Gemma Levine took up photography as a hobby in the 1960s; in 1974 she was asked by the photographer Jeremy Robson to take photographs of authors for his book jackets. Her first subject was the poet and novelist Laurie Lee.

In 1976, Levine met Henry Moore, and photographed him for the next ten years, publishing three books about Moore. The first book focused on Moore at work and his working practices; the second on his wood sculpture; the final book was a biography of Moore written by William Packer and illustrated with Levine's photographs.