In July 1983 as a young student of photography, armed with my portfolio and trusty old  leica M2, I travelled to Arles in the south of France for the Rencontres d’ Arles photographie festival.

While travelling through Provence I also visited the ancient city of Aix-en-Provence, situated on the Rhone. My travelling companions and I decided to have a picnic on the river and discovered a family of Romanian gypsies doing the same.We shared food and played with the children in this idyllic of settings, and when it was time to rest from the searing heat the women sat quietly under the famous bridge, while the men slept in the cars. Despite having communication difficulties and a broken old Weston light meter that I had previously dropped in Arles Roman Amphitheatre, I managed to capture this beautiful, romantic scene. This image will remain with me forever and I wanted to share it with you today.

In my occasional series where I delve into my archive, I bring you the story Harold Woodrow Willacey, Jamaican street-scribe. Taken from my time living in Kingston, Jamaica, these photos were shot in 2003. I am not sure if Harold Willacey is still alive… Perhaps my Jamaican friends who follow the blog might be able to tell help me out with that bit of information. What follows is a short piece I wrote at the time, to go with the photos. I hope you enjoy it.

If you dally along Barry Street in the heart of downtown Kingston, Jamaica, you might come across Harold Woodrow Willacey. Born in 1927, Manchester, Jamaica, Harold sits patiently for his next customer. Amidst these chaotic and dangerous streets. Harold  quietly types away on his German made vintage classic Olympia typewriter; letters, Resémé’s, applications, and pretty much anything that people bring to Harold’s attention.. and all this for the same cost of a cup coffee back in London. Harold has been quietly plying his trade downtown since the 1960s. Harold was in the RAF during the Second World War, based in England. Shortly after the war he sustained an injury while working in a bike factory, damaging his neck so severely that he decided on a doctors recommendation to go back to Jamaica, to a warmer climate.

 Harold has fond memories of England, despite never receiving compensation for his injuries. He remembers playing football and “winning the respect of the English men”-due to his ball playing skills-”scoring a goal and getting lots of whistles and cheers.” He was still only a teenager then and still remembers it well. Harold goes on to say, “black people were not considered to know anything in those days”.

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Vanessa is another new face from Premier models, and a breath of fresh air on these crisp winter days.

This is Morven, another fresh face from Premier Models in the heart of London’s theatre-land.

This is Natalie, a cool new face from Premier models.

I loved the Emanuel Ungaro show, held at le Parc André-Citroën on the outskirts of Paris. It was a bit of a trek, but well worth it. With Giles Deacon now at the helm, unveiling the new collection, he injected a sense of fun into the proceedings, and Japanese Vogue’s Anna Dello Russo looked like she had a great time strutting her stuff on the catwalk too.

Stand at ease! I absolutely adore this summer casual-cool look from Olivka at Premier models – with her fine jersey granddad top, her olive military slacks, white Fred Perry tennis pumps and beautiful, slinky hair.