At the school camera club (run by science teachers, of course), he learned all the physics and chemistry of photography. It was later, at the Royal College of Art under Michael Langford and John Hedgecoe, that he learned the art – and how to make photographs rather than take them. He was encouraged to experiment with different equipment and film stock. For one project, students were given a camera body but no lens and had to improvise to get an image onto the film using pinholes in cooking foil, knobbly drinking glasses or water-filled polythene bags.
Photography for advertising and packaging is particularly demanding – both artistically and technically. During his career as an art director, Joe worked with some of the finest fashion, still-life and food photographers in London.
With a designer/artist's eye, Joe has a camera with him almost all the time looking for pictures in even the most unlikely places. The following examples are just a few of them...
