Defence School of Photography

Now the new 6600 Visual Communicator Course is in full swing, and the Defence School of Photography has seen two courses pass through their doors; it’s time to introduce you to the latest course. Let us introduce you to the students of 6600/03, their photography and their motivations for becoming Visual Communicators within Defence.

Leading

A few years ago, I discussed different branches within the Royal Navy with my logistics officer. As I had been a submariner for seven years, I was looking for a career change. I spoke with the photographers in Faslane, and after chatting with them, I knew this was a career I wanted. I spent a lot of my spare time learning about photography and became the ship’s (submarine) photographer.

The more jobs I did on, and off, the sub, the more I wanted to pursue a career as a Royal Navy Photographer. I was fortunate enough to work with a photographic section in Faslane for several months, and I was allowed to go on some jobs they do to see first-hand how they work. One of the jobs I was allowed to help with was when a submarine was coming back from a long deployment, being on the other side and documenting its return back to home port and to be able to capture some images for the family and friends of the crew was an amazing feeling.

I first learned about the photography branch when I was on the Non-specialist Ships Photographer course in 2017, which also informed me of the role of photographers within the navy. I contemplated a transfer for a few years as I was happy in my trade. I became more involved in photography through various surveillance tasks and picked it up as a secondary role while working in fishery protection.

I enjoyed the challenge of capturing the best images I could in harsh sea states and poor weather, and I wanted to deliver the best shots I could so they could be used to their full potential. More and more, I started looking forward to photography taskings than doing my core job and knew it was time to transfer to become

I originally joined as an RAF Human Resources Clerk. Although I enjoyed the job, I’ve always been interested in photography and wanted to pursue this as a career. I began the re-trade process in 2021 and am incredibly happy with where I am now, training at the Defence School of Photography. It’s a bit of a shock going back into Phase 2 Training, but it’s refreshing to learn something completely new and aligned with something I’m passionate about.

I took photography on as a hobby but never understood how broad the technical side really is. There is only so far creativity can take you. There is so much that goes into being a photographer, especially behind the scenes, and I’m looking forward to seeing where my career takes me next.

I decided to join the RAF photography trade because I thought the job would be creatively fulfilling. I studied photography at college and always found it very fun, so when I saw that the RAF were recruiting photographers, I thought it would be a really interesting career. I also grew up on an RAF base, where I found the aircraft fascinating, especially on families’ day.

Becoming an RAF photographer will allow me to photograph from these aircraft and also allow me to gain experiences that I might not otherwise get as a civilian photographer. I applied for the trade as a complete beginner, and I’m excited to graduate from this a Royal Navy Photographer. It’s taken just under three years for my transfer to be approved and start the course, and I’m very much looking forward to my new career as a navy photographer! course with a whole new skill set where I’ll say that doing photography is my job!