I worked in IT, mainframe operating systems and telecommunications for some 20 years. Then, after being badly treated by an employer yet again, at the start of the 90's I decided to switch to photography and did a two year City + Guilds 747 course in professional photographic laboratory practices. I wish I'd known then what I know now, because while it's possible to earn a reasonable income from photography, it's by being a good business person, not a good photographer. I should have taken up driving a London taxi, less hassle.I've worked as a photography technician in two colleges and two professional labs, both on wet processing and digital, plus I've been a tutor and NVQ assessor. I use an 8 year-old old Apple G4/400 running OS X (10.3.9).
At present, I'm unemployed due to illness. Again with hindsight I would have understood the implications of working in hot humid conditions with pigeon droppings on the floor, particularly while being kept awake night after night by noisy neighbours. After a ridiculous battle with the NHS, I was diagnosed with fungal meningitis (yes, I know only one or two people a year are diagnosed with it in the UK, but that doesn't mean it's impossible for me to be this year's person). Mistakes led to my being treated before confirmation tests were done. Things were starting to look good, but the meningitis-like symptoms slowly returned. FM has a habit of coming back if not killed off by the treatment and I was only given the minimum. This time the tests were done correctly, but no sign. So for nearly a year I've been battling the NHS again to get further tests. Finally I seem to have found a doctor who understands and has said that he'll do further tests. Unfortunately, that could take 6 months or more. So as the 6th anniversary of falling ill arrives, my life still consists of surviving day–to–day and I have no idea if the problems my illness causes me will disappear after any treatment or whether they'll linger for the rest of my life. Only time will tell on that.
I have exhibited twice at the Barbican Library, London, with 'Last of a Kind' (1995) and 'Come on Club!' (1997), gained my Associateship of the Royal Photographic Society in 1998 in Documentary and my Fellowship in 1999 in Pictorial. I showed both in an exhibition, called 'A to F', at The Camera Club, London during July and August 1999. I also had a print accepted for the RPS 142nd International Print Exhibition in 1988.
Several people have e-mailed me asking about the stories behind some of my pictures or explanations of 'what they mean'. The documentaries do have a brief introduction, but I believe that if I gave stories or explanations for each picture then they would stop being pictures and become more like illustrations. Perhaps we're used to seeing photographs in newspapers, magazines and books that are always accompanied by text in some form or another, even if it's just a caption. What I would like you to do when viewing my pictures is to look at what feelings and thoughts they trigger, what memories or stories that come to mind. Otherwise you might as well be looking at a seed catalogue. Please feel free to e-mail me and tell me your thoughts and feelings. Perhaps we'll both discover a little more about ourselves.
Barry Leighton FRPS - November 2007