For more than 30 years Tony O'Connell has been one of Cork's top photographers. His name has become synonymous with the business in the southern capital and for good reason. Tony has long appreciated that to be successful as a photographer in Cork you need to be a jack of all-trades.

"You need to be like a GP," he says, "you need to be able to turn our hand to anything".

For Tony that means working in all aspects of commercial photography. From commercial work to weddings, from portraits to PR, from political photography to artistic landscapes, he does it all. His wealth of experience has enabled him to build up solid relationships with people from all walks of life in Cork, which he says is the most valuable asset any photographer can have.

Tony grew up on the Western Road, his father was in the transport business but it soon became apparent that Tony had other interests. His fascination with photography began when he attended primary school at St Joseph's National School, the Mardyke.

Tony was appointed as class photographer and it was then that he discovered what would be his life-long hobby and also his career. From his days taking school photos he always kept his photography going. He went on to the school of commerce and then to Galway where he spent three years in the 60s with the Franciscans studying art and theology.

At this stage photography was still a hobby but he did realise he could earn a few extra bob on the side.

"In those days you educated yourself. It was true adult education and you had to keep learning as you went along," he says. In time Tony's experience and contacts grew and with them the time he devoted to photography.

He continued to learn wherever he could including taking a course with Kodak in Hemel Hempstead in the UK. Of course, he had to pay the bills at the same time.

"I had numerous jobs," says Tony. "I was a driver, I worked in a drapery, at Johnson and Perrot, Shannon Airport. You had to take what you could get".

All the while the photography was growing, he was taking local sports pictures, getting commercial work and developing his own archive. In 1972 he took the plunge and went full-time as a photographer. "That was a fateful year for me. I married my wife Patricia and set up my own business and thankfully both those ventures have stood the test of time".

Tony's wife Patricia has been integral to his success, from the beginning she was fully involved in the business taking care of the admin side of things.

"It was great when we started," he says. "The 70s were a good time and the business established itself".