"I first got into photography in 1983, aged 28, after I was made redundant from my truck-driving job. I had a friend who did photojournalism and I used to go and watch him develop black-and-white photos in his darkroom, where you have a red light on to see what you're doing. So when I heard about someone who was selling a colour kit, I jumped at the chance."
"My photos from that time feel important now because that community is gone. They took down the flats, and the whole community spread out. In the summer there used to be a congregation of African-Caribbean people outside the Perseverance hotel or the Young Lions cafe. There was always music on and people who knew me. One of my photos is of a guy with a ghetto blaster there was always someone with one."
The photographer began taking photos in 1983 at age 28 after redundancy and learned darkroom work before teaching himself colour development. He photographed a lively African-Caribbean community in Bradford, documenting gatherings outside the Perseverance hotel and the Young Lions cafe, with music, ghetto blasters, and a busy cafe with a pool table. Unable to earn enough from photography to cover materials, he and Janet opened a beauty shop called Shade using a bank loan. The flats were later demolished and the community dispersed. The images were digitised about 25 years ago and have since found new audiences online and through cultural connections.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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