About David Osborn
A logical and curious perfectionist.
40 Years Experience …
Graduated with a First Class BA (Hons) degree in Graphic Design, Camberwell School of Art in London at age 22. Then, for the next two years, I worked for public relations companies before being taken on with the Reuters News Agency in London at age 24. – I was promoted to running the Reuters picture desk in London alone a year later, followed by a year in Asia shooting color photo stories to gain experience in a conflict environment, which included living with the locals in the jungles of Mindanao, Philippines, for six months, covering both sides of an insurgency – The Muslim fight for the independence of Mindanao. I then returned to London and continued with Reuters.
In 1989, at 28, I emigrated to Sydney, Australia, initially working for Reuters, but then as a staff photographer with The Australian newspaper before setting up a commercial studio shooting annual reports for graphic designers, mainly in the telecoms industry. I wanted experience producing beautiful, high-end, technical-quality Photography with studio lighting on location and large format film cameras. – I shot commercial work and annual reports for nine years before returning to London in 2000 at 39. On my return, I spent a year photographing ports and airports worldwide, many in the USA and the Middle East, as photo stories documenting the facilities and daily life.
Insurgency Photo Stories, Philippines, 1987 by David Osborn. Age 27.
These assignments led me to commissions from BAA, which owned Heathrow Airport in London. In 2002, at age 41, I was responsible for being chief photographer to document the £4 billion Heathrow Airport Terminal 5 construction project from a muddy field to its inauguration by the Queen in 2008. At the time, it was Europe’s largest construction project. I was solely responsible for the main Terminal 5 building, all airfield and taxi-way construction, and the tunnel construction for the Heathrow Express and underground trains. – 6 years of project management and Photography. I handed in over 30,000 quality images. – After Terminal 5 was completed, I worked for other construction companies shooting their projects, including One Hyde Park in London, the world’s most expensive apartments near Harrods in London. – On returning to the UK, I also began Landscape Photography for enjoyment.
In 2014, I was invited to co-run a Photography workshop; this was my first connection with teaching the Photography enthusiast. I was appalled at the lack of teaching and felt ashamed to be involved, but things often happen for good reasons. Commercial work was no longer worthwhile, and I wanted a change. – The experience motivated me to look into workshops, where I found little beneficial knowledge being taught. – I knew I could provide better because I had the experience, so I offered a workshop at age 53 and taught in Turkey soon after. I have never looked back, teaching workshops full-time for over eight years. Then, in 2019, I was curious to find out if there were underlying principles to what I knew instinctively, what people might label as ‘natural ability.’ – I began researching the psychology of human nature and perception. Its relationship to pictures. – My workshops are the culmination of all my experience.
Alcatel, Repeater Construction for Underwater Cables.
David Osborn Photography
Brief Career Summary. …
Hard news – Royal Family and Princess Diana over 100 times, 5 Prime Ministers, 17 Foreign Ministers, 11 Heads of State, 6 Presidents, 1 Ex-President, 3 Kings and an Ex-King. A royal wedding, riots, IRA bombings, sport, portraits, everything. Clients – Reuters News Agency, Associated Press, Agence France Presse, The Independent, London Times, Guardian, The Mail, The Telegraph, New York Times, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, International Herald Tribune, Sydney Morning Herald, The Australian. Corporate clients – Alcatel, Nortel, General Electric, Phillips, British Telecom, Omega Watches, ICI, Balfour Beatty, BP, Shell Oil, Austin Rover, Cadbury, Pearl Assurance, Savills, BAA, Laing O’Rourke.
Press Cards from News Days.
My Photography is represented by The Afterimage Gallery, Dallas, Texas, USA. – A portfolio of photographs received: ‘Honorable Mention’ in the International Photography Awards 2022, Fina Art Landscape category.
Studio Photo of Sewer Pipes for Corporate Brochure.
David Osborn Photography
Let’s Talk …
Let’s chat live on a Zoom call first, free of charge, and answer any questions or concerns you may have before making a booking or payment. Just email me, and we’ll arrange a date to talk in person.
David@DavidOsbornPhotography.com
David Osborn Photography
69 Grange Gardens, Southgate,
London N14 6QN, England.
UK +44 (0) 771 204 5126