John Laker was born in Ruislip and began to take an interest in Londons buses as in the late 1940s. In 1957 he bought a camera to start colour photography. Initially, he concentrated on photographing the disappearing British trams and trolleybuses, some examples of which have been published. Mid-career he joined London Transport based at Chiswick Works and remained with them, and later London Buses Limited, where he held the position of Contracts Manager, until taking severance in 1995. Today he is known for his involvement with J & K Video DVDs, which feature his work.