I’ve been a professional photographer based in Aberdeen in the North of Scotland for over 30 years. I started getting serious about photography at my
school camera club in Glasgow when I was about 12 years old and had my first picture published in a magazine at 14. I won my first photography
competition at 15, by which time I worked part time in a local camera shop. Around about that time I bought an enlarger for £ 5 and set up my first
darkroom in the back of our garage. When I left school I started work as an assistant to an advertising photographer and by the time I was 22 years
old I was Chief Photographer at one of Aberdeen’s biggest photography companies.
The North Sea oil boom was just getting going in Aberdeen then, and the company had one of the biggest contracts for photography, so I spent much of the next few years on offshore oil platforms, construction barges, oil rigs, tugs and supply boats, and also spent a lot of time hanging out of light aircraft and helicopters - which, as I love flying, was no hardship. The company also provided general services like wedding photography, which, although a great training ground, and, at times, great fun, didn’t satisfy my creative urges, so at 25 I left to set up David Gold Photography which has now been in business for over 30 years specialising in offshore and aerial photography. Work has taken me all over Europe, the Middle East and and Asia - but my back yard is still the North Sea.
The early days of the North Sea oil industry were front page news, but over the years media interest has faded and the focus of my professional work has gradually become more technical than pictorial. I still have a need to make creative photographs though - I’ve lived photography for 40 years now, so it’s way too late to stop. Apart from my professional work, I'm also a keen amateur photographer and this year became President of the Mearns Camera Club. www.mearnscameraclub.co.uk
The specailised nature of much of my work, particularly with flare surveys, has always meant a large amout of preparation and testing of equipment and software. Much of this research is unique and aimed at getting the very best technical quality in the demanding North Sea environment. In 2006 I began publishing some of the test results online, and this has now grown to become an important part of the business. www.phototestcenter.com now has over half a million visitors per year, from over 200 countries. >>>David Gold
The North Sea oil boom was just getting going in Aberdeen then, and the company had one of the biggest contracts for photography, so I spent much of the next few years on offshore oil platforms, construction barges, oil rigs, tugs and supply boats, and also spent a lot of time hanging out of light aircraft and helicopters - which, as I love flying, was no hardship. The company also provided general services like wedding photography, which, although a great training ground, and, at times, great fun, didn’t satisfy my creative urges, so at 25 I left to set up David Gold Photography which has now been in business for over 30 years specialising in offshore and aerial photography. Work has taken me all over Europe, the Middle East and and Asia - but my back yard is still the North Sea.
The early days of the North Sea oil industry were front page news, but over the years media interest has faded and the focus of my professional work has gradually become more technical than pictorial. I still have a need to make creative photographs though - I’ve lived photography for 40 years now, so it’s way too late to stop. Apart from my professional work, I'm also a keen amateur photographer and this year became President of the Mearns Camera Club. www.mearnscameraclub.co.uk
The specailised nature of much of my work, particularly with flare surveys, has always meant a large amout of preparation and testing of equipment and software. Much of this research is unique and aimed at getting the very best technical quality in the demanding North Sea environment. In 2006 I began publishing some of the test results online, and this has now grown to become an important part of the business. www.phototestcenter.com now has over half a million visitors per year, from over 200 countries. >>>David Gold
About
David Gold photography
Portlethen, Aberdeen, Scotland
01224 780550
Portlethen, Aberdeen, Scotland
01224 780550
David Gold photography
www.david-gold.com