A former Aberdeen press photographer has swapped his camera for some scissors - taking up a new career as a barber.
After spending more than a decade taking pictures of some of Scotland's biggest news events for major publications now Richard Frew plans a new challenge with a set of clippers after finding inspiration during the coronavirus pandemic.
The 33-year-old Aberdonian was working as a freelance photographer when he approached luxury salon Sovereign Grooming, who agreed to train him up to help him pass his SVQ qualification.
Since qualifying last year, Richard has secured a full-time position at Sovereign Grooming’s elite Aberdeen salon on Union Street – plying his trade as a barber with a digital twist.
Richard said: “When Covid hit, it forced me to think about my career and what I wanted to do. Working as a freelance photographer at the time, business was obviously not booming and I wanted to turn my hand to learning a new skill.
"Barbering had always interested me; it was a profession where I could continue to be creative and work with people which is something I’ve enjoyed about photography for so many years.
“There are some similarities from my photography skills that have transferred nicely into the barbering world. They are both hands-on jobs where you can express yourself while working to deliver what the customer wants.
“As a career, it's brilliant to know that you are working every day to make people feel better about themselves and that is genuinely rewarding.”
Richard previously worked as a press photographer for the Daily Record and since going freelance has worked for the likes of BBC Scotland, Marriott Hotels and WWF.
“Sovereign Grooming has tailored the perfect role for me and I couldn’t be happier. Not only do I get to work as a barber, I also work on photography and videography for the Sovereign Grooming brand, whilst continuing to carry out my freelance photography in my spare time.
“Sovereign has been the perfect place to jump right in at the deep end and I’m very grateful for how they’ve helped me kickstart such an exciting new career path.”
Kyle Ross, award-winning barber and co-founder at Sovereign Grooming, was central in helping Richard in his bid to become a fully qualified barber.
Kyle said: “Richard was extremely motivated and determined to work all sorts of hours to get as much practice in as possible. It was a no-brainer for me to help him start out on what will be a brilliant career path.
“Since starting at our Aberdeen salon, Richard has really thrived in his part-barbering, part-digital role and we couldn’t be more delighted to have him as a member of the Sovereign team.”
Kyle opened a barbering school in Glasgow earlier this year, where he trains up talented prospective barbers to get fully qualified in just 15 weeks.
Kyle said: “There is a real skills shortage in the barbering industry due to the pandemic and The Sovereign Grooming Academy is set up to combat that.
“We are genuinely committed to filling the industry with the next round of top talent and Richard is just one example that it is never too late to discover a new career path.”
Kyle Ross founded Sovereign Grooming in 2016, opening the first salon on Aberdeen’s Union Street.