This week we go to Sudbury, Ont. to chat with a photographer and his charming dog. Meet @andrewknapp. Here he is in his own words.
Hi! I’m Andrew. Basically, I’ve always gravitated towards the arts, studied graphic design, toyed with photography until it became a career, and work on community-arts projects in my hometown Sudbury via @weliveuphere, a non-profit arts collaborative – we launched a festival this year called Up Fest and it was super fun. I better introduce Momo too – he’s a border collie, he’s 7, and he hides in some pictures and looks handsome as hell in the rest. — @andrewknapp
One of my inspirations is engagement. In my life, good things have come largely due to meeting amazing people and being inspired by their actions. So I feel that connection and interaction is one way that can really move our lives forward in a productive way. Posting an engaging photo means people are engaging, interacting. I like. — @andrewknapp
Do your thing, but I say keep it simple. I like a basic colour palette, straight lines, and solid/plain backgrounds. — @andrewknapp
I started with my dad’s work camera, it was one of the first digital cameras. I think the photo resolution was 480x360. I eventually got my own, and did a photo-a-day project for about three years. I guess I was waiting for a subject to shoot – Momo came along and was so handsome and photogenic – it just all fell into place nicely.
Here’s an early photo I posted on Instagram (border and filter and all) that demonstrates that he’s always been the cutest. — @andrewknapp
I always come back to this one. The colours in Arizona (and the south in general) always make me feel nice inside. Some kind of magic glow that stays with you for life. — @andrewknapp
I try to pull qualities from different artists/photographers. I think this is how we find our will, our passion. We shape ourselves into the people we admire – clearly they resonate with us for a reason. However, it’s nearly impossible to choose a favourite because it’s always changing, though I do have a few that I always come back to.
But here’s a shot of a few dogs on Momo’s birthday. Emily and Theron (owners of these dogs) have been certainly huge inspirations to me. — @andrewknapp
First and foremost, I suppose, I like to connect people. Local is important to me, and so is art, so having been one of the founders of a local non-profit art’s initiative called @weliveuphere is really a blessing for me. It’s grown and has birthed a festival called Up Fest. Through the festival we’ve created murals, brought in installation artists, and shared a ton of new music with some hungry locals. I’m also seeing if there’s demand for an independent creator space in Sudbury. — @andrewknapp
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