Hi There

I'm Andy

The Person Behind The Lens

Hi there I’m Andy, my dad said “If a job’s worth doing it’s worth doing properly or not at all.” he was the senior keyboard technician for Steinway & Son in the UK, and the army taught me Proper Planning and Preparation Prevents Pi** Poor Performance. Like with anything I now do, I put my heart and soul into making sure all the planning and preparation are done to get you the perfect pictures that you deserve.

The name The Troubled Photographer comes from having a mental health breakdown caused by a traumatic experience some time ago. During a meeting with a therapist, she asked “What do you like doing in your free time?” after some time my response was “I used to like photography” That’s when I picked up a camera again. This became my therapy and brought me back on an even keel, I started taking pictures many years ago with my first camera an Olympus Trip 35 and then when I was nearly 16 my dad bought me a used Praktica Super TL3.

“One eye of the photographer looks wide open through the viewfinder, the other, the closed looks into his own soul.”

-Henri Cartier Bresson-

ALLOW ME TO TELL YOUR STORIES THROUGH MY LENS CAPTURING YOUR REAL EMOTIONS IN A PERFECT AND TIMELESS WAY.

Photography has become my medication, that allows me to express creative thoughts and ideas In a way I couldn’t describe through words alone. I predominately use my Canon digital camera, however, I also have 4 analogue cameras, these being my Canon 35mm SLR an A-1, AV-1 and EF. Alongside this, I have a Canon Canonet 35mm range finder made in 1962 and two medium format cameras a Mamiya 645 Super. Rolleiflex model T with Carl Zeiss 75mm f3.5 lens and a Zeiss Ikon Nettar, which was made between 1946-49.

My passion is film photography more exactly black and white photography, in my humble opinion it can take pictures to a completely new level. Though a digital black and white picture can bring a completely new perspective and creative element, there is an element that can only be replicated with film and that’s the grain and a true vintage feel.

I feel that film photography can quite easily coincide and complement digital, this is why I try and add both elements to my shoots. I understand when and where it will be appropriate and how it can dovetail in with the work you’ve asked me to do.

Being a professional photographer isn’t about having the latest camera. Cameras don’t take pictures, the person holding the camera is responsible for the resulting picture. Any camera just like the latest model computer doesn’t function well without a person with knowledge and experience. In many instances, a professional photographer has one opportunity to get things right. You can never go back to yesterday.

“It is an illusion that photos are made with the camera… they are made with the eye, heart and head.”

-Henri Cartier Bresson-

“Be influenced by everything, including the work of other photographers and artists, absorb it, pick the bones, steal what is good and make it your own. For it is your uniqueness that ultimately define you’re work. Anything less is nothing”.

–Bob Carlos Clark–

“The definition of a great picture is one that stays with you, one that you can’t forget. It doesn’t have to be technically good at all”.

–Steve McCurry–

Hi There, The Driving Force Behind Me

Hi there I’m Andy photography isn’t all about owning the latest gear, it’s about the spirit and heart of the person behind the lens, cameras don’t take pictures. As Ansel Adams once said “The single most important component of a camera is the twelve inches behind it!” never a truer word has been spoken. I would be the first to say I’m not the most technically proficient, however, what I lack in technical ability is made up for in vision and imagination and knowing what the right shot is.

To me, photography is not about the latest technology that the marketing department of the camera manufacturers puts out about their latest camera or the number of megapixels your camera has unless you are blowing up your pictures the size of the biggest billboard. You only need to look at the work of some past masters of photography such as Ansel Adams, Robert Capa, Diane Arbus, William Eggleston, Irving Penn the great Henri Cartier-Bresson, Tyler Shields and my personal favourite Bob Carlos Clark to name but a few. Then you realise it’s not the camera that makes the difference it’s the twelve inches behind it. Cameras don’t take pictures, they are just a tool to capture them.

Working in a studio is a great privilege and on some occasions necessary, but the great outdoors provides the greatest studio in the world. My passion is working with natural light, even on the brightest days there are always buildings or natural cover that work just as well as any softbox. You just need to know how to use them to me, that’s being technically proficient.

Knowing what your camera is or is not capable of is paramount, there is a flip side to that coin knowing and researching past great photographers and reading about their work and the driving force behind that work is equally as important. To me, I would rather spend time reading about the past and present masters and draw my inspiration from the great, from books, films or music videos to produce my best possible work for you.

“Being a photographer is a passion, not a job, It’s my passion”.

-The Troubled Photographer-

Hi There I'm Andy

To book me or just discuss your project click contact me button.

I am part of a Manchester artistic collective called Driftwood Studio where knowledge, skills, experience and resources are shared for the purpose of building a creative community.