John Peel was born and educated in England but has lived in Sydney for 49 of his 77 years. He was a journalist on the Sydney Morning Herald from 1965 to 1970 before working as a professional photographer in England and France from 1971 until returning to Sydney in 1976. His work has been exhibited in London and Sydney, and he is the author of A Different Light, That Place Called New South Wales, Song for a Wren and Time and Light. Married to Penelope, he has four children and nine grandchildren.