Introduction

I count myself so very fortunate to have had a career as a professional photographer where I was privileged to see and experience so much of life and what the world has to offer. The stories set before you now are reminders to me of that time and all the people I was privileged to meet and photograph.

These and many other stories are the very bedrock of my life as a photographer, they represent the best of me and my greatest passion for documentary photography. It is still a great thrill for me to remember that much of this work has been and occasionally still appears in publications around the world, some of which are held in permanent archives in the Imperial War Museum, and Getty Images to name a few. Possibly the greatest accolade for me is the knowledge that my photographs documenting the Ahmici Massacre in Bosnia 1993 form part of the official memorial to those so unjustly slaughtered in that appalling civil war, as well as being used as evidence in the prosecution of two of its perpetrators at The International Criminal Court in The Hague.

From Northern Ireland, and Bosnia to Iraq and beyond I was privileged to be present to record and document with my cameras, something of the truth of what our species is truly capable of doing. I’ve seen the very best and worst of humanity yet despite any of the insanity and prejudice I still believe in the possibility of what kindness and compassion can achieve if only it is allowed to blossom and grow.

I love and regard this old work and for me it needs to be set in its correct place, not buried away in a dusty archive but brought to the light for people to see and experience. These photo stories in partnership with Home Town Stories form the basis of a series of lectures and talks created with the intention of gently informing and educating people about the issues and realities that affect all our lives and culture and how vital it is to remember our common humanity, irrespective of gender, race, ethnicity or belief.

Wishing you fair light and full frames

Giles