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Born in Bridgend, Richard has had a lifetime of capturing communities around him. It all began as he photographed the areas and people around Bridgend in south Wales and grew into a long career during which he took enduring images of presidents, prime ministers, and celebrities. Several years before the 1984–85 Miners' Strike began, Richard started documenting the decline of the South Wales coal industry and was there with his cameras as the coal workers walked out in opposition to the Thatcher government's programme of pit closures. As a young freelance photographer, he followed the strike to its end and beyond, seeing miners march proudly back to work after their year-long struggle. During this time, he met a young journalist, Amanda Powell, starting her career on the Glamorgan Gazette newspaper and they worked together on some of the events unfolding during the strike. They went on to marry.