Mark Gilligan FBIPP has always been around cameras and photography as his father worked in the industry for several national newspapers. When my own working life began, I eventually became the Director of the National Photography and Video course for the Home Office teaching specific ‘specialist’ units. Or as I referred to them ‘secret squirrels!’ That went on for over 35 years. We sat down and worked out recently that I have now taught in excess of 3,000 people in that time to date, including all my ‘students’ and people who come on my workshops. Alongside all of that, I had trained at the BBC as a professional TV Producer/Director and created some 300 programmes in that time. I was involved in many global and groundbreaking national events that only my position would allow access to. In that respect my working life has been truly unique. Many of the programmes won National awards including a golden rose entitled, ‘Can you Make It stop’ concerning Child Abuse.

My bolt hole during all of that was landscape photography which quickly became a business both producing for magazines and running workshops. Due to ill health, I retired from the Home Office in 2008 and intended to simply ‘do’ as I pleased. My first love has always been the single image. My wife keeps saying, ‘I thought you retired” ha ha! I never will as long as the ‘big man upstairs’ allows because I am as busy now as I was then. I am not complaining though ha ha. My workshops are in constant demand from folks across the world and I still write for magazines. Long may it continue. One Day someone will tap me on the shoulder and say “Right Gilly it’s time you started to work’… it has never felt like a job. I never forget how lucky I am though I would have traded some of this health situation for some of that.

If you want to know more about Mark you can find it on his website.