Michael has been commissioned by some of the largest and best known Oil and Gas companies in the World and worked on some of the largest offshore projects in history. Hockney was the last to professionally document the ill fated Piper Bravo as well as the building of its replacement, Piper B, in its entirety.Hockney was in the crane cab for the largest offshoe lift in history as billions of dollars hung on a single hook.
Based in Aberdeen in the early 1980's Hockney sought to change the way offshore photography was conducted at the time with 35mm being the standard at the time.
The first to fully offer madium and large format photography in stunning definition made Hockney wanted by the majors. First contracted by Shell Exploration and Production, Hockney documented onshore gas installations and the Brent Oil Field platforms using the newly introduced Fuji G617 camera.
In 1987 Hockney was contracted as Occidental Oil's North Sea photographer and he was commissioned to undertake a corporate flagship production to represent the Oxy Consortium at Edinburgh Festival 1987. The exhibition "Orcadian Eye" showcased Oxy's environmental record in the Orkney Islands as part of European Year of The Environment using Hockney's panoramics and select pictures from the Thomas Kent library.
In 1988 Oxy commissioned Michael to take rough weather force 11 gale shots of Piper A and Claymore Platforms. The images were the last high resolution pictures of Piper Apha before the explosion and destruction of the installation in 1988
Following the disaster Hockney discovered that Piper Alpha had not been documented professionally during its construction. The ELF ENTERPRISE CALEDONIA CONSORTIUM remedied this by commissioning Hockney to photograph the building of Piper Alpha's replacement, Piper Bravo. Costing 4 Billion pounds, Michael documented the build in its entirety as well as a number of "firsts" in the offshore industry involved in Piper B's revolutionary safety features. This included photographing the
jacket construction and the topsides as well as their installation in the North Sea (see Video). Hockney was in the crane for the largest ever lift in history as Piper B's topsides were set on the jacket. He was also only one of 7 people allowed on the barge for the launching of Piper B's jacket. The jacket caught just slightly on the launch but you cannot see this from the video. You had to be on the barge to feel the lurch.
Michael has also undertakes work for Lasmo and The Morrison Group which included not only UK installations but also Canada's Terra Nova and Hibernia offshore installations.
Michael has completed full ofshore marine survival certification under the Survival Systems training programme in Halifax Nova Scotia. The best trainng in the world.
For corporate Oil and Gas commissions Michael is willing to work with the client to give one or two extra days as gratis to compensate for travel time, visa and related additional expenses. For details on all commissions please email Michael's manager, Anastasia Lisitsyna who can talk with you in Russian and English. A full studio and location rates schedule is available on request to qualified individuals. In the interests of photographers and artists worldwide the studio does not post its rates publicly.
manager@michaelhockney.ca
Contracts are finalized by The Studio's commercial manager and specialist international legal advisor, through Hicon Consulting Corporation n Victoria BC.
