David Turner worked as a reporter on the Maldon and Burnham Standard when he made his first trip out to Eastern Europe, to Croatia in 1993. He also spent two years volunteering with aid groups in Romania between 1994 and 1998. Later, he worked for newspapers in Chelmsford, Brentwood and Colchester before leaving journalism and setting up his own photography business in Essex. He now lives near Colchester with his two children, Lexy and Calin.