The Sunday Business Post

When Gerry O’Leary was a child, his mother owned a Brownie Box camera. When he was eight years old, she let him hold it. When he was 12, he bought a camera and, by his own admission, became 'a bit of an anorak'. Despite his passion for photography, O’Leary entered a different career, qualifying as a surveyor in 1985 and moving to London, where he became an agency site engineer. He then travelled around Africa, settling in Nigeria for a year as a construction manager. After marrying Eithne in 1989, he continued working in construction management, travelling to the Britain, Africa and San Francisco, before returning to Ireland in 1993. Although he had a career in construction, photography was never far from his mind. "I guess amateur golfers dream of becoming professional, musicians dream of getting that break. I was no different - getting paid for my passion was my dream. " O’Leary decided to combine his skills to pursue a career as an architectural photographer.