Iain Cridland

Photography has always been a hobby of Iain Cridland and now he is successfully turning it into his career.  In his second year of the HND Photography course at NESCol, Iain is relishing the learning experience and it has opened the door to related employment.

Iain (50), a former teacher, moved from Newcastle to Aberdeen three years ago with his family.  After caring for his children for a number of years, he decided it was the right time to get back into employment and applied for the HND at NESCol’s City Campus.  Iain said, “I’ve always been a keen photographer and thought why not try and make this my new career.  I am really enjoying the course and the College has excellent facilities and staff to match.  The lecturing team all have industry experience and are very well connected.  To date I have enjoyed work experiences at P&J Live (TECA) and the Aberdeen Art Gallery which were both great but I’m most grateful for the employment opportunity which my lecturer Steve Smith facilitated for me. “

In addition to his course at NESCol Iain is now working for local company, First Photographics, on a part-time basis.  The company offer a wide range of photography services with one of their main offerings property photography.  First Photographics work with estate agents and private clients to capture high quality photos of both residential and commercial properties.

First have enjoyed a long-standing relationship with the photography team at NESCol and owner Gary Small has been more than impressed with Iain and the other former students who work for him. Gary explained, “I’ve known Steve Smith from NESCol for around twenty years and the College is always my first port of call when I’m looking for new staff. The calibre of the students is very high and Steve is always happy to recommend candidates who he knows will deliver.  I now have five employees who are former NESCol students and Iain has been an excellent addition to the team. “

Iain has relished his new role and is enjoying the combination of work and study. “I feel really lucky that I’m able to gain industry experience while I study and put the knowledge, skills and techniques I’ve developed at NESCol into practice. Obviously it’s also great to be able to earn while I learn!  I’m interested in architectural photography and hope to develop my skills going forward using drone technology. “

Due to complete his HND in June 2023, Iain hopes to progress to RGU to study the BA in Photography and is hugely positive about his future in the industry. “Coming to NESCol couldn’t have worked out better for me – I’m enjoying the experience, getting a qualification and have found related employment, I can’t recommend it highly enough.”