Mike Hardley

I was born in and brought up in Peckham, London. It was a rough area at that time and coming from a working-class family, where money was tight, everything was second-hand. If we wanted something, we had to go and work hard for it and that’s pretty much still my outlook on life.

I have been involved with photography since the age of sixteen, when I worked for a photographic company in Soho, London. I saw many things in that area of town at the time, which was quite an eye opener. There I learned the basic skills of photography. I was exposed to the fashion and advertorial that was buzzing in that part of London at the time and it provided me with a solid foundation in my craft.

I decided at eighteen that I wanted to see some of the world and enlisted into the army for six years, Life in the army taught me many things that I still use today, such as responsibility, discipline, respect for others, good manners and attention to detail. After leaving, I managed studios, and eventually owned, my own. I enjoy working with business clients, models, media, photography shows and, of course, the general public. I shoot most genres, with the exception of pornography.

In 2009, my wife passed away after a long illness and the photogr...