If you'd asked me just over a year ago 'Dave, do you consider yourself to a be a photographer?.... I would have said NO! The last 2 years has been a regenerative process for me - changing me from a disillusioned ex-marketing man into creative artist. It’s been a hell of a journey; but let’s go back a bit first...
I won my first photographic competition aged 12, with a black and white print processed in his Dad's 'darkroom-in-a-cupboard', taken on a Kodak Duo 620 bellows operated 120 roll-film camera, with no light meter or through-the-lens focusing. The ten shillings prize money (50p) went to my head. I left school with a few ‘O’ levels and an early ‘A’ level Art & Crafts to conquer the world.
Best known for my photographic exploits the Careers Master put me forward for a junior position at Schering Chemicals, Burgess Hill. I got it. Then, after a short stint doing ‘paste up’ for small Hove studio Aquila Design, I joined Glaxo-owned Eschmann Bros as Exhibitions Manager at 19, in charge of 50 exhibitions around the world per year.
I then progressed to Publicity Manager at Schools Abroad Group, where I wrote and produced the ‘Skiing with Schools Abroad’, (featuring Ski Sunday’s David Vine), before setting up ski video production unit - Ice-Pix - produce the video version shot in the Alps. This was morphed into a new creative agency a year later - Slade Street Advertising - set up with Chris Slade, which developed into an IPA recognised creative & media buying agency. After 6 great years the agency suffered massive client bad debt in the 80’s recession and Chris wanted out. I took a gamble and pumped in new cash, moved to cheaper offices, and was on the brink of a major holiday account win....when the bank got cold feet and pulled the plug. I lost the lot.
Undaunted, I set up a new agency and re-approached Virgin Holidays as Eventer Design. They bought it, and became the new agency’s biggest client for the next 12 years. This, along with Top 100 agency UK status, a Gold award for ‘Best Direct Mail’ I found myself in the UK’s top earners category. It was not to last. Cue messy divorce, errant business partner, loss of £1.5m Virgin account and I was swiftly reduced to the Job Seekers Allowance category. Here we go again...
Following a depressing period of unsuccessful temporary roles, at the end of 2008, prompted by favourable comments about my work at a party, I came back to photography. Shooting loads more Brighton & Hove based work on a 'entry level' Panasonic DMC FZ8 Super -Zoom (not D-SLR), I took the plunge to exhibit at my own Artists’ Open House in 2009. Work pretty much flew off the walls - particularly for a new artist - with over 60 framed prints and driftwood pieces sold – prompting me to also run a Beachfront Digital Beginners Photo course which continues this Spring/Summer. The follow on show at Christmas was equally well received.
Off the back of all this I entered (among 20,000 others) the prestigious 'Take a View' Landscape Photographer of the Year Awards and my 'Snowy Smilie' entry was 'COMMENDED' by the judges and shown at the National Theatre, South Bank, London, Dec 2009 thru Jan 2010. No prize money this time round...but the kudos was worth perhaps a tad more.
Where do we go from here? Who knows? So let's all enjoy the scenary along the way...
David Streeter 2010
