5 June 2013

Robert Walker's exhibition Wallflower "A collection of quietly observed photographs" will be exhibited at The Lowry Hotel, Salford, M3 5LH from 20 June to 6 August.

Here he gives us an insight into what has inspired his most recent work:

"Born 1960 in Manchester, my interest in photography started whilst at school. An all-consuming hobby developed into an all-consuming career. I became a full time photographer at the age of 20 and over the next 27 years I specialised in advertising, with an emphasis on portraiture.

"My days were spent orchestrating, cajoling and encouraging people in order to fulfil a particular brief and deadline. I worked on advertising campaigns as diverse as Barclays, Goretex, Mercedes and Weetabix, as well as the occasional hippo and duck for Silentnight!

"Well known sitters have included Dame Vivienne Westwood, Quentin Crisp, Frank Sidebottom and also Take That, later becoming one of their official photographers. I have exhibited internationally and was delighted when the National Portrait Gallery selected my work for their permanent collection.

"In 2007 various health issues forced me to step back from the hectic world I loved, to focus on a simpler life. But my passion for photography never waned and I found myself taking photographs purely for pleasure again. After years imposing myself on my subjects it has been liberating to adopt a 'hands off' approach, to quietly observe and simply record what I see.

"Whether it is the quiet of an empty beach or the chaos within a city, the pleasure is capturing the essence in a timeless, understated way. 

"Wallflower is a collection of my latest work."

See more of Robert's images here