Attending an entrepreneurial boot camp gave David Wilkinson the confidence he needed to ask Waterstones Falkirk if they’d stock his calendar – and the local book shop said yes!
After taking the bull by the horns, the senior accountant by day and photographer and qualified drone pilot in his free time, is delighted that his 2020 calendar is currently flying off the shelves.
Titled ‘Falkirk from the Air’ the calendar features images of local landmarks taken from up to 400ft high and includes an award winning image of Grangemouth Refinery that will shortly feature in an exhibition in Grangemouth town centre.
David said: “The boot camp not only gave me the tools needed to approach many areas of my work differently, it made me realise that things aren’t going to happen by themselves - you need to take the initiative and make things happen both at work and in your personal life. That gave the push I needed to approach Waterstones and thankfully they were really enthusiastic and agreed to stock my work. I’m really glad the boot camp gave me the confidence to challenge myself.”
David’s love of photography was sparked at secondary school when he bought an old camera and a bag of lenses from a friend’s father. From that moment on he was hooked.
Over the years he’s invested in better equipment and attended several photography training courses to refine his skills and knowledge. Most recently he secured his Commercial Operations licence from the Civil Aviation Authority and launched Scotdrone.
“My colleagues in Planning and Environment regularly give me wee nuggets of information about places to explore, as I’m always on the look-out for landmarks or unusual features in the area that I haven’t visited before. My main aim with Scotdrone is to generate sufficient income to self-fund and justify having the latest drone and camera equipment! That way I can continue to showcase the local area with images that really capture the imagination.”
David’s work is regularly featured on the BBC Scotland website ‘your pictures’ section and is often used by VisitScotland, Visit Falkirk and Scottish Canals.
‘Falkirk from the Air’ is available to buy from Waterstones - and online - for £9.99
Pictured: David outside Waterstones Falkirk with his calendar 'Falkirk from the Air'