A SOMERSET photographer is set to continue his role as the official Bridgwater Guy Fawkes Carnival snapper.

Peter J Nicholls, who lives in Weston-Super-Mare, has been taking photos of the famous event for the last 31 years and organisers have confirmed that he will carry on until at least 2019.

Since he took on the job, Peter has taken photographs of over 2,500 entries of the carnival processions and nearly 1,000 photographs of acts at the concerts.

He began his career in camerawork in 1977, after leaving his job as a general manager at EM Trevor & Sons Ltd.

Peter said: “Even though there is a lot of pressure and responsibility on the big night itself, taking pictures of the huge entries is really enjoyable.

“There are so many people involved with the carnival in the town, and I have had the wonderful opportunity to meet and photograph some of the great carnivalites over the years”.

Peter relies on the support from his nephew Jason Tanner and a small team of people to help capture the images on the night of the carnival.

Their set-up on carnival night is aided by rigged platforms on either side of the route to ensure they can get the best possible shot.

“It is quite a complex operation with getting the rlight angles before the procession starts, but it’s all worthwhile when we get the perfect carnival image which captures the tremendous carnival spirit,” Peter added.

Dave Stokes, publicity officer for Bridgwater Guy Fawkes Carnival, said: “Peter and Jason have captured so many different carnival memories over the years, and we are in the process of displaying some of their carnival work in the archive section of our official website.

“Their photographs are used in our publicity material and on our popular official souvenir carnival calendar, and they really do capture the energy and colour of our carnival.”

With Bridgwater Carnival’s gangs and features, PeterHe and Jason will be selling over 2,000 of their Bridgwater Carnival photographs featuring both the procession and concerts over the years.

The photos will be sold at at the Admirals Landing Pub, The Docks, Bridgwater on Sunday September 13 between 10am and 4pm. The proceeds from the sale will go to Bridgwater Carnival’s gangs and features.