Here’s a interview from 2025 by journalist and friend Phil Ascough for The Hull Story, Its sums me up a lot better than I could do myself:
A quick summary of childhood. Neil was born in Beverley “and spent six hours there”. He grew up in Bilton and moved to Hornsea in 1970. Left Hornsea school in 1979 and wanted to study photography. The only place he could do that was Leeds College of Technology so he went there, got his City & Guilds Advanced and then started his first job with Richmond & Rigg in South Church Side. The first recruit in a new business. It was January 31,1983, they were a new company and he was the very first member of staff.
Not many are likely to remember it as the day it became compulsory to wear seat belts in cars, but Neil does. He also brought back memories of the advertising sheets published by Hull-based electrical goods retailer Comet to promote their fridge freezers, microwaves and whatever. Early components of Neil’s blossoming portfolio.
A move to work for Herbert Ballard photography business gave Neil the opportunity to indulge his love of the shipping industry. We both have fond memories of John Davis – the ultimate maritime PR guru and the professional equal of the most authoritative shipping correspondents, Peter Reekie at the Yorkshire Post and Bob Wellings at the Hull Daily Mail.
“John was a great mentor for me, especially when I started my own business,” Neil recalled.
With Herbert, the volume of maritime work was the big attraction. Clients included British Transport Docks Board, which evolved into ABP, Dunstan shipyard in Hessle, Yorkshire Dry Dock, which is now North End Shipyard, Whitaker Tankers, the Humber Pilots. Add to that United Towing and their trio of tugs – Salvageman, Yorkshireman and Irishman – which had joined the Falklands Task Force in 1982.
Neil recalled: “I spent many an hour on the freezing docks. Loads and loads of maritime work and I absolutely loved doing it. One of the biggest jobs was for Marr Group converting trawlers for seismic survey.”
As Herbert headed towards retirement he made Neil redundant but gave him freelance commissions and allowed him to use the studio’s facilities.
An early assignment was photographing some of the celebrated presenters at BBC Radio Humberside – Steve Massam, Andy Comfort, Carl and Gloria, Peter Adamson. Humberside Engineering Training Association (HETA) became a regular client, so too HICA and KCOM. Taking pictures for the front cover of the telephone directory.
There were cultural shoots with Freedom Festival, Humber Street Sesh and UK City of Culture, but maritime work will always be Neil’s passion and he struggles to conceal the pride in revealing that some of his work will feature in the restored maritime museum.
“I remember growing up in the 70s as a boy scout and going to see HMS Tiger in King George Dock,” Neil said.
“Also in the 70s I went on board a trawler in one of the docks. Even as a youngster growing up in Hornsea I used to go sailing on Hornsea Mere. I have always loved water and the sea.
“When I first came back from college in Leeds it was the scale of things that really had an effect on me. You see these massive ships, especially the commercial ones, huge things that really gave me an interest.”
Technology has opened up basic photography to all-comers. Neil will admit you can get some great pictures using just a smartphone, but only if you have a good understanding of what a decent picture looks like. Not all professional photographers have that but Neil is typically laid back about competition, whether on cost or quality, and it has nothing to do with his decision to retire.
He said: “My wife Jackie is retired and I decided I wanted to spend more time with her. Also I’m 62, I don’t know how much time I’ve got left and I don’t want to spend it all working. I want to catch up on all the things I haven’t had time to do. Including walking. I have five grandchildren and I love doing things with them.
“Photography isn’t really a job is it? I don’t like the quote about never working a day in your life, because it is very hard work, but I have always been very enthusiastic about it.
“One of the things that stands out is all the different people I have met and I will miss that to some degree but I’m a friendly bloke and I chat to people on the bus. What I hope to do in the future if time allows is a bit of volunteering at maritime projects.
“I’ll still take photographs. I quite like relics. You can walk round the city and see the relics of the past. If they could talk what would they tell you? Things in plain sight that had a role to play in the past.”
He might even win another award: “I won one for the National Historic Ships photography competition. Best newcomer. I was 60!”
He’ll be missed but he’ll still be around, talking to people on buses because he has much more to tell, and taking a few pictures because he wants to. And because proper photographers never really retire. They just refocus.
Thank you to ‘The Hull Story’ and Phil Ascough for the feature and words.