GUILD MEMBER PROFILES                      Click on Headers

George O'Toole

MEMBER PROFILE – GEORGE O’TOOLE

George O’Toole lives near Edinburgh in West Lothian, Scotland, and has been a full time wedding photographer for three years.

Fate has played a large part in George O’Toole’s life, he believes. My view is that hard work and dedication have seen him through difficult times, and helped him to achieve a growing business with a reputation that goes from strength to strength.

Retirement came early for George – he gave up his career as a computer systems manager in his 40’s when ME* struck. He learned to control and conquer this affliction and at 50 years of age has been a full time wedding photographer for 3 years.

George describes his wife Aileen as his ‘right arm, left arm and everything in between’. As a husband and wife team they have the perfect mix of Aileen’s attention to detail (‘she’s the most efficient person I’ve ever known’ – George) and George’s passion for his craft (he enjoys the adrenalin rush – ‘it gets me through the day’).

When I ask George how he started in photography, he says he was knee high to a grasshopper when he first picked up a camera. After the inevitable Kodak Instamatic, his first real camera was a Praktica, and then he moved on to a Canon AE1, which helped him to become ‘an amateur who knows more than average.’

Now based in Scotland, George started earning money with his camera in Manchester, his original home, at the airport, taking aviation photographs. In his early working years, as a surveyor, he would take photographs of buildings.

From having just one or two cameras, George has invested heavily in cameras and lighting. ‘Digital played right into my hands’ he says (that’s fate) because of his background in computer systems. In addition, he has attended many seminars and will continue to do so – ‘I will always be learning’, he says enthusiastically. His passion and hobby is photography, and he carries a camera always (these days Canon EOS 1D’s). He has lived for 16 years in Scotland and makes great use of the breathtaking views, both for his weddings and his hobby. He enjoys being chairman of the local camera club, training members and passing on his skills.

When I ask him the traditional question – ‘where would you like to be in 5 years?’ George answers simply – ‘I just want to be earning a living as a photographer, with a great reputation’.

With Aileen’s help, undoubtedly!

*p.s. 'If any ME sufferers in the photographic world would like to talk to George, just email us and we will pass it on'.

The ME (Myalgic Encephalopathy) website can be found at:

www.meassociation.org.uk     also     www.afme.org.uk

George also suffers from Coeliac disease - see: www.coeliac.org.uk

View George's Portfolio

John Trowell
Our latest Master Craftsman!

East Sussex member, John Trowell, is a man who sticks to his guns. Or, to be more specific, his Hasselblad. John has bucked the trend and continues to shoot on film. Very successfully, since he has just achieved Master Craftsman with his very professionally presented array of albums and beautiful enlargements.

Having worked for nearly 30 years with computers in the NHS, it is ironic that John, who started photography as a hobby in his teens, has spurned the digital age. Typical of photographers of his age, he has worked his way through 35mm cameras (Exacta Varex), home made tubes and bellows to photograph stamps, and black and white home based darkrooms, where ‘whole plate’ prints were made on Agfa Brovira Crystal. He still has the negatives from those early days, some of which were taken at Wembley poll winner’s concerts. Amongst these are a potential goldmine of images of the Beatles, Rolling Stones, Cliff Richard, and Dusty Springfield. It is typical of the man that he brushes aside the possible value of these celeb photographs – he’s in it for the joy of photography!

John took early retirement from the NHS 15 years ago and, having taken wedding photographs for a local photographer, set up on his own, developing and reinforcing his knowledge and expertise by attending a number of courses, including those organised by Ian Gee and Roy Doorbar of the Guild. Now, John is more likely to take part in a Light and Land course in landscape photography to pursue his hobby. As honorary secretary of the Friends of Rye Harbour Nature Reserve, and membership secretary of the Sussex Ornithological society, he has plenty of opportunity to practice photographing nature and even uses a telescope with a digital camera. His next ambition is to acquire a large format camera, having used them on a Light and Land course in France.

But John still loves wedding photography – the adrenalin rush, the interaction with the bride and groom and the satisfaction of achieving a job well done. He has travelled far and wide in pursuit of his occupation, and was delighted to be asked to photograph a wedding in a Tuscan Palace. One of the images taken there helped him to achieve the accolade of Master Craftsman, an award of which he is justly proud. John is a worthy recipient. Not only does he take great care in everything he does, and produces excellent work, but he also shows courtesy and consideration to his clients. May he continue in the same vein for many years to come!

