I was 14 and visiting my Aunt, a photographer and graphic designer with her own business near Philadelphia. Asked if I wanted to accompany her on a job – the mayor was opening up a new block of affordable housing – was a chance to get my hands on some expensive camera gear I could never afford at the time.

I knew absolutely nothing about photography. Being the youngest of three children meant I grew up constantly trying to be good at something, to be taken seriously. And seeing my pictures after the job automatically made me want to improve them.

Bob Geldof prior to the 'Live 8' concert in Edinburgh, 2005

I didn’t take the easy way in. By the time I was 18, when I wasn’t playing the guitar, I was spending an unnatural amount of time in darkened rooms, mucking about with strange smelling chemicals and trying not to cut myself with scissors; the only available light seeping in from a dim, red bulb high up in one corner of four black walls. Learning the ins and outs of film processing does nothing for the procurement of good grades.

However, I did find it extremely rewarding. The first picture I sold was for £150. It was taken in India and was bought by the volunteer organisation which operated the project I was on – this was a comparatively one-off success.

By the time I decided once and for all to seek out a bona-fide photographic job, I had already developed a moderate portfolio consisting of pictures taken at school, and meanwhile I sampled university life at the Edinburgh College of Art. After the best part of a year I had decided it was not for me, as we spent most of the time marvelling at bleary, poorly processed monochrome pictures, and trying to decide who liked them the most. During this period I had 2 cameras stolen - at different times - which also put a strain on my enthusiasm.

A 'Dobbies Butterfly & Insect World' employee shows off some new arrivals to it's reptile collection in the form of a baby Chameleon.

I had no idea what to do about finding photographic work, but before my first camera and subsequent lengthy darkroom sessions, I had avoided the sustenance of the school curriculum in favour of a strict diet of National Geographic back issues - something I feel that may have orchestrated a crescendo of sub-conscious interest, conducting me towards my choice of career and fuelling my eagerness to find it.