Every picture tells a story, or it helps a day in the life

I'm given my assignment, or marking, a day in advance. We have to travel quite a lot, but if you are based in Dublin for a day, you would take pictures until mid-afternoon, come back, process the film and edit the negatives. When the picture is ready, we make laser prints (low-quality black-and-white copies) for the relevant editors.

We use software to manipulate the pictures, but we are very restricted in what we can do. The Irish Times has its own code of ethics in relation to photographs - basically you can't change the essence of the picture. You don't distort the image if you're in the business of journalism; your endeavour is to tell the truth. There are times when you set up a scene - for example, if you are photographing someone who is the subject of a feature, but not with a news shot. You are looking for something visually interesting, but also true to the context of the story. All photography is subjective, but if you're in journalism, you can't let your opinion affect the work.

The most boring part about this job is the waiting around. You might have to stand around for hours outside a courthouse or somewhere, waiting for someone to come out. There's great camaraderie with the other photographers, though - we have a bit of a laugh. Photographing concerts is a bit of a drag too. There are all sorts of restrictions imposed by the musicians and we usually have to split after the first three songs.

There are always situations where our presence is deemed to be intrusive. The news isn't usually good, unfortunately, and we would often end up at places like funerals. But you would be conscious of causing pain, and sometimes you would walk away, or otherwise you would photograph with great sensitivity. You would have respect for each situation.

I have photographed some very interesting people, but invariably it is an encounter of milliseconds. Usually the people who are rarely photographed are the best; they don't contrive spontaneity, and they have something to say. I prefer to steer clear from the rich and famous.

One of the best assignments I was on was in the Lebanon with President Mary McAleese. It was her first trip abroad and it was great fun. I also like working in the North. It is a very intense place, where something newsworthy is always happening. Probably my favourite assignment of all is going out on the campaign trail.

But by and large I would say what I like most about this job is the access to the lives of ordinary people. You see an awful lot of life and you see all sorts of people doing all sorts of things. The theory is that the most mundane job can pull the best pics - but it doesn't always work like that.

You have to have a curiosity for this sort of job. A visual sense is also obviously important, and you need to be imaginative. Everyone in The Irish Times brings a different approach to the job. We benefit from each others work, bounce ideas off each other. You're always aiming for a picture with that little extra, something that doesn't have a name. The picture is there to illustrate, but you can bring in your interpretation. The best picture illustrates a story, but is quirky and reflects your own eye.

At home I try to pursue my own projects. Recently I've been working on a project which involved photographing Semana Santa - Easter week - in Seville, Spain, which is a very visual and colourful festival. I tend to work in black and white in my spare time, but I enjoy colour too.

I always had an interest in photography, I was heavily influenced by National Geographic magazine when I was a kid, maybe a bit by the romance of it all - but, in all honesty, I can't say I have any illusions along those lines anymore!

In an interview with Jackie Bourke