Name: Paul Floyd Blake
Job: Photographer

"The phrase 'you learn from your pictures' is the most important one you will hear."

Paul Floyd Blake, your Question and Answer session starts now...

How did you get into the job?

I have been taking photos since I was 13 but it was only after years of working in laundries and driving trucks that I moved to Yorkshire and went to college to study photography as a mature student.

What is the job about?

The job is immensely varied. One day I can be photographing a sports event, the next a theatre production, the next a wedding, alongside which I also produce work of particular interest to me. I have recently put up an exhibition documenting and celebrating the multiculturalism of Yorkshire, which is centred around people and their environments.

What are the best and worst things about your job?

The best things are the range of people I meet, the freedom to be creative and the variety of work and situations I find myself in.

The worst thing is that what I really love is composing the picture - but that is only a small part of the job. I also need to do my own paperwork, including chasing payment.

Have you had any embarrassing moments or have you got any funny stories tell?

I was working on the Queens jubilee in London. I was manoeuvring myself to find the best spot to get a picture of the crowds. When a sinister looking man in a dark suit and sunglasses told me in no uncertain terms to move or else...I was embarrassed to find I was sitting in the seat that the Queen had been occupying only 10 minutes previously.

If you weren't doing this job what would you be doing?

I spent years doing jobs I hated before this but I don't think I could go back to that. It would have to be something creative, but I wouldn't mind what.

Have you got any heroes in your field of work?

Yes many...Tom Wood who has been photographing life in Liverpool since the 70's, Paul Strand who photographed people all over the world, when you look at them it feels like you really engage with their personality rather than just looking at a photograph and Clement Cooper, who is mixed race like me, for his work with the black community in Manchester.

What advice would you give to someone who wants to work in your field?

Go to galleries, look in books and just try and see as much photography by other people as you can. It doesn't matter if you have cheap equipment to start with, just experiment and don't be afraid. The phrase 'you learn from your pictures' is the most important one you will hear.