James Glossop - Times newspaper’s Young Photographer of the Year
I always loved taking pictures, but the move to becoming a photographer happened when I was at
university in Manchester, where I studied for my degree in English. I was asked to take pictures for a
university brochure and I realised that I could make money doing something I really enjoyed.
After university, I entered The Times newspapers Young Photographer of the
Year competition. The prize for winning was to actually work for the paper.
Working there is great because I get a wide variety of interesting jobs. From
the beginning they got me doing the big things, like political conferences and
international golf tournaments. For example, I recently travelled around
Greenland for 11 days for a story on climate change. I mix with the best
photographers and journalists in the profession, people perhaps 20 years
older than me, and I have to be at the same level as them.
I can be a serious person and that comes across in my work — which can be
a bad thing if you want to make the newspaper’s readers smile! When you
take photos of people, they need to be able to trust you. People seem to trust
me more because I work for The Times, and the editors there trust me, in turn,
to do a good job.
In Scotland, where I’m based, I’m hoping to be on the Royal Rota, which means I’ll be one of the few
photographers allowed to take pictures of the Queen and her family when they visit. But, generally, I'm
not interested in famous people. I like ordinary people who invite you into their home and show you their
world - like the hunters and fishermen I met on my trip to Greenland.
11. What is James trying to do in this text?
A. advise young photographers about how to get a job
B. explain how winning a competition is helping his career
C. describe his techniques for taking good photographs
D. show how challenging his job at the newspaper is
12. While James was at university he discovered that
A. he wasn’t interested in studying English any more.
B. he enjoyed taking photographs.
C. he couldn’t take the kind of photographs he wanted to.
D. he would be able to earn money from photography.
13. What does James say about working for The Times newspaper?
A. The journalists can take a long time to get a story.
B. He prefers working on international issues.
C. He was given main events to photograph from day one.
D. It’s difficult working with the older, more experienced professionals.
14. James believes his serious character can have an effect on
A. the people who look at his photographs.
B. the kind of jobs he is given.
C. the people he takes photographs of.
D. the way he gets on with his colleagues.
15. Which postcard might James have sent to his parents last month?
A
Having a few problems - when people find
out which newspaper I work for, they
won’t trust me to photograph them!
B I seem to spend every day taking
photos of yet another major sporting
event - when will they let me do
something different?
C This is what I love doing - taking pictures
of local villagers doing their daily work and
letting me see what their lives are like.
D It’s been a busy week - I’ve been all
around Scotland photographing the
Prince and his wife on their tour.
