Julie McNicholls Vale talks to Alex Gilbey about his time photographing New York.

A 12-month internship in New York for a 20-something-year-old from Aberystwyth has led to a new publication packed full of the young traveller’s photographs.

Stills from the World’s Largest Film Set is Alex Gilbey’s visual journey through the Big Apple, which perfectly captures the people and the place.

But how did a man from Aberystwyth end up on the other side of the Atlantic?

He explains all in the introduction to the book.

“2014. The beginning of. Five years out of college, four and a half into a job I hate. Two writing awards, twenty-two theatre productions, a tour of the Edinburgh Fringe, a stack of rejections from literary agents, a car with no roof and a beautiful girlfriend. Life a no-score win and going in no direction at any speed.

“Girlfriend announces move to NYC.

“2014. Autumn of. Job quit, car sold, student loan presented with two fingers, apartment with three rooms and two cats, dream internship at theatrical Mecca underway.”

The internship was at the Ensemble Studio Theatre where Alex was able to combine two of his passions – acting (he has appeared in 30 shows with Aberystwyth-based theatre companies including Castaway, Louche Theatre and The Wardens) and photography.

“I’d photograph a lot – my own shows, my girlfriend’s... Always trying to pull out the moment, the glance, the gesture that would translate,” Alex explained.

Alex’s father, John, is a keen photographer also, and has, no doubt, been a great influence.

Again in the introduction to the book, Alex explains how he first got into photography.

“Born into a household awash with photo kit, brought up on 35mm,” he says. “Got to be pretty decent around age 18. First published picture in local paper (school football team). Quit during college. Picked up a compact in 2013 to illustrate a piece of writing. Limits of led to a DSLR (Nikon D80). By the time I hit the ground in the New World I barely put the thing down for the next twelve months.”

In that time, Alex amassed a large collection of photographs and it seemed natural to produce a book.

“I’ve been a photographer for a lot of years on and off, and while I was living and working in New York I photographed a lot – street scenes, landscapes, rehearsals,” he said.

“I didn’t have any real aim in mind. A lot of the images came from just wandering around with a camera in my free time, looking for images I liked."

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