On Taking Photos
A Reflection of a Few Decades Into a Scattered Career
It’s easier in social situations to call myself a photographer. What we say we do is easy to hide behind. How we take action is what really counts. Photography started as a creative endeavour and eventually became a tool to support a somewhat muddied brand I inadvertently created. It was my uncle’s collection of photos of doors that he took around the world that made me consider photography as a pursuable goal. And a digital camera my dad brought home from work and let me use. A few decades of an ever changing industry changed my relationship with photography as well. I think I’m always trying to bring it back to that first day when I fell in love.
There’s a lot of photographers I admire. My uncle probably being the first, and photographers like my good friend Shayd Johnson whose work is always honest to real life, a skill few have mastered. Noah Kalina, based in upstate New York, whose dark humour being the foundation to his ever relevant media empire of anti-content. Jeff Frost who I had the pleasure of meeting in Bombay Beach. The way he entangles his installation art and his photography sometimes feels more like a graceful dance than a body of work. And then there are the classics. Vivian Maier and Slim Aarons and Walker Evans and the list goes on. Much like the writers I admire, they set the subjective stage for greatness. A stage anyone is welcome onto to try their hand.
I’ll never be a match for these greats. The consolation prize is that if I continue creating in earnest, if my work is honest, if the meaning is ever unfolding and virtuous, then nothing else matters. Once upon a time I was a finalist for a Shorty award for “Instagrammer of the Year” alongside Jojo Siwa (the inventor of gay pop). This kind of thing always felt like an accident. But events like these told me that I wasn’t easy to categorize. “Instagrammer” for one should never be a category.
Travelling with Momo made photography easy. It’s why I have so many photos of him in urban settings. He was my voice-activated best friend who was always the missing element in a photo. But when he got older and after he died, my relationship with photography changed. I was shooting much less. I realized I had a lot of self-work to do, and this became more important than my career. I often wonder how many mentally stable people don’t fully realize their advantage.
Photography as an industry changed too. Of course it always has and always will. My relationship with photography evolved as well. Photos were no longer enough and everybody wanted videos. I’m still toying with the idea of a YouTube channel, though I’m certain the world doesn’t need another guy with a microphone. But I don’t know, feeling spicy, might do it anyways.
I’m grateful for my fun internet years, and maybe there’s more to come in a different shape. In a deep sense I feel the internet is segmenting, coming offline, and my hopeful side says this is for the best. Perhaps a place is being fostered where community support is at the forefront. Maybe thirst for fame will soon look like cigarettes. But right now there’s this community. There’s you. The idea that so many people on here support my scattered journey, my love for dogs, my ever growing love for the outdoors, for health, is unfathomably big. In return I try hard to do my best, even if it means it doesn’t always facilitate my best work.
So what’s next for me? A constant falling in love with the beautiful parts of the world. Fostering relationships. Lots of time outside. Physical and mental health. Be More Like Your Dog. Goals and challenges. More writing and more photos for the love of photos. Maybe a written book. And maybe a dumb YouTube channel. For now, I’m selling some photo prints to help pay for rent and stuff (taxes). Some new, some old, and as always there are a bunch of discounted things in my store.
With love,
Andrew, Yaya, & Boo
All of these photos are available in my print sale, on for a short time only. $10 from every print sold will go toward helping Sulala Animal Rescue, helping pets in Gaza.
I think you are a wonderful photographer and your writing is getting better all the time!
“ Maybe thirst for fame will soon look like cigarettes”. We should all be so lucky. ❤️🙏🏻