It was pitch black. All there was were the stars. We were adjacent to the Green Zone, a rural area about four kilometres wide that follows Helmand River and is just next to the desert north of Sangin. This was my first day on operation with 50 men from Yankee Company 45 Commando Royal Marines.

It was pitch black. All there was were the stars. We were adjacent to the Green Zone, a rural area about four kilometres wide that follows Helmand River and is just next to the desert north of Sangin. This was my first day on operation with 50 men from Yankee Company 45 Commando Royal Marines.

"We started out at 4.30am, heading from Forward Operating Base (FOB) Inkerman to Mazak, where intelligence reports had indicated the Taliban had caches of concealed weapons and bomb-making components. We'd had a crash course in emergency battlefield first aid, and we'd all been issued with two wound dressings, two tourniquets and two compression syringes full of morphine. That was scary because I knew I was carrying kit that, if the case arose, was to be used on me.

"We had to climb over deep irrigation ditches and canals, and I was worried about being left behind. I knew the boys were looking out for me, but even so you can't help worrying. I was thankful for my hillwalking experience because it helped prepare me physically.

"I was carrying three cameras. One had died on our first day in Afghanistan due to mud and dust- despite the fact I'd taped over all the buttons. The other was a small video camera. That meant I had only one working camera - wrapped in a plastic bag inside my rucksack. I was not allowed to take photos in the dark because the flash would have been seen by the Taliban.

"I couldn't see anything as we walked across the fields, but I could hear wolves howling. It was a vivid, creepy sound. At 6am came the call to prayers from the mosques. At that point I felt very far from home. I took my first photograph at first light. It was pink and misty and looked a beautiful rural idyll, but it was a war zone.

"We were supposed to be back at FOB by midday, but because the troops found so many weapons in Mazak and we had to wait for the disposal team, we didn't get back until 5pm.

"We took shelter under hard cover on the way back. There were 30 of us in a small annexe. These buildings are fragile because they are made of mud and offer little protection from gunfire.

"We had intelligence the Taliban would ambush us on the way back. We were still two kilometres away from FOB and knew they'd be annoyed troops had destroyed so much of their ammunition in Mazak. It was a very serious, dark situation.

"Then I looked around and saw Craig Simpson, the dog handler, putting up an umbrella, which made us laugh. That made me feel better, because it was a glimpse of normality.

"These guys have been in similar situations before and this was just another day in the office for them.

"When the first ambush happened, we had a big wall behind us but it didn't feel safe. Bullets can go through mud walls. It was good to know a counter-attack from our troops was stopping them from shooting and thus providing cover. At that point I ran. I marched very quickly to the ditch where the commanding officer, Major Parvin, was - next to a small bridge in the field. I thought, Great, there will be plenty of cover there.' But he told us to keep on going over the bridge and into open ground.

"Our firepower was much greater than the Taliban's, but you think you can only hear the enemy shots. It's extremely frightening to be out there in the open with gunfire all around. Of course I knew beforehand that I was going to a war zone, and thought I knew what to expect. But when it's actually happening, the ferocity of it is awful. It's not how it sounds in films. It's like a benign popping noise but it's not benign at all. Experiencing it first-hand is nothing like what you imagine.

"The most wonderful sound was the crumpling noise of our artillery and mortars firing into Taliban positions. You know that while that's happening they aren't firing on you. Yes, at that point I wanted them to die because they were shooting at me.

"Before we went out, Major Parvin advised me to always look for cover while I was walking, and that's what I did. I dived into a shallow furrow and crawled over that to a wall, from where I was able to take photographs of Tom Vincent firing his grenade gun. You can only use a gun like that when you are very close to the enemy. I crept slowly along the wall and took about 50 shots.

"I'd been expecting at least one of us to be badly injured or killed, but nobody was. We got back to FOB and the last to arrive was Major Parvin.

"I'm full of admiration for the troops' astonishing professionalism. They put themselves in mortal danger to weaken the enemy by removing their weapons. We should applaud them."

Unlike the soldiers, I had no camouflage'

"We were crossing open fields on the way back from the weapon-destroying operation in Mazak when I took this picture. The Taliban were attacking us.

"All you think of is getting across the field without a bullet hitting you. Because I'm not a trained soldier I wasn't allowed to wear camouflage, so I was wearing a blue helmet and body armour which made me feel even more conspicuous.

"It's really horrible to feel so exposed. I thought I was going to die, certainly. I thought of my wife and baby daughter."