Originally from Glasgow, I have been lucky enough to live in beautiful Kinross-shire for the past eighteen years.
I finished my formal photographic training in 1983; leaving college proudly clutching my Higher Diploma in Photography in one hand and my portfolio in the other. I had some vague idea of a career in the advertising industry. After a couple of jobs, some false starts and a few reality checks, I found myself working as a summer assistant to Sid Clarke; then the Principal Photographer at Agricultural Scientific Services in Edinburgh. I very quickly discovered that I still had an awful lot to learn and that perhaps I should have paid more attention to the applied sections of my photography course.
Luckily, Sid is both an excellent photographer and a very good teacher. His patience and enthusiasm uncovered an unexpected aptitude for botanical photography and generated in me a desire to continue in that area of work. I am very glad to say that my summer job was extended and I progressed to running the Photography Unit a few years later.
Agricultural Scientific Services has changed its name and status a few times since I joined the staff and is now known as Science and Advice for Scottish Agriculture (SASA), a Division of the Scottish Government Rural Payments & Inspections Directorate. Inevitably, there have been a lot of changes over the years and the skills required for the job have changed significantly. The advent of Adobe Photoshop, digital cameras and large format inkjet printers opened up a whole new world of possibilities. SASA sent me back to college to train for an HNC in Graphic Design and Typography for print. Successful completion of the course in 1996 and further training in the Adobe Photoshop, InDesign and Illustrator packages have made it possible for me to provide my colleagues at SASA with a more comprehensive service; incorporating both photography and graphic design.
That brings me up to date as far as employment is concerned. My two children are now old enough to allow me to pursue photography in my leisure time as well. My very good friend Angela Heidemann (follow the link on the contact page to see some fabulous art work) is ultimately responsible for spurring me on to create this web site. She talked me into presenting some personal work in local exhibitions. Largely positive feedback encouraged me to keep going and I now rarely leave the house without taking a camera along. I hope you enjoy browsing through my favourite images.
Sylvia
I finished my formal photographic training in 1983; leaving college proudly clutching my Higher Diploma in Photography in one hand and my portfolio in the other. I had some vague idea of a career in the advertising industry. After a couple of jobs, some false starts and a few reality checks, I found myself working as a summer assistant to Sid Clarke; then the Principal Photographer at Agricultural Scientific Services in Edinburgh. I very quickly discovered that I still had an awful lot to learn and that perhaps I should have paid more attention to the applied sections of my photography course.
Luckily, Sid is both an excellent photographer and a very good teacher. His patience and enthusiasm uncovered an unexpected aptitude for botanical photography and generated in me a desire to continue in that area of work. I am very glad to say that my summer job was extended and I progressed to running the Photography Unit a few years later.
Agricultural Scientific Services has changed its name and status a few times since I joined the staff and is now known as Science and Advice for Scottish Agriculture (SASA), a Division of the Scottish Government Rural Payments & Inspections Directorate. Inevitably, there have been a lot of changes over the years and the skills required for the job have changed significantly. The advent of Adobe Photoshop, digital cameras and large format inkjet printers opened up a whole new world of possibilities. SASA sent me back to college to train for an HNC in Graphic Design and Typography for print. Successful completion of the course in 1996 and further training in the Adobe Photoshop, InDesign and Illustrator packages have made it possible for me to provide my colleagues at SASA with a more comprehensive service; incorporating both photography and graphic design.
That brings me up to date as far as employment is concerned. My two children are now old enough to allow me to pursue photography in my leisure time as well. My very good friend Angela Heidemann (follow the link on the contact page to see some fabulous art work) is ultimately responsible for spurring me on to create this web site. She talked me into presenting some personal work in local exhibitions. Largely positive feedback encouraged me to keep going and I now rarely leave the house without taking a camera along. I hope you enjoy browsing through my favourite images.
Sylvia