A PHOTOGRAPHER is celebrating 30 years of work with four major shows and a book.

Martin O'Neill has taken pictures of stars such as George Best, Mohammed Ali and the Queen as well as stunning images of his hometown of Eccles.

And among his celebrated work are stunning pictures of influential Manchester band Joy Division when they played at Bowdon Vale Youth Club in 1979.

Former M.E.N. photographer Martin will display 26 images of the band at shows called I Remember Nothing - after one the band's songs - at an exhibitions in Tokyo to coincide with the Japanese launch of the biopic Control as well as in Manchester.

A collection of 100 photographs marking the Queen's Silver Jubilee year entitled Eccles 1977, taken by a teenage Martin, will go on show at Eccles Library.

And a book of his work, called Don't Miss This, will go on sale at London's Photographer's Gallery.

It's a long from his humble beginnings in the camera club at his school St Patrick's High.

Culcheth

Martin, now a portrait and wedding photographer based in Culcheth, said: "I joined a camera club when I was 13. It didn't take long for me to realise that I wanted to be a photographer. I thought it would be such an adventurous lifestyle."

Shortly after, he took his iconic pictures of Joy Division.

He said: "There were about 200 people there. I recall the strange way the lead singer Ian Curtis danced. They were beginning to get quite a following. Sadly Ian killed himself a year later.

"The photographs stayed in a draw for 25 years. Then I got them out and to mark the 25th anniversary of Ian's death some of them went up in Piccadilly Records.

"A guy from Japan came into the shop and asked if I would mind if he put them in a full exhibition in Tokyo."

YOU can see more pictures from Martin O'Neill's exhibition in our gallery above (all pictures are copyrighted).

For more information about Martin's work visit his website at studiofivefour.com.