Far From A Frosty Reception

Having spent fifteen years in the oil and gas industry, Nicholas Frost finally decided to take the plunge, and a year ago he turned his passion for photography into a full time career. Nicholas Frost Photography was established two and a half years ago, but as the business expanded, Nicholas knew it was time to 'give up the day job', and he has never looked back.

The former offshore worker has had a keen interest in photography from an early age, and during time spent travelling in his early twenties he shot several images which he then went on to sell. The photographs have also been used in magazines and stock libraries.

Nicholas explains how the business began; "I starting doing wedding photography four years ago when one of my friends asked me to take his wedding photographs; the experience was fantastic. I started building my portfolio, and this is now one of the busiest aspects of the business. I use a unique and informal style to capture a wedding day that complements rather than intrudes. Our wedding images retain the spontaneity that is often missed in traditional photography; this unique selling point has been a key factor in our success."

"I now love what I do. I get up every morning really looking forward to going to work. The real turning point for me was when I attended a course by renowned photographers, Brett and Kristine Harkness; this was a truly inspiring experience. On the whole I am a self taught photographer. Having researched the basics, I developed my own style as a photographer, which I feel is an important distinguishing factor. Starting full time on the business coincided with completing my psychology degree. I feel that the subjects are related as photography is about building relationships and trust with your clients. It was at this stage that I finally decided I had had enough of the oil and gas industry and wanted to devote my time to my own business."

Having attended courses in the past run by Business Gateway, Nicholas approached the organisation for advice and guidance on setting up Nicholas Frost Photography.

Nicholas continues, "Business Gateway has been a huge help to me, both with the initial start-up of the business, and the continuing support offered by my business adviser, Adam. Having worked offshore for years, it was mainly the legalities of starting the company which I needed help with. I went on several courses which covered aspects such as tax issues and marketing - this was of particular benefit when I established the website. Business Gateway helped me with technicalities such as improving my website rankings and I was offered marketing surveys. I feel however, that the best marketing tools I have found as a photographer are word-of-mouth and the website. The website acts as a showcase for my work as it contains example galleries of images.

"I would definitely recommend the Business Gateway service to anyone contemplating starting up on their own, the assistance and support I have received has been invaluable."

Nicholas Frost Photography is a successful family business providing quality wedding, portrait, lifestyle and commercial photography. Nicholas' friendly and approachable personality coupled with natural talent creates a dynamic and fresh approach to photography. Nicholas Frost photography can be contacted on 01224 722883 or at www.nicholasfrostphotography.co.uk.

The Business Gateway service in Grampian is delivered by Enterprise North East Trust. For more information telephone 01224 289725 or visit www.bgateway.com.

Picture Caption: Nicholas Frost sought the help of the Business Gateway service and has never looked back since leaving the oil and gas industry to establish Nicholas Frost Photography.

Lyndsay Aitken

Account Director

Tricker PR

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email: laitken@trickerpr.com