Born and brought up in Scotland, I am a photographer, writer and historian. I have written and illustrated many books and magazine articles on travel, heritage and photography (all illustrated with my own original images) and on both photographic history and history as revealed through photography.
Over the past 50 years, I have travelled all over the world with my cameras taking pictures for a wide range of editorial projects and for my many books.
I studied photographic technology in Manchester in the early 1960s, initially much more interested in the science which made photography work than actually taking pictures. After a long academic career – I was a professor in photography and photographic history at the University of Bolton – I now spend my time researching and illustrating books on more obscure aspects of industrial history and my work regularly appears in Vintage Spirit magazine.
My latest book is The Governor – Controlling the Power of Steam Machines, and I am currently researching and writing a history of the short-lived gas-powered tramcar.