My passion for photography started when my father bought me my first camera, a Minolta, for my 18th birthday.
At the time I was at university studying for a BA in French Literature.
I quickly fell in love with photography, joined the college Photo Society, where I learned the rudiments of developing and printing black & white pictures.
After graduating I had a few jobs, while trying to sell pictures to the local newspapers in south London. I finally secured a job on a local weekly paper. Soon I was trying to get week-end shifts on the Fleet Street papers and agencies like the Press Association.
Finally, I was fortunate enough to get hired by Reuters, when they moved their European Photo desk from Brussels to London. After 18 months, working in London, both on the photo desk, and shooting assignments, a position opened up in the Paris bureau. My application was accepted and I moved to France. I remained there until I left Reuters in 2000.
Today I live in rural France, near Reims. I have almost come full circle in my photography, shooting for my own pleasure, mostly in black & white. Now though all pictures are made on digital cameras. This website is a small collection of my work.
Gareth Watkins
