John Maher - A Teenage Buzzcock in New York (1979-1980)

John Maher is from Manchester, England. He got a second-hand drum kit for his 16th birthday. Five weeks later, an hour before heading back to school to sit his Chemistry O Level, John was invited to join Buzzcocks. The band went on to have several chart hits. ‘Ever Fallen in Love’, reached No.12 in the UK charts. The band broke up in 1981. 

In 2002, John relocated from his home town of Manchester to the Isle of Harris, where he lives and works today. He says it took him seven years to discover a way of photographing the islands in a style that interested him. John created a new way of interpreting the Hebridean landscape, with a refreshing and innovative series of long exposure photographs – all shot during the dead of night, under the light of a full moon. John’s unique photographic style and creative use of additional light quickly gained a following in the Outer Hebrides and beyond. His photographs of decaying man-made objects set against a backdrop of stunning Hebridean landscapes have been published in national newspapers, photography magazines and numerous online articles. John has also appeared in several UK and European television documentaries, discussing his photographs and the stories behind them.

Although John’s chosen career paths may seem eclectically diverse (music, engineering and photography), they all have one thing in common – he’s completely self-taught.