Andy Feltham

Torquay, United Kingdom

Please introduce yourself: What is your name, where are you from, what do you do?

Hi, I’m Andy, I live in the south-west of England, in the beautiful seaside resort of Torquay, in Devon. I’m an obsessed photographic artist that has recently taken the plunge into the professional realm after years of moonlighting. I also work a couple of days per week as a Registered Nurse at the local hospital. I feel very priviledged to be able to do all of the above.

What is your relationship with photography? How did you get into it?

Photography is like one of the family. Like any relationship, the more you put in the more you get out. My Wife bought me a posh point and shoot as a wedding present over a decade ago, and it’s fascinating to reflect how that seemingly simple act has indelibly changed the course of my life.

What do you think triggers you to photograph in a certain moment? Is it planned or solely driven by intuition?

The planned bit is almost always the decision to go and photograph a place. Beyond that, each scene that draws me in, does so intuitively. I look for simple triggers; shapes, colours, and, most importantly, the light. Analysis of why I was drawn into taking the picture happens after the event… sometimes months after.

What is the story you want your pictures to tell?

Primarily I want the viewer to feel something when they look at my work. A song sung without feeling doesn’t amount to much, and the same is true in photography.

Which city would you like to visit the most and why?

Until recently I would’ve been able to give you a list as long as my arm… but truly I feel like I would be happy to photograph anywhere in the world, or simply just the street in which I live. It's all around us, we just have to look harder—a hugely valuable lesson I learnt from lockdown.

What is your personal relationship to cities and how do you perceive them as places in general?

A relationship is formed through context, so from the photographic perspective, the built environment is my playground. I tend to think of a city as a place brimming with opportunity for exploration.

A simple curve of concrete or the patina of rust on a fence can be enough to get me skipping with excitement, strange as that may seem to some.

What is the driving force behind creation?

As a child, we learn about the world and ourselves through creative play. I think this is still the case as an adult, provided you place importance on nurturing your creative side. Life, and all the baggage that comes with it, can quickly lead to ‹not having time› for yourself.

This isn’t a good path to go down in my opinion, as there’s a good chance that we then understand ourselves, and the world around us, less as a result. 

Which project did you never finish?

My need to explore derelict buildings is one strand of the ongoing mid-life crisis, and provided the access is easy, I will continue to document abandonments… at very least until the crisis ends.

What is that «one thing» you have never managed to photograph and is now gone for good?

Until earlier this year, I lived in Northampton in the centre of the UK. I reflected recently that the Northampton Bus Station, dubbed The Mouth of Hell, closed shortly after I started my photographic journey—this would be the place I’d want to return to but it was flattened in 2015. It was dark and dingy and in desperate need of a camera to document its final days.

If you could travel back/ forth in time, what advice would you give your younger/ older self?

Younger: be yourself; older: remember to be yourself.

What do you prefer saying: to take a photograph or to make a photograph and why?

I used to be a little bit make / take agnostic, but I now think that I «make» a photograph. For the last couple of years, I been using flash and other artificial light sources, so in that regard it really feels like I’m adding to the creation of the image, not just «taking» whats in front of me.

What is the most interesting experience you have had while photographing?

I am astounded by how much permission I am granted by having the little black box in my hands, even if it is self-administered at times. On one such occasion, I found myself in the control room of a derelict power station in Italy—sincerely a dream come true for me.

If it wasn’t for photography, what would you be interested in doing instead?

There would need to be some form of artistic outlet, a rabbit hole to get lost down. However, I can’t conceive a life without photography.

How would you describe one of your pictures to a blind person?

An attempt to convey the visceral impact of magic in the mundane.

What are you currently working on, and—if there is—what is your next project/ journey?

My latest series Otherworlds, is an exploration of the feeling of awe and, simultaneously, our own insignificance as we gaze at «big scenery» such as the Milky Way.

I use artificial lights and extended shutter speeds to create a world that isn’t visible to the human eye. It’s a real buzz to review the resulting image in the viewfinder as it’s the first time this «world» has been revealed.

Thank you, Andy!

Editorial Notes:

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Photography: Andy Feltham (2019)
Location: Torquay, United Kingdom

Links: Website, Instagram, Blog

Torquay, United Kingdom

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