About Us
Everyone in the CHPV team has to have the patience of a saint, the carrying strength of a mule,
the negotiating skills of a diplomat and the head for heights of a mountain goat.
We are used to working safely in the fast paced offshore environment.
We don't expect things to stop for us to get our shots!
Alan O'Neill
Alan has built CHPV over the last 40 years into the company that it is today. He learnt his skill as a photographer whilst in the army. On demob, he moved to Lowestoft to work as a wedding photographer for Charles Hodge. However he soon found himself being sent offshore to document the North Sea oil and gas industry, then in its infancy. Expanding to include film production, Alan took over control of the company (now known as CHPV) in 1984. His longevity in an industry that now leans heavily towards renewable forms of energy, means that Alan is recognized wherever he goes and lauded for his work. Somehow he manages to find spare time to pursue his hobby as a carpenter, and although he has now given up scuba diving he finds relaxation paddle boarding instead.
Julian Claxton
Julian joined the CHPV team in 2017. His interest in photography began at an early age, with an assignment for his school's newspaper. After graduating from college, he became a medical photographer working for the NHS, learning new skills including video production and graphic design along the way. Yearning for greater freedom and more challenge, he went freelance in 2008, specializing in telling stories about people through photography. He has since won four awards for his travel and event related work. In his spare time, Julian is a keen cyclist and combines his professional career as a photographer with a passion for adventurous travel. He initiated and runs the 'Give a Child a Camera' project, undertaking charitable work with under-privileged children in rural Uganda and Rwanda.