Oil & Gas Photography
Anna’s mechanical engineering degree from Edinburgh University, and work as a navigator offshore on seismic survey vessels for Schlumberger, have evolved into a talent for creative, insightful portrayal of industrial and commercial subjects.
She studied towards the MSc in Petroleum Engineering at Heriot Watt University in 2014 – passing the exams for eight subjects including drilling, geosciences, reservoir engineering, petroleum economics, reservoir modelling and production techniques. She found the subject fascinating and invaluable for enhancing her oil & gas photography as the offshore environment is often too noisy, frantic and cosmopolitan for effective dialogue.
Anna works from her base in Edinburgh, and can usually move very quickly when jobs arise at short notice, as is often the case in the oil&gas industry.
She particularly enjoys the drama of the offshore environment and is committed to safe working practices. Her offshore survival certificate – Basic Offshore Safety Induction & Emergency Training (BOSIET) and CA-EBS (Compressed Air Emergency Breathing System) were refreshed in 2015 at Petrofac in Aberdeen.
In 2007 she spent a month on board the “Edda Fonn”, a Norwegian ROV survey vessel doing underwater photogrammetry and 3D video for Statoil, through Welaptega. She also spent time on a Total oil platform in the North Sea, and Shell sent her to Holland to photograph Dutch installations and a crane barge from a helicopter. Schlumberger commissioned her to photograph the sea trials of a new seismic ship “Western Spirit”.
In the last few years she has photographed a gas platform decommissioning for Shell in the North Sea, and travelled to Greenland for Cairn Energy, to Cameroon for Bowleven, and to Egypt for Melrose Resources (Petroceltic).
Anna loves images involving people, where she quickly puts them at ease, captures their personalities, and brings out the best in them. Often her subjects are busy people in hazardous environments where time is in short supply, so the work has to be carried out quickly, but sensitively, with her top priority being safety.
She strives for strong images with pleasing composition and imaginative use of colour. She wants her images to contain a sense of interruption. Each image should freeze the subject’s energy, capturing the moment at precisely the right millisecond. Her images embody the atmosphere of what’s gone before, and ignite an interest in what’s about to happen.
She embraced digital photography wholeheartedly and is thrilled with the quality of pro cameras, which also record broadcast quality video.
(Please look at the ‘Industry, Commercial, Press&PR section for more images).
Kind Words
I really like these! Thank you – he certainly looked happy to be there!
Just wanted to thank you for all the effort involved in getting these pics to me. Received the electronic version on Fri and the CD today. I know that you’re up to your eyes just now – so your help is even more appreciated!