Now based back in her homeland of Pembrokeshire, Rebecca covers major news, sport and features for the global agency Thomson Reuters, where she also loves to photograph wildlife - a pull Rebecca says she can’t resist, despite the sometimes-extreme weather conditions.
Thirty odd years ago, Rebecca was told “It’s a man’s profession Rebecca, think on because it’s not for a girl”. But thankfully she had supportive English and History teachers who promoted and encouraged Rebecca to apply to The National Council for the Training of Journalists for the ‘pre- entry course’ – she was accepted and her hugely successful career in press photography began.
Rebecca was the first female photographer to join the Birmingham Post and Mail Group in 1977 and the first female photographer to join The Press Association in 1987, where she spent 25 years as a staff photographer before moving to Reuters in 2012 – winning the 1993 Royal Photographer of the Year
and 2007 Picture Editors’ Award – Sports Picture of the Year along the way.
Highlights of Rebecca’s career to date are numerous and include being the only British photographer on Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher’s plane for her tour to Belgium, Luxembourg and Spain; flying to the White House to photograph President Clinton; photographer on the Royal Tour to Malta by HM the Queen and Prince Philip. Rebecca has regularly covered the major sporting events, including the Olympic Games in Atlanta, USA
and Premier League, FA Cup and Champions League finals including the historic Liverpool v AC Milan match in Istanbul.
“I’m grateful to all those who helped me get started and to the many generations of photographers and journalists who have supported my professional career”, says Rebecca. “Thankfully the glass ceiling has largely gone and now there are exciting career opportunities in professional photography available to all, irrespective of gender”.