View John's Portfolio

Doug Armitage

Doug's northern accent led me to comment that he sounded a little like Wilfred Pickles (only the older members of the Guild will remember him!). Fortunately Doug has a sense of humour, as he pointed out, ‘Wilfred was a dyed in the wool Yorkshireman……but I’ll let you off this time!’
Doug has also sent us a humorous photograph to cheer us up in all the doom and gloom the media portray. Take a look at ‘This Month's Funny Photo!’ on our TitBits page and then send us one of yours!

Lancashire lad (more of a character than age thing, since he is in his early sixties) Doug Armitage, is obviously passionate about the craft of wedding photography. As a sales manager for BT for most of his working life, he travelled extensively throughout the North of England and Scotland, but returned to his first love (photography) when he and his family settled in Bolton-le Sands six years ago.

‘My wife, Janis, and I originally trained with a local photographer 31 years ago’, Doug says,’ when we used Mamiya and Rolleiflex Twin Lens Reflex cameras – three rolls of 12 exposure black and white per wedding’. He agrees that wedding photography has come a long way since then, and has embraced digital photography, and its necessary use of computers, with great enthusiasm.

He currently uses a Canon 5D, while his wife, Janis, shoots reportage on a 20D – soon to be upgraded to 5D markII and 5D respectively. However, as we all know, it’s not the camera that counts but the person behind it, and Doug and his team (Janis and Fine Art photographer Steve) have recently achieved Craftsman status for their Wedding Photography business – Elizabeth James Photography.

With an impressive selection of professionally presented DVDs and sample album, it was immediately clear that, not only is the work produced of a very high standard, but the service to clients is exceptional. ‘I was so pleased when a lady watching one of our DVDs said, “It makes me feel like I’m eating chocolate”, Doug says proudly.

Doug finds that the best form of advertising, as many people would say, is word of mouth. Now he can tell his customers about his latest achievement!

Unsurprisingly, Doug’s hobbies include photography, and he adds, ‘Non wedding - baby birds, wildlife, sunsets, Dance Festivals, children’s portraits, etc’ and tells me about a recent holiday on the Russian/Finnish border photographing bears – ‘like Grizzlies but a little smaller’. Even his most recently adopted hobby – yoga – is intended to help with the business. ‘To photograph a wedding you have to be fairly fit’, he states. The only issue I would take with that is that you have to be VERY fit!

Doug obviously spends some time on his computer in order to improve his presentations. He has used the Loxley system and finds them very helpful on the phone in sorting out the challenges of working over the internet – ‘With the uploading times required for quality pictures, it’s not easy’, he commented, ‘but there is information on the site if you know where to find it.’

Family takes up the rest of his time. He and Janis met when they were both appearing in the national amateur premier of Camelot, and they went on to have two children – Kate who is 27 and Matthew, 31.

When asked what plans he has for the future, Doug replies that he would like to work towards the top accolade of Master Craftsman and ‘just keep on shooting weddings – it gives us such a buzz!’ We wish Elizabeth James Photography all the success they deserve!

View Doug's Portfolio

Tony Hall

When he entered the first Guild monthly competition, Alton based member, Tony Hall didn’t expect that he would become the proud owner of a California Sunbounce. 44 year old Tony has travelled extensively with his wife Fiona, including visits to New Zealand, Canada, USA and Europe, but the greatest adventure of his life has been fatherhood. His face lights up at the mention of his 1 year old daughter Melanie, and I can see that the Sunbounce will be put to great use practicing his portrait skills.
As with many members, Tony would love to become a full time photographer. As a part-time gardener he can indulge his passion for flower photography to his heart’s content, while weekends are taken up with wedding photography – Tony recently gained Qualified level in Wedding photography with the Guild.
Originally a welding engineer, Tony is now a retained Fireman and settled in Alton in Hampshire with Fiona, who is an Intensive Care Sister in Southampton Hospital. He started using digital cameras seven years ago and now favours the Fuji S2 and S3, with a Nikon D100 as a backup. ‘I shoot jpeg for the speed of download’ he said. It’s a sentiment I agree with, but there are those of you who disagree and swear by RAW – why not send in your comments?
The California Sunbounce was supplied by Brian Colwell of the Birmingham branch of The Flash Centre. This month’s competition has a prize of a Canvas Wrap made from your own negative or file to 20”x16”, donated by Redwood Professional Labs of Colchester. Why not enter now?