Memory Lane: University life through a lens, 1987-1990

I came to Nottingham in 1987 to study Chemistry, however my real passion was for photography and the news. So I joined the student newspaper, Impact, as well as the photographic and video production societies.

I’ve kept all of the negatives from my time at Nottingham, and having some free time lately, I borrowed a negative scanner from a journalist friend here in Bangkok, where I now live, and set about digitising the best ones.

This first image was taken at probably the first real ‘live’ group performance I’d seen (other than a school band), and wow, what a headline act!

Katrina and the Waves were quite big at the time, with their hit “Walking on Sunshine” which of course they performed.

You’re always on the lookout for a lighter or fun moment, and here one member of a Karnival float - I think it was Sutton Bonnington’s - presented the mayor with a glass of beer, which he happily accepted.

On board one of the floats, and the person filming is Jason Plews, making a video about that year’s Karnival. The two of us shared a common interest in TV - and we would reconnect several years later in 1996 when we were both based at Yorkshire TV in Leeds. He worked for them running their computer newsroom system, and I was based there for ITN C4 News as a cameraman/editor covering the north of England. 

I’d seen a version of this lecture at the Royal Institution in London a couple of years before, but I think given by one of Colonel Shaw’s assistants. So it was an honour to see it presented by the man himself at University - it was always very colourful (and noisy!)

On the left is one of my favourite photos that I took from Dramsoc’s production of Arthur Miller’s “The Crucible”.  I’m afraid I don’t know the name of the actor featured. On the right is me with the Impact editor, Steve Roberts who I worked with quite closely on covering events for the newspaper.

During these three years, there were a number of fairly high profile politicians who visited including Geoffrey Howe and here, Edwina Currie - someone who seemed to like being in the news! I would later film her during my time at ITN, and once went to her London flat to record an interview her - although there wasn’t really much interviewing going on - once I started recording she knew what she wanted to say and delivered the soundbites that she needed to!

I think working as an Impact photographer helped secure my first job out of uni with Central TV in Birmingham and led to my chosen career (although I studied Chemistry!).