Aaron Heinzelmann of Assa Abloy for Off the Wall, Stockholm

David Oates November 29, 2019

It was great to photograph Aaron for his employers Assa Abloy last week.

Aaron came to the aid of a mother and her seriously ill daughter while at work earning him a hero award and a feature in the company’s magazine. I'm glad to have been invited to be a part of it by Swedish agency Off the Wall. The final shot is a ‘behind the scenes’ for the rear cover of the magazine, thanks to Aaron’s Uncle Dave for sterling work on second camera duties.

The shoot was in Kenn, North Somerset so I had road trip and a stay in a holiday cottage the night before and a refreshing tea on the seafront at Clevedon before the long drive north.

British Association for Applied Linguistics conference

David Oates September 10, 2019

A few weeks ago I photographed the latest BAAL conference at Manchester Metropolitan University.

I find it really interesting to cover conferences as you get thrown into the deep end of academic research in subjects that you previously hadn’t really thought all that much about. BAAL this year was no exception, some extremely interesting themes and insights into language acquisition, learning foreign languages and linguistic changes brought about by emerging technologies.

As freelance photographers we often don’t get feedback on our work after the event, so it was very pleasing to get this response from the conference organiser:

‘I’ve just downloaded the photos – absolutely fantastic. I’ve never given a photographer such a haphazard brief and had it nailed so well, so thanks very much. I wouldn’t hesitate to use you again based on these.’

If you’d like me to photograph a conference for you either in Manchester, the North or across the country, please get in touch via email or using the contact form on the About page of the site.

British Ecological Society Summer School

David Oates August 20, 2019

The British Ecological Society’s summer school is a week long residential field experience for students studying sciences at A-level, Scottish Higher and other similar qualifications. This year 31 students from 7 different schools across the UK gathered at Malham Tarn in the Yorkshire Dales. I was there as documentary photographer giving an overview of the day’s activities and providing marketing and social media material.

As ever, working for BES was extremely interesting, a personal highlight being the nature walk led by Dr. Daniel Forman, lecturer in Biosciences at Swansea University. I’d walked the same route as part of the Pennine Way last year but his fascinating insights into the ecology around us was illuminating.

What Makes a House a Home? for Hawkins/Brown

David Oates August 19, 2019

Hawkins\Brown have been debating this question for over 30 years and on Thursday 18 July 2019, hosted a conference party at Glass House One, Festival Square, to celebrate another successful year for Hawkins\Brown Studio North and their continued support of and involvement in Manchester International Festival.

The house: “a machine for living in” (Le Corbusier), or a place “to dream” (Gaston Bachelard)?

The panel delved into this rich and varied topic covering everything from co-living and the concept of community, to shifts in social demographics and changing lifestyles, to DfMA, buildability and volumetric housing, to what “home” means personally to each of the panellists. Some suggestions included: “my record collection”, “acoustic insulation (three children under the age of three!),” and “the freedom to DIY”.

It was a pleasure to photograph the conference while enjoying the atmosphere of MIF and the last of the sunshine.

Cubic Motion

David Oates May 21, 2019

Cubic Motion is the world leader in real-time model-based computer vision and digital animation, bringing extraordinary characters to life across video games, films, broadcast media, and immersive technologies.

It was a real pleasure to be commissioned to carried out the documentary, product and portrait photography for their new website: https://cubicmotion.com/

Castle House for Just H Architects

David Oates May 2, 2019

Architectural photography for Just H architects. Documenting the retrofitting of the modernist former Co-operative Society’s Castle House market in Sheffield into a new food hall, venue, gallery, co-working space and home for the National Video Game Museum.

British Ecological Society Conferences

David Oates May 2, 2019

It’s always fascinating to carry out the conference photography for the British Ecological Society and often easy to forget to take pictures while listening to the presentations. Here are a selection of photographs from their and the Society for Tropical Ecology’s joint annual conference in the magnificent McEwan Hall, Edinburgh.

New facility opening for DB Cargo

David Oates March 28, 2019

DB recently opened their new facility in Wolverhampton close to the heartland of the West Midlands motor industry. I photographed the launch, giant hangars dwarfing giant trains delivering giant rolls of steel.

I visited the West Midlands twice last year to photograph stories related to Britain’s motor industry. The new facility pictured below to deliver and house steel by Deutsche Bahn Cargo and before that on a commission for German business magazine WirtshaftsWoche to document German manufacturer Brose’s factory making seats and equipment for Jaguar Land Rover.

Blazing Winter vs. The Beast from the East...

David Oates February 28, 2019

A few photographs from a hike up Helvellyn in the Lake District on 22nd February 2019…full sun, 16°C.

And some from the Old Man of Coniston on 28th February 2018, bitten by the Beast from the East, -5°C with wind chill to -17°C. Ice axes, crampons, all phone batteries dead from hypothermia.

Kingsway School

David Oates December 12, 2018

Some pictures from my first commission for Kingsway School. I’m glad to have been back for a further shoot later this year.

Sortimo for WirtschaftWoche

David Oates May 1, 2018

A recent assignment for German business magazine WirtschaftWoche (Business Week) looking at the effects of Brexit on German firms operating facilities in the UK. I visited van racking company Sortimo in Warrington shooting documentary photography to accompany Sacha’s editorial.

Victoria Jordan

David Oates March 27, 2018

Victoria Jordan photographed in Greater Manchester for Pennine Care NHS Foundation Trust and Manchester Metropolitan University

The Right Honourable Jeremy Corbyn

David Oates May 10, 2017

Jeremy Corbyn was in Manchester yesterday for the launch of the Labour election campaign. I caught up with the campaign bus in my home town of Wythenshawe.

Night at the Museum

David Oates May 3, 2017

A commission from Manchester Museum to document a recent evening event as part of the Adult Programme. The highlight for me was a cyanotype workshop by Angela Tait and Ian Clegg of ATIC. These days the UV tubes they use to expose the images are considered a Health & Safety concern, yet it wasn't long ago they were used in sunbeds!