What did you want to be when you were younger?
“When I was a child, I had quite a grounded and pragmatic view on the path I might take. Having two left feet was always going to be a drawback to a career as a professional footballer. I was a competitive swimmer in my youth and competed at national level (and once internationally). But getting sponsorship, traveling to meets, and training more than 3-times a week was not possible for me. I had an interest in history and had a dream to find an undiscovered pyramid in Egypt, but my interest waned when the curriculum changed.
“The one thing that I naturally – or unnaturally – gravitated towards from a very young age was technology and computers.”
You studied BEng (Hons) Electronic & Communication Engineering at Edinburgh Napier. Do you have any lasting memories of your time here?
“I made the decision to study at ENU when I was 12 years old. I went to a night school based at the campus and obtained my amateur radio licence.
“My lasting memory is of walking the grand, hallowed halls of Craiglockhart where the poets Siegfried Sassoon and Wilfred Owen convalesced when it was used as a hospital for officers during World War One.”
Tell us about your career journey
“After graduating in 2001 I moved to England to continue my further education journey and studied music. As a student I got signed to Jackie Davidson MBE’s management company which led to my first publishing deal as a songwriter.
“Within a year of graduating, I had already performed a stadium gig in front of 55,000 people. For more than 10 years I lived the life of a rockstar traveling the world, writing, playing and recording in some of the most prestigious studios whilst performing to crowds in venues from clubs to arenas.
“As a multi-instrumentalist, I often took on the roles of MD, composer and producer. I worked with artists signed to major labels including, Roc Nation, Island, Universal, EMI, Polydor, Sony RCA and Mercury, as well as collaborating with Grammy-winning producers.
“My creative reach soon leaned into film. I played on the scores of major movie releases, and I worked with Academy Award winners. Collaborating with the most successful and creative people in the music and film industries was a great learning opportunity for me as my abilities and experience expanded and diversified.
“Originally from Edinburgh, I lived in London for 10 years and then spent some time in Bangkok before moving to Copenhagen. This led to further work in film and television, combining both visual mediums and audio.
“When traveling, the camera became an important instrument in my carry-on. I have worked on photography since 2006 and in December 2023 I published my first photo book, …IN SUNNY PORTOBELLO.”
Please tell us more about …IN SUNNY PORTOBELLO
“…IN SUNNY PORTOBELLO is a contemporary fine art and street photography monograph capturing and celebrating the rejuvenation of Portobello’s promenade and beach. I grew up in the area and remember it as a child in the 80s when it was still a fairly busy seaside resort, to the empty bleakness of the 90s when I was at Portobello High School, to when I visited from London in-between touring and recording in 2004 and seeing it had begun to change into what it has become today, with new businesses opening and various clubs such as volleyball and rowing helping to revitalise the area. Portobello is not really represented as a place to visit when in Edinburgh, and I wanted to show its essence and that it should be.
“I photographed all the images in the book using black & white film to give a more timeless quality, providing an honest portrayal of the area. The images were taken over a two-year period, and while street photography is a growing field of photography and now accepted as an art form, there has never been a book of this nature published, focusing on Portobello, or even Edinburgh, before.
“It is available from bookshops nationally, with bookshops and cultural institutions in Edinburgh carrying stock. It can also be ordered online (including worldwide delivery) from my website.”
What is your favourite photo from the book?
“That’s a difficult question! My favourite images vary depending on my mood. It’s great to hear other people’s thoughts on specific images as their insights make me view the images in a new light. Some scenes are quite raw, while others are based on geometric forms, or feature quirky/humorous elements. None of the images are staged, giving sincerity and authenticity in the book's reflection of the area.
“With photography, as most photographers will attest, the moment prior to making the image becomes indelibly inked on your mind, and every time you revisit a work, regardless of the time that has elapsed since then, you are immediately transported back to that moment when you pressed the shutter.”
What has been the biggest highlight of your career? Have you had to overcome any challenges?
“I tend not to dwell on the past. I have worked at the highest level in the entertainment industry, having seen and experienced things that I don’t forget to take gratitude for. However, any career highlights that I have had have only came from focus, hard work, dedication, and determination.
“I believe that my Honours degree in Electronic Engineering continues to provide me with the tools I need to find creative solutions to problems, regardless of the medium. To have an analytical mind as a creative is a bonus, and it’s not something that many of my peers have.”
What motivates you?
“The creation of my work is my biggest motivation. Having got all the rock star debauchery out of my system in my 20s and early 30s, having a routine and work ethic is the key for me. Being an artist is still a job at the end of the day and you have to treat it as such and work through the mental block when you have one. My day begins between 4am-5am every morning and I start working by 6:30am.”
Check out Cameron's website and order your copy of ...IN SUNNY PORTOBELLO here: www.cameronjlaing.com