31 years, a Macintosh, a lot of photography and a couple of alpacas

31 years, a Macintosh, a lot of photography and a couple of alpacas

Troy Ogilvie is anxiously awaiting the arrival of seven new babies this spring.

To be more specific, the arrival of seven crias, or baby alpacas. Raising alpacas with his wife Mary is one of my adventures and hobbies Ogilvie has chartered as a lifelong Dallas native and civil servant. Ogilvie retired Jan. 5 after 31 years of service to the City of Dallas, most of them spent as the primary photographer for Dallas Water Utilities (DWU).

Ogilvie graduated from Bryan Adams High School in 1969 and served in the United States Navy from 1971-1974. After cultivating private sector knowledge in drafting, mapping and early computer graphic arts, he graduated from UT-Dallas and began work with the City in November 1984 designing presentation graphics for flip charts – all by hand.

“After a few years of this, someone had the great idea that we could be more effective and efficient if we used a computer to make flip charts,” said Ogilvie. “Subsequently, the Apple Macintosh became our primary production tool and we never looked back.”

By 1994, Ogilvie had been selected to become the primary photographer and video producer for DWU, thus adding a new page to the career and life book.

“Photography had been an interest of mine since I was a kid,” said Ogilvie. “I learned the basics from my dad who was a commercial illustrator and owner of an advertising agency in Dallas. His input really gave me a leg up when it came to becoming a photographer in the 1990s.”

What began as a new career challenge became an enjoyable companion hobby for Ogilvie who embraced several semesters of formal education in the visual information craft to further hone his skills. For several years, Ogilvie and his wife Mary spent every vacation hiking and photographing the deserts of Arizona, Utah and New Mexico, adding techniques that would further help him tell the DWU story with powerful images.

After 31 years of serving the City and citizens of Dallas, what’s next? Grandchildren and alpacas. Grandparents to two, Troy and Mary are enjoying the new direction of their lives and ability to see their grandchildren grow up. Ogilvie and family moved to a log home surrounded by hardwood forests in Kaufman 11 years ago where they share 10 acres with their 27 alpacas.

“So far our lives in the country have been nothing short of a blessing and we look forward to many more years of the same.”

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