I took this photograph in 1978 whilst I was working at Cinecitta' film studios in Rome. At lunchtimes I would sometimes go to the bar that was in the studio complex to grab a sandwich and a drink. On one particular day the bar was full of film extras on their lunch break dressed as priests, cardinals, Swiss guards and altar boys. I shot a few frames with the 35mm camera I always carried with me at the time.

The news is full of bad news. People killing each other all over the world, usually in the name of god or for greed. I try to keep up with what is going on in the world but sometimes the news is so depressing that I just want to switch off and ignore what is happening and get on with my own life and forget the suffering of others.

I've been taking Polaroid photographs for a long time. The earliest images were taken in the mid '70s with SX70 cameras. The SX70 is a wonderful piece of innovative design that has stood the test of time. Although Polaroid film has been discontinued a relatively new company called The Impossible Project have started re-making film for the SX70 and also the later 600 type cameras. A lot of the old cameras that had been relegated to the bottom of the wardrobe or loft are now being refurbished. Because of Impossible Project film availability there has been renewed interest in Polaroid cameras and instant photography.

It was at a rock gig around 8 years ago that I spotted an interesting looking girl who had quite a few tattoos. Tattoos are not my thing but one of my best friends, Sandro Danielli, is a tattoo artist. Sandro and I had recently been to the London Tattoo Convention where he had a tattoo done by Oliver Peck, the then partner of Kat Von D, a well known tattoo artist who was appearing regularly on TV.

I had just come back to the UK after spending two years in Rome working at Cinecitta' film studios. I had saved enough money to buy all the cameras and lenses I needed. I was ready to become a big shot photographer. It was 1978 and I was 22 years old. The world was my oyster and I was confident that everything was going to work out just fine.

Seems like nowadays you have to blog to get yourself noticed. It's part of the deal, the bigger picture. Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, websites and blogs form your digital presence. According to some it is essential for your financial survival in the global market place. Or something like that.