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Living the Dream - part 1 of 1 2

by Dave Wall Published 01/11/2012

After being introduced to photography on a YTS training scheme Dave Wall knew immediately this was what he wanted to do, and he's now fulfilled his ambition and added training to his list of skills.

For some people the moment when they realise what it is that they want to do in life hits like a blinding revelation, and from that point on there is nothing that can stop them from fulfilling their destiny. For Dave Wall it was the day he signed up for a YTS training scheme in photography, and he knew from the moment he picked up a camera in anger that this was what he was born to do.

"I'd been interested in photography since a fellow pupil at the school I went to came in one day with a Minolta SLR that he'd been given for his birthday. I was mesmerised by the LEDs on it since they were cutting edge back then, and it really sparked my imagination. It was also quite a cool way to chat up the girls in my class!

"When I left school I signed up to train as an electrician and just a week before I qualified I walked out because I knew it wasn't for me (my mum and dad were so proud!). This was when the opportunity to go on that YTS scheme came along and within three months of me starting one of the lecturers had left and I was asked to step in. The rest as they say is history: looking back I was only able to achieve this meteoric rise through being such a confirmed magazine junkie!"

From here Dave worked at a number of different studios in many different guises before moving to the other side of the camera to work with a selection of famous industry names such as Kodak, Calumet, KJP, and Leeds Photovisual. "Working for these companies was a fantastic learning experience," he says, "and it gave me the insight I have today into our diverse industry. Ultimately though I longed to be back out shooting and I ended up managing a few large commercial photography and retouching studios around Manchester, the largest of which was 6,000 square feet. From here self-employment beckoned and here we are today. I'm a one-man band and more than happy to stay that way. I often tell people I love what I do so much that I never have to work a day in my life. The fact of the matter is, it's true!"

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1st Published 01/11/2012
last update 09/12/2022 14:56:03

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