A Colourful Past… Andy’s Story

We’re often asked about Andy’s background and past experience, so hopefully by the end of of this page you’ll find out a little about his 30 year love affair with photography and understand why he does what he does…

The year is 1986 and I’m 12 years old. Now 6 is getting mashed up in my Sony Walkman, I’m proudly sporting a pink Joe Bloggs T-shirt, black Pepe jeans and yellow neon socks, and I’m looking forward to watching Top Gun on my mates betamax.

At school I was doing “ok” at the academic stuff but my true passion lay with the visual arts, being a prolific drawer and painter of almost anything, especially fast cars and girls!

It was around this time that a wonderful neighbour introduced me to the world of photography, kindly lending me one of his many shiny SLR’s to play with. Everything about the photographic process fascinated me. From the precision and beautiful engineering of the cameras through to the pure wonder and voodoo like magic of darkroom printing; my life long love affair with photography had began.

then-now

Skip forward 10 years to 1996 and now I’m the one getting mashed, mainly in some grungy student bar in Exeter. After graduating with a decent photography degree I soon moved to London, with my then girlfriend and future wife Debbie, our whole worldly processions in the back of my beloved Renault 5.

I soon landed my first job with Mac User magazine, not as the photographer, as ridiculously I couldn’t afford a decent camera, but as the set designer for a job featuring Peter Firkin’s Clangers (see above). Although I didn’t even know how to create an invoice for my time, the thrill of seeing my work in commercial print was truly addictive.

In the 10 years that I lived, loved, partied and worked in London I was fortunate enough to see my creations hanging in trendy galleries alongside proper artists like Tracey Emin, Gavin Turk and even David Bowie, printed on magazines, book jackets and CD covers, stretching enormous 48 sheet billboards and illuminated on bus stops for big brands like ITV, Toblerone and Cobra beer (see gallery below). I was also fortunate enough to meet and work with some incredible talent.

“I soon landed my first job with Mac User magazine….featuring Peter Firkin’s Clangers…” Andy

After cutting my teeth in the big smoke, it was a series of life changing events, mainly getting married and the arrival of our first child, that first made us question our less than family friendly lifestyle. We decided to move back to Northamptonshire in 2006, the county in which we had both grown up and indeed met (in the Sixth form common room).

our-story

It was the arrival of our gorgeous daughter, combined with the mellowing effect of age, that first helped me appreciate life from a new perspective and see new photographic opportunities. Coincidently, all this came at a time when a close friend, and new dad himself, was gingerly asking if I’d photograph their 6 month old. At first I was unsure, I’d always loved capturing our own children but never contemplated doing it professionally. However after extensive research I gave it a go and discovered that I loved every second, but most surprisingly… so did everyone else!

I’d found my new passion, obsession and challenge. And that’s it really, the rest of my story kind of tells itself.  I continue to develop and mature as a portrait artist but fundamentally I’m still as passionate about photography as that 12 year old boy… although considerably more patient and with ‘slightly’ better dress sense!