life re-enactment festival on a holiday trip to the tiny village with my family where it fell in love with photography. Some of the photographs were brilliant and really got me interested. I always carried that old thing around everywhere I went.” He always kept his hobby alive, even when he joined the old dockyard in the 60s through a five-year apprenticeship. He worked on the inspection, modification and reconditioning of a wide range of military weapons as a fully trained armament fitter, experiencing several promotions. “For us Gibraltarians at the dockyard under the British military, those years could be described as challenging, interesting and, above all, unique.” In a bid to further hone his photographic expertise, Johnny enrolled with the New York “I tend to Institute of Photography in an extensive home course. Assignments walk at an acute angle and feedback would be sent Royal honeymoon visit in the sumvia mail on a tape recorder and when I don’t mer of 1981.“ The furore that day, Johnny would return the work in have the bag with the celebrated Royal couple the same way. “This course really of Princess Diana and Prince with me.” helped me understand photogCharles sending a stark message raphy under a more professional of British support to the Rock with light and it gave me that hunger to pursue their visit, was nothing short of feverish. it as a career.” Johnny opted for voluntary Johnny was positioned with other media redundancy when it came in 1994 to give at the old airport where he captured some it a shot in the business world by opening iconic pictures of pure elation between the up his own studio, but it did not last. happy couple against the backdrop of the majestic Rock. The photos were published and were also used by the neighbouring Ready to roll press when Lady Diana suffered her fatal accident in 1997. “I was shocked and His true calling into photojournalism soon came when the late Eddie Campello, Editor saddened by the news of her tragic death. I was of the Vox, a weekly paper at the time, We had to file quite close to her when aware of Johnny’s talents, approached him I was taking her picture, both story and at the old police social club with a propso it impacted me quite osition. “In a rather unbelievable manner, photographs a bit. The Spanish press I was enjoying a drink with friends at the in under an knew that I had an image old Police Club when Eddie approached hour and time of her, so Steven Cumme and asked if I would like to assist him mings helped facilitate was ticking. by taking photos for his newspaper on the Royalty on the Rock
GIBRALTAR MAGAZINE SEPTEMBER 2016
Johnny captures the Magic Snapper on camera
the passing of the negatives to the press from the surrounding region.” Johnny continued with the Vox and conducted some work on the side with the Gibraltar Echo, but was then offered the opportunity around twenty years ago to join the national newspaper by the then Editor, Dominique Searle, initially covering sport. “It is my great achievement to be involved in Gibraltar’s rich cultural and wide range of different events, covering almost every local function, both abroad and at home.” Pressure and deadlines The daily pressure and stress the Chronicle photographer is under in his work life is not exactly water under a duck’s back. It can take its toll. However, the early days slugging away at the old naval dockyard, running his own business and his decades-long career in photojournalism, has somewhat hardened him. Johnny is, needless to say, not surprised The opening of the frontier in 1982
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