You can read a lot about a country by looking at its beaches: across cultures, the beach is that rare public space in which all absurdities and quirky national behaviors can be found.

Taking photos is a form of collecting.

The easy bit is picking up a camera and pointing and shooting. But then you have to decide what it is you’re trying to say and express.

My black-and-white work is more of a celebration and the color work became more of a critique of society.

I always take photographs when I attend a funeral. Most people there know who I am and expect me to be there with my camera.

Color was the palette of commercial photography and snapshot photography.

In 1982 I bought the newly released Makina Plaubel 55mm fixed-lens camera. With this shift from 35mm to 6 x 7, I also changed from black and white to color. Later that year, I started my project on New Brighton called The Last Resort. However, the first project I shot in colour was composed of urban scenes from Liverpool. This image was on the second roll of film. It's the first good photo I made in this new chapter of my work.