In a recent interview with ‘The People of Malta’, photographer John Magro, better known as ‘Johnny tal-images’ has just announced his retirement after a career that spanned decades.

“I am a bit saddened at the idea of closing down after 36 years, but as they say, when one Pope dies another succeeds him”, he expressed.  

As he announced his retirement, Johnny fondly looked back at his life and all the unforgettable milestones from his career.

“I have been in the photography business from a young age. I inherited it from my father, who although was not a photographer, was a sculptor, painter and worked with wood. He was an artist”, he recalled.

His father had brought him a small camera from Canada when he was still six and from then on it was love at first sight.

John went to work on in a photo lab between the age of 17 and 19 which strengthened his love for photography even further.

He saved enough money to buy a Yashica camera and by the time he was 20, he was already photographing weddings.

However, John revealed that he stepped back when he had his children in order to spend more time with them.

“There is a huge difference between photography as a hobby and as a profession”.

John will forever be known for the impeccable service he gave his customers. In fact, he revealed that he is suffered due to him being too much of a perfectionist.

“You want to give a good service. But behind this there is a certain degree of tension and pressure because you want everything to be just right”.

But even though he suffered through this perfectionism, photography also gave him more confidence and rid him of his shyness.

“I used to be quite a shy person but photography gave me the will to succeed”, he revealed.

His studio was also the first of its kind in Naxxar and it was and instant big hit with all the locals living there.

“In a village you need to make sure that your work is professional because clients are your best advertisement. The reason being that talk amongst the villagers travels faster than lightening”.

He also expressed how much joy it has brought him to have photographed children for their baptism or holy communion and then photographed them again for their graduations or even their wedding.

“That is the best advertisement and the highest satisfaction for me”.

Even though John is retiring from photography, he still plans to open a new chapter in his life. Over the years he has been researching about blacksmiths in Naxxar and everything related to them. He now wishes to gather all his research and publish a book about them.

“I always loved history, art and culture”, he concluded.  

Best of luck on your new endeavour John!

Facebook/The People of Malta