1/ ALI AL SALEM, KUWAIT 11/1999 – An RAF fighter pilot (right of pic) oversees his Tornado from IX (B) Sqn whilst preparing for a sortie during Operation Bolton. Op Bolton was the UK’s contribution to enforce the ‘no fly zone’ in Iraq between the two Gulf Wars.

I took this picture whilst serving with the Army in the Gulf. I was working with the RAF, providing information on ground targets, in the background you can see a laser guided bomb waiting to be loaded. Subsequently a TV documentary was made falsely claiming that we had been bombing non military targets. The irony for me was that the media were creating their own story to create a scoop that was not there. The moral of the story for me was that my picture would convey reality and not propaganda.

Ross had always had a strong interest in photography but it was while serving in the Army that he started to think more seriously about the power of images and began documenting his military experiences. He left the Army and following several jobs including nursing, entered the photography industry by working as a photo-assistant for a wedding photographer. He quickly become frustrated at being an assistant and has been working independently as a freelance photographer for the past year.

Clients include South Wales International Airport, South West Wales Publications, Blues Matters Magazine and Swansea Film Festival. Ross has recently been taken on by an agency to cover entertainment events in South Wales & Bristol covering music gigs and festivals. His passion for documenting the military remains a strong calling and he plans to develop his photojournalistic skills in this area in the future.

Photographer since 2005, EPUK member since 2007.

See more work by Ross Pierson