A GLOBETROTTING photographer who has snapped the Pope and Pavarotti is putting on an exhibition to showcase the best of Wanstead.

Geoff Wilkinson, of Rectory Crescent, Wanstead, has spent most of his career travelling the world to photograph the rich and famous for national newspapers and iconic magazines.

But after seven years of teaching photography at his gallery in Nightingale Lane, the 69-year-old has decided to organise an exhibition with work solely produced by local photographers.

All 15 contributors, 13 of which are from Wanstead and all current or ex-pupils of Geoff’s, will showcase three of their best pieces of work, on the condition that one of them is of something in the area.

Geoff said: “Around three months ago two of my students Helen Simpson and Adam Brown asked me if we could put on an exhibition of local photographers' work, and I thought it was a great idea.

“The other two pictures can be from anywhere in the world, but one of them has to be of something in Wanstead.

“I wanted to do it that way simply because there is so much to photograph here – we have great architecture and beautiful green spaces – it’s an amazingly attractive area.”

Geoff discovered photography at the age of 11 and got his first snapper job when he left school at 15.

After a number of years working for variety of national newspapers, he decided to switch to magazines, a decision that took him to all four corners of the globe.

He added: “It was a very exciting time. At one stage I was flying to a different country every week to photograph the rich and famous.

“It’s difficult to pick out highlights, but I’ve photographed the Pope, I travelled to Pavarotti’s home in Modena to take photos of him, and I went to a palace in Marrakesh to take pictures of Bryan Ferry.”

Ever since he opened Eightyfour in Wanstead, Geoff has been teaching individual and group photography lessons to encourage people in the area to pick up a camera.

He said: “Teaching is my chance to give something back to the trade.

“We do things on a one-to-one basis, but sometimes go on group trips to photograph things in London, or locally in Wanstead Park and around the greens.

“The most fantastic thing about photography is that everyone sees the world differently, so if I took all those people to the same place, I would get 15 completely different photos out of it.

“That’s part of the idea of keeping things local, I want the exhibition to uncover angles of Wanstead people haven’t thought about before.”

The exhibition, in conjunction with Art Trail Wanstead and the Wanstead Fringe, will run at the gallery at 84 Nightingale Lane from September 3 to 17.

There will be a charity open evening from 6pm on September 10 to raise money for Haven House Children’s Hospice in Woodford Green.

For more information, ring 020 8530 1244.