Born in the east end of London Colin won a scholarship to the Royal Ballet school at the age of 16. It was during this time he began to take pictures and in the early 1960s he gave up dancing to begin a new career as a photographer.

Taking photographs of ballet dancers as well as the places he visited on tour, had revealed not only his eye for composition but also a social engagement which then led him to photojournalism and a job on the London Observer under the mentorship of Hungarian born photographer Michael Peto.

Colin’s portraits and performance shots of ballet superstars including Dame Margot Fonteyn, Rudolf Nureyev and Dame Ninette de Valois, capture the glamour and elegance of the ballet as well as giving us an insider’s view with behind the scene shots of rehearsals, dressing rooms and dancers waiting in the wings. His collection also includes portraits of film stars and rock icons of the 1960s and 70s.

View all images by Colin Jones