Mike Stephen is retiring after 41 years with the Aberdeen Evening Express - 40 of them as a photographer.

Newspapers were in his blood.

His father was a linotype operator at the Express and got 15-year-old Mike his first job at the paper.

Mike recalled: "I cycled around the junior football games getting the scorers and would phone them over to the paper."

From there, Mike got a job as a copy boy in the sub-editors' department on August 23, 1959.

When the chance came up to train as a photographer - he grabbed it with both hands.

"In those days you used glass negatives and were expected to do three jobs with 12 exposures. Then it changed to roll film, 35mm and now we use digital cameras," said Mike.

He added: "I love the variety of the job: court stories, royal visitors, presentations and murders. It doesn't restrict you to a single aspect of photography. For me it is work-cum-hobby."

A big fan of Aberdeen football club, one of his fondest memories is of covering the 1983 European Cup Winners' Cup where his side beat Real Madrid 2-1 in extra time.

Mike (56) is married to Anne and the couple have two grown-up children.

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