What was your first job and what did your responsibilities include?

My first job was working for Wall’s Ice Cream in my college holidays. After we’d loaded the boxes of ice cream onto the vans, we would sit in the warehouse with big padded gloves on, eating Arctic Rolls. After leaving Harrow College, where I did a degree in photography, I started a photographic studio in London with three other photographers from my course.

How much was in your first pay packet and what did you spend it on?

Actually, I didn’t get my first real pay packet until I was nearly 30! We moved from London to Oxford and I ran a commercial studio for a company called Hills Harris. As my first child was born around this time, and we were also renovating an old thatched cottage, I spent the money on the mortgage and nappies!

Describe how your career developed to the present day.

In the early 1980s I went to work for what was then British Leyland in Cowley, in the photographic studio. This was to be the start of more than 20 years working mainly as a commercial car photographer.

After a few years there I went freelance and opened my own studios in Oxford and then Abingdon. Those were exciting years — shooting everything from Minis to lorries for clients such as Rover, Honda, Nissan, Bentley and Jaguar.

Many of these shoots were on location; from the mountains of Scotland to the South of France. Sadly, our car industry has declined so much that I decided that a change of direction would be a good idea.

Living in Oxford, I was inspired by the architecture of the university buildings and I realised that what had started as a personal project could be developed into a new business venture. I devised a technique to make prints of iconic Oxford buildings which allows them to be seen in their architecturally correct form and also preserves their fabulous detail. The next step was to build a website to advertise and sell the prints.

What are the key responsibilities in your position?

As well as designing and producing the prints I built our website, which I also maintain. We also now offer framed prints which are handmade in house. Pam, my wife and business partner, deals with all the orders and the administration of the business.

Describe a typical day

I don’t really have a typical day. I may be out at dawn to catch the light on a particular building, or I might be in the workshop preparing frames, or in the studio signing prints ready to be sent out. If I’m lucky, I may be in Venice or Rome working on a new print.

Who/what have been the biggest influences on your career?

Canaletto, Baroque architecture and living in Oxford.

What has been your best decision?

Moving to Oxford. It was living here that inspired me to start Virtual Archive.

And your worst?

Luckily, I can’t think of one!

What is the best advice you can give to someone starting out in your business?

Find your niche. To succeed in this business you need something that makes you stand out from the crowd.

What is the secret of good management?

Can I delegate this question to my wife?

Do you have a good work/life balance?

Yes, definitely. A trip abroad to work on creating a new print combined with some time to relax, what could be better.

What hobbies/interests do you enjoy in your spare time?

Golf, cycling, travel, architecture Is there anything in business that really irritates you?

Yes, people who don’t have a ‘can do’ attitude.

How do you see your company developing over the next five years?

Recently I have been inspired by the frescoes and wall paintings at Pompeii to create my Oxford Blueprint images in plaster. These were exhibited for the first time during Oxfordshire Artweeks. I will also keep adding new prints to the Virtual Archive portfolio. I have plans for more Cambridge prints and a new Venice print this year. Next year I hope to go to Rome and the Taj Mahal is definitely on my list.

What has been your most satisfying moment?

Soon after I started Virtual Archive, I received an e-mail from someone wanting to buy 12 Oxford prints on behalf of the Koç University in Istanbul. That was very satisfying and a great confidence boost.

Do you believe there is enough help and support from government and agencies for growing businesses?

When I started my first studio in Oxford in 1982, the Government had just announced its new ‘loan guarantee scheme’. This was back in the days when you had your own bank manager. As I remember it, mine was the first successful application he had completed for this scheme. Without that Government loan, I don’t think I would have been able to start up my own business.

What is your attitude to the environment and do you have any green policies in place?

I am very concerned about the environment. When you are creating a product there is always a certain amount of waste. I recycle everything possible, or in the case of paper and framing materials, I donate it to organisations who can re-use it.

What is the secret of a happy workforce?

Enjoy what you are doing. I’m in a great position of earning a living doing what I enjoy most.

Is there any other job you would like to have done and why?

I would have liked to be an architect, someone as visionary as Gaudi.

What would you like to do when you retire?

I’m not sure I ever will!

Name: Ian Fraser Age: 57 Job: Architectural photographer and printmaker Time in job: Seven years E-mail: ian.fraser@virtual-archive.co.uk Web: www.virtual-archive.co.uk