcast.

I remember my first serious shoot—a sunrise whilst on holiday in Spain with my parents. I was about 14 years old. Everyone thought I was mad to get up at 4 a.m. I took two pictures (on the sun setting, of course!), and they came out fine. In fact, I sold them to a magazine 20 years later!

I left school in 1977 when I was 18, and I travelled for a couple of years around Europe and the Middle East. After returning to England, I took courses at Birmingham and Sheffield and was inspired by the enthusiasm of photographer Vanley Burke, who was living with and photographing tramps.

My work began to attract an audience. Camerawork Gallery in London exhibited photos from protest marches, and a four-month trip to squatters communities in South Africa opened doors with some national papers in the U.K. Then, I worked with miners during the Great Strike of 1984-85, publishing a book several years later.

During the eighties I worked for anyone who would give me assignments and also shot the things I wanted to, and could afford to, without backing; that’s pretty much what I do now.

WHAT WAS YOUR FAVORITE ASSIGNMENT?

My most memorable—if not exactly favorite—experiences came during a 1991 trip to Borneo, Malaysia, and the Philippines. I was drugged and kidnapped in Manila. The police discovered me unconscious by the side of a road. All my cameras had been stolen, and I was left with my passport and about seven dollars to my name.

On the same trip, I was threatened by machete-wielding villagers who had mistaken me for a headhunter. I also caught a tropical illness which plagued me for over a year.

WHAT MAKES THIS PORTFOLIO SPECIAL TO YOU?

My first visit to the Gitan festival at Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer was in 1993. Almost immediately, something struck a chord in me. Maybe it was my Jewish blood or the recognition of one fellow traveller to another or something intangible. I would wait patiently on the sidelines until the media cohorts and crowds of tourists dissipated.

Softly approaching, awaiting an invitation, smiling, catching the eyes, showing some humility—that was my way. Slowly and surely friendships developed. As I was gradually adopted by Gitan families, I visited caravan sites and municipal housing. Later invited to witness baptisms and weddings, I was privileged to photograph very private situations.

I still marvel at the Gitans’ zest for life: rituals and celebrations, music, dancing, processions, and overwhelming hospitality.

ANY ADVICE FOR ASPIRING PHOTOJOURNALISTS?

The most important thing is to photograph from the heart. Decide what you want to do—reportage, portraiture, social documentary, fine art, etc.—and stick with it. Devote your time to working in the field and shoot lots and lots of photos. You will learn by your experience and even more by your mistakes.

There is no substitute for time, patience, hard work, and showing your work to key people in the field. Get your portfolio together and present it tirelessly. Listen to what people have to say. Digest their criticism. Follow up on the useful ideas and show your work again.

Be prepared to be turned down again and again. The photographers who succeed are not necessarily the best shooters but the most determined!