LIKE MANY TOP photographers, David Bryce never intended to make a career out of his hobby. He started taking photos as a 14-year-old, and soon had a darkroom in his teenage bedroom.
"It was actually my Granddad's fault," David says, "as he gave me some old cameras to play with."

At 17, David was all set to go to Edinburgh University and study computer science. But between finishing up at school and beginning the course he had six months to spare: "I thought about what I could do to fill the gap, rather than sitting round twiddling my thumbs, and went to see my local careers advisor. It turned out there was a vacancy for a trainee photographer at one of Edinburgh's leading studios; I thought I would be there for six months at the most..."

But David loved his new job so much that after just two weeks he phoned the university to inform them that he wouldn't be attending after all. Two years later, at the still tender age of 19, he turned full-time professional. David laughs as he remembers his not-so-glamorous first rung on the career ladder – he signed up to the much-derided government-run Youth Training Scheme, earning
£40 a week! Which makes him sound a lot older than he looks.

"I spent one day a week in college, but learning on the job was the best training I could ever have had."He's come a long way since then of course, with a fresh approach that's helped him win several awards. David believes that the experience of taking the wedding photographs is just as important for the couple as the resulting images themselves. Customers often note that his enthusiasm for the job rubs off on them, which is no doubt one reason for his success.

On his recent clutch of Scottish MPA wins, David says he can't remember being so excited about anything ever before: "To win 'Classical Wedding Photographer of the Year' was fantastic. Then to win the 'Wedding Photographer' on top of that was just amazing... but to also get the overall category of Scottish Photographer of the Year... it was totally unexpected and I was really overwhelmed," he says.As David points out, lots of photographers are award-winners, but only one person each year can call him/herself Scottish Master Photographer. "It's definitely the highlight of my career... so far," he smiles.