Case Study - Photographer

Name: Noreen O’Callaghan
Job: Photographer (www.noreenocallaghan.com)

Since I can remember, I have always loved taking photographs, hated being in them.  After 7 years in an office job I finally got up the courage to change my life and started what was then a three-year diploma in Photography at the Dublin Institute of Technology (it is now a four-year degree course).

I entered the business during a time of great transition, i.e. from film to digital, which brought many changes both good and bad.  Photography is not the most stable of career choices but saying that I have never been out of work. Once you are up for a challenge and adaptable there are many different areas to work in.  I’ve worked in the commercial sector as a photographer, in postproduction, as an archivist and as a teacher.

My circumstances have now changed again and I’ve relocated to the country with my family where I am now concentrating on social photography i.e. weddings and portraiture.  I still love taking pictures, although my personal work is totally different from my ‘bread and butter’ work.  Underwater photography…bliss.