Blair Montague-Drake was born in London, UK, 1943.
Blair’s early interest in photography was initiated by his father, a photographer at the time, who gave Blair, at the age of nine his first camera, a Kodak Box Brownie. His early years of photography led him to always seek a point of difference in his imagery, ensuring local prizes and a National prize from Lord Thomson of Fleet, the proprietor of the Sunday Times.
Blair started his working life in the photographic department of the London Daily Express newspaper. A newspaper at the time renowned throughout Fleet Street for grooming young talent and its photographic expertise.
After leaving the Daily Express, Blair was involved in a number of adventures, including part managing the world first Teen hotel, opening a discotheque in Coventry, creating a religious souvenir business, and eventually travelling to Spain and Morocco on his ex-army Triumph motorbike. Throughout all of these projects, photography played a key role in raising money in order to continue the adventure.
On returning to London, he resumed his photography in the commercial field and during a brief foray into catering, met his Australian wife, Rhonda. In 1970 Blair settled in Australia and began working for the Commonwealth Film Unit and Australian Aerial Photographic while also working part-time for the Aboriginal Publishing Foundation.
In 1972 Blair established Earth Images Pty Ltd, a company specialising in the processing of satellite imagery, remote sensing, and forensic photography.
A few years later came the establishment of the famous Arundel Studio on the North Shore of Sydney. The principle dynamic driving the success of Arundel Studio was that all projects were to be viewed as artistic challenges and not ‘photography by the numbers’.
Blair served on the committee of The Professional Photographers Association of Australia, PPA, for ten years, five of which were served as President. Blair has been a welcome contributor to trade and mainstream magazines and a lecturer of marketing of art and commercial photography.
He has also served as a manager of tourism on the Mid North Coast, where he and his wife also established a highly successful company specialising in non- alcoholic herbal beverages and herbal honey.
In more recent times, Blair has aspired to assist and create photographic projects that have community benefits.