Australia

www.davidoliver.com.au

David is proof that success will follow if you are passionate in your work and believe in what you do.

All photos © David Oliver

A photographer who takes pictures because he loves to and photographs weddings on weekends... welcome to David Oliver's world. A world of truth in imagery and honesty in business. A world where the passion comes first and the bank balance is second. David is proof that success will follow if you are passionate in your work and believe in what you do.

When chatting to David, you might not notice that behind the Australian terms and the casual but smart clothing lurks an English accent. Many years ago, David started two journeys: one from his home city of London to the "land down under" and the other to become one of the world’s most recognised wedding and portrait photographers. On the first journey, he knew his destination but on the second he only knew (as a teenager in London) that images interested him, people fascinated him and photography was fun.

To visit David in his Hills District of Sydney is a wonderful experience. Found on a very busy corner, the studio looks more like a simple two-story house, but inside is the real surprise... as you walk in, you enter a world class gallery.

Both upstairs and down, the walls are covered in professionally framed and matted images (almost all Black and White) and in amongst the over 100 on display, you will be hard pressed to find more than one or two wedding photographs. This is the operation of arguably Sydney’s (if not Australia’s) most successful wedding photographer.

Herein lies a David Oliver secret - be different. His colleagues display weddings and portraits, David his personal work. He takes photographs all the time, not just on commissioned assignments but wherever you find David, you will find attached to him his trusty Leica M6 - some would say it has been surgically attached. He takes images because he loves to record, to create and to challenge himself.

He has been successful - very in fact. His simple, truthful and sometimes quirky ‘stolen moments in time’ have won him many awards; including three John Whitfield King Awards for Wedding and Portrait Photography, the Australian Wedding Photographer of the Year, the New South Wales Environmental Portrait Award, the current New South Wales Wedding Photographer of the Year and his work is featured in the Fuji ACMP Collection.

If not in his studio gallery or on a commissioned assignment, you will often find him in galleries and exhibitions, concerts or wherever he can immerse himself in a creative environment. He is constantly looking for some sort of inspiration. Not content with just looking at photographs, he also seeks out art, sculpture and travel.

When travelling, he takes in the local culture almost by osmosis, absorbing everything around him. The experiences of travel have enabled him to see things in a different way, to capture more ‘reality’ and to do what he loves - take pictures. On his travels, David has spoken to conventions and to groups of photographers in New Zealand, Australia, Norway and the United Kingdom, with Italy scheduled next year.

David is confident of the future and, with a wry grin, watches as the majority of his colleagues get caught up in the Digital era. The grin? Well, David is happy as he is, now even more different than the others in the market. He stands out from the crowd. The further they go down the digital pathway, the more unique he is and, after all, if you were commissioning a photographer, wouldn’t you want one who stood out from the pack?

When times have seemed tough, David has not been one to take the expected approach. He has increased his advertising budget and redecorated his studio/gallery. He does not see the economic downturn as a problem, just a small challenge, and one to be met.

This attitude extends to other areas of our industry - he says Australian and New Zealand photographers are lucky to have some high quality options in laboratories and album suppliers. But in typical understated Oliver style, he forgets to mention that when things were not so good in the quality lab arena, he and a few mates set up what is now Australia's best respected, full service wedding portrait laboratory.

David is a passionate individual. His success comes from his honesty in business, his love of his craft and his constant striving to be a better photographer. He is keen not to be one of the pack, but when you think of sheep in a paddock most of them are running around in a flock, following a different leader or trend. If you should ever find yourself in that situation, look over the fence - on his own patch of grass you will find David, no doubt with a Leica.