Robert “Big Boi” Daniels has seen almost every angle of Bermuda’s party scene.

He’s been a nightlife constant for the past 15 years, keeping a photographic record of people out on the town.

In that time he’s seen how the local party scene has changed due to violence.

“When I first started it wasn’t all fun and games, but we enjoyed ourselves,” Mr Daniels said.

“It was my first love. The job has changed simply because the landscape in Bermuda has changed. The social side of things has changed a lot.

“Back then it was a lot more carefree. Now I have to be more careful. I’m also older now so that changes things as well.”

He said people were still going out and enjoying themselves but violence made the atmosphere different.

“There are nights now when you have to pick and choose your shots,” Mr Daniels explained. “Back then it was easier to shoot more candidly, but later on you started to ask for people’s permission.

“But after a few years you know who to shoot and who not to approach.”

His pictures now represent a “slice of local history”. He considers those he’s taken of the Island’s men to be some of his most fascinating.

“When I first started I can remember taking pictures of guys back in the day that were friends who are either now enemies or some who have sadly passed away.

“At that time they weren’t called ‘gangs’, but you would see guys from Town mixed up with guys from Somerset. They were all friends and relatives.

“Now these same guys have got to a point where they are so caught up. Some of the younger ones don’t know what it’s like to be friends with guys from other parts of the Island and maybe don’t know what happened in the beginning, what turned one guy against another and turned into something bigger than that. But pictures don’t lie.

“I have pictures of guys who were once cool and got along in the same space and respected one another.

“I find those images are somehow a little more special. It captures a history and I have expressed that to many people.”

Mr Daniels said he still enjoys the job; over the years he’s been able to meet hundreds of new people through the freelance gig.

He’s also been able to hone the photography side of things and learn new techniques.

Once his camera turns on he becomes intensely focused on getting the right shots.

He got into photography by mistake one summer when he was 23 years old.

“I failed a calculus class and had to retake it during the summer time,” he explained.

“I was bored. I only had one class for the day and after that you are sitting around twiddling your thumbs. I had a small plastic, point and shoot camera and just started taking pictures.

“And from there once I got the images back, I said ‘These are pretty cool’ and it grew from there.”

He didn’t get his hands on a professional camera until later that summer when he borrowed his brother’s Canon AE-1.

Then when he returned to Tuskegee University in Montgomery, Alabama the following autumn he started taking pictures at school events, step shows and concerts.

He had an ‘aha-moment’ when he discovered entertainment photography.

“That’s the time when I felt I had found my passion,” he said.

“It was the atmosphere of concerts. I like the low light stage lighting and all those types of things, so that’s when it was like ‘Wow, I can’t believe I am backstage at the Outkast concert or getting to see Busta Rhymes perform.”

Mr Daniels started working for BermyNet soon after graduating with his degree in architectural design.

In the early days of the entertainment site, he would have to get his pictures developed with his own money and then scanned before they went online.

The process is much easier these days thanks to modern technology.

Some of his favourite moments shooting on the Island were for the Bermuda Music Festival. Bermudians from all walks of life would get together and everyone was happy and carefree, he said.

His most embarrassing moment? Dropping his camera lens into the water while he was descending one of the Tall Ships visiting Bermuda.

“It was incredible. One moment you are shooting these tall ships which is really cool, but then a second later one of your favourite lenses is sitting at the bottom of the ocean.

“It went straight to the ocean floor, so even to this day I remember it.”

If there’s one thing that Mr Daniels hopes to be remembered for it’s the quality of his shots.

“I hope that I’m able to capture a slice of history and that I’ve given people access to images that no one else has of their loved ones — be it a friend, cousin, aunt or uncle,” he said.