A FORMER chief photographer at The Scotsman is offering a cricket photography service as he launches himself as a news and features freelancer.
Donald MacLeod was at The Scotsman for 29 years before recently taking a redundancy package as part of a cost-cutting exercise by the paper.
Declaring himself “cricket mad”, he is already in a position to offer media outlets access to a large library of cricket photography – mainly Scottish.
One of his three sons plays cricket for Warwickshire and Scotland.
He says: “I’ve been cricket mad for years and have already been working with [Scottish cricket freelance writers] David Kelso, Willie Dick and one or two others.
“Obviously, I’m up for other types of work too, particularly news and arts features – which I have done a fair bit of during my time at The Scotsman – but it’s really picture ideas I’m looking for and perhaps turn that into something for a client.”
He joined The Scotsman in 1980, after training at The Press and Journal.
MacLeod – who was also chief photographer at Scotland on Sunday for much of his time at sister title, The Scotsman – is in the process of building a website to showcase his work.
Remarkably, for all that his name is common in his native Western Isles, he has managed to secure the website address, www.donald-macleod.com which will be up and running in the next week or so.
PS It was going-away drinks last night for The Scotsman’s features editor, Jackie Hunter, and the paper’s Scottish political editor, Hamish Macdonell.
It’s understood Hunter – who is leaving after three-and-a half years at the title – will be available for freelance writing commissions, editing projects and editorial consultancy, in both Edinburgh and London.
Meanwhile, Macdonell’s last piece for the paper was a story about an agreement concerning police access to MSP offices at Holyrood. “Two hundred and fifty words, down page,” he sighed.
Pic: Howzat? MacLeod at his Best
