A NEW book celebrates the work of a renowned street photographer.

Bob Mazzer’s self-titled collection includes pictures from the 1960s until the present day, with many shots taken in Hastings and St Leonards.

The 71-year-old has lived in St Leonards since the 1980s and previously worked for Time Out magazine and the Hastings Observer.

He said: “I just photograph wherever I am. Hastings is a great place and there are a lot of characters.

“I’ve always liked to photograph street people.

“For this book I wanted each photo to be a little journey and a new experience.”

Bob said he chose the cover image for the book, which shows a man on Hastings seafront with a lizard on his shoulder, because he wanted people to be drawn in by it.

He said: “It was a hot summer’s day, as you can see from the fact he was sweating, and it was an intriguing sight.”

The artist was born in London’s East End and was given his first camera, an Ilford Sporty, for his Bar Mitzvah and has been taking pictures ever since.

He was inspired by photographers in the 1960s, including Don McCullin, who is known for his war photography and depiction of urban strife in London.

Bob said: “I like to think positively about society and there’s a picture in this book of four kids walking up a street in Hastings and they’ve all got their arms around each other.

“Hastings has got its problems socially but it shows how people deal with these with their humanity.”

Bob said the colour photo which shows a man in Union Jack trunks on the beach in St Leonards was deliberately pulling them down.

He said: “He was actually mooning me – I asked them if I could take their picture and that was the response I got.”

Bob Mazzer is published by Unicorn and is available in hardback for £15 from all good bookshops.