READER PICTURES: Ukranian riots in Kiev

Setting aside fear in the name of his photography, the 50-year-old booked a flight after following the build-up to revolution on news bulletins.

And despite sleeping rough on his first night in the Ukrainian capital, he was soon mingling among activists and witnessing the speeches of champion boxer turned politician Vitali Klitschko.

Peter, of Fitzwilliam Road, Eastwood, said: “It wasn’t like I’d been commissioned by a newspaper or anything. I’d just watched things unfold on the news and new that something was going to happen, so I decided to go.”

Peter was in the Royal Engineers Regiment from 1980 to 1994 — serving as a physical training instructor — and was one of the first troops to be deployed into the first Gulf crisis.

He later became a long-distance lorry driver and drove HGVs on Take That’s European comeback tour.

He said: “I’ve had my camera with me everywhere I’ve been and now I want to make a career out of photography.

“I’ve done about 20 or so weddings so far. I think my army experience stands me in good stead for ordering round groups of people at weddings and after going to Kiev, you can be assured that I know how to mingle.”

Peter travelled to Kiev on February 9 and returned home on February 17, the day before the riots properly erupted.

He admitted that he was disappointed to miss the most dramatic flashpoints, but added: “It did look violent. I like to be at the heart of things and I’d have been right there. I would probably have ended up being shot.”

Anyone looking for an all-action wedding photographer can contact Peter on 0775 172 1121.