Coming from Jamaica during the Windrush Years, Burke's parents settled in England to help rebuild the country following the Second World War. Vanley had stayed behind and liked the exciting Christmas presents his parents sent to Jamaica. One of these presents was a camera and when Vanley came over to England in 1965, he was in an ideal position to document what was going on around him.

Vanley consciously documented the black community that he was apart of, "capturing life as it is." Vanley spoke about his photos and his more recent artwork, which I hadn't seen before. It was fascinating to see pictures of local recent history and to hear of his experiences and his views. "If everyone went and took a photo of something, they would all be from different perspectives, but all true."

Vanley exuded a humorous enthusiasm for his work and in encouraging us to go out and take photos. He advised us, "Photography is about recording light, the camera doesn't see the person, just the light that is reflected. If you understand light you're halfway to understanding photography."

Vanley Burke's work can be seen at Digital Handsworth.