An unusual collaboration at the FILO this month with photographic art stocked up alongside real ale for the visit of Chris Parker.

A Fine Art degree and teaching qualification in the early 1980¹s led Chris to believe his destiny lay in education. Luckily for students everywhere, he was attracted to the bright lights of London and joined a publishing company as a cartoonist and illustrator.

When the company decided to update their range of British postcards, Chris persuaded them to give him a trial as a photographer. It was a steep learning curve of apertures, f-stops and transparency film but the apprenticeship proved worthwhile.

Various tourist authorities (including Hastings) began to notice the resulting postcards and Chris was soon commissioned for brochure and advertising assignments for clients such as Butlins and Alton Towers.

Since 1989 Chris has worked as a freelance location photographer and travel writer. He's been based in Hastings following his initial photography assignment for the council.

His images have appeared in The Sunday Times, The Daily Telegraph, The Observer, The Independent and numerous national magazines. He also writes travel articles for Woman's Weekly.

Chris was profiled on Radio 4's Consuming Passions series about his love of photography and was a contributor to BBC 4's Time Shift Series, The North-South Divide.

He has also won a stack of awards including Travel Photographer of The Year 2004.

Samples of his work, which includes a host of images of Hastings and 1066 Country, can be seen at www.parkerphotography.co.uk.