1980s
In 1982, after working for four years as an industrial photographer, three were as an apprentice), I gambled and decided to follow my dream. Accepted on the documentary photography course under the leadership of Magnum photographer David Hurn, it was make or break. I gave up a well paid job as an industrial photographer to being a student! So over the two years, I worked hard and built on my early success, having work published in magazines and eventually, national newspapers.
​In a way, I was lucky after finishing the course. The miners went on strike and I came from a mining community and spent time during my second year at college photographing miners. How many photographers would get up at 2AM and walk over a mountain in the freezing cold to a picket line, in order to avoid the police? I learned so much during that period, not only about newspaper photography, but about values, political issues and how close I was and believed in the miners' battle.












​Warning : all photographs are strictly copyright Roger Tiley. Illegal use without permission can be tracked by an ID number. An invoice will be issued.