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From the Great Outdoors to the Chapel:
Andrew Chapman
By Linda L. May
"For the past 15 years photography has been a powerful force in my life, says Andrew
Chapman of Boulder, CO. "I absolutely love it! It is my art. Until recently, I concentrated
on outdoor/adventure related film and still work. Currently, weddings and portrait photography
have captured my interest. Combining a fashion/documentary approach to shooting, I found a
style that not only suits me as an artist, but also brings a fresh perspective to my
images."
When it comes to photography, Andrew is no one-trick-pony. He shoots a variety of subjects,
from outdoor travel and trade shows to weddings and portraits--plus video and film for the
television industry. Being well rounded is the key to his success.
"I like to mix it up in what and how I shoot," he says. "It keeps me from falling into a
rut or sticking to one particular shooting style. I'll shoot a trade show for four days,
then head up into the mountains on a climbing expedition for an outdoor travel job for a
month, and come home for a few days and do some Photoshop work, and then fly to some exotic
destination, like Italy or the Caribbean, for a big three-day wedding event. I learn from
everything I shoot and transfer my knowledge into all my different jobs. I think it's
really important to experiment and employ different shooting techniques. My work never gets
stale, that's for sure!"
Background/History
Art has been a part of Andrew's life for as long as he can remember. Growing up in Evanston,
IL (a suburb of Chicago), he remembers both of his parents being very supportive of the arts.
His mother, Jane, started a local art gallery and was president of the Evanston Art Center.
"I was always making art as a kid," Andrew recalls. "We had a wheel and kiln in our basement
for playing with clay. I also drew a lot and built things out of wood. So when I had the
opportunity to take a photography class in high school, I jumped at the chance, and I loved
it! But it was just another creative outlet for me."
While earning his degree in history at Wittenberg University in Springfield, OH, he still
dabbled in photography--but the notion of making a living at it didn't hit him until years
later, and then quite by happenstance.
"In 1998, I started teaching courses for the National Outdoor Leadership School, one of the
premier outdoor education schools in the country," Andrew says. "I traveled a lot, teaching
rock climbing, mountaineering and skiing. The photo opportunities were incredible! But
I wasn't seriously shooting. I did photography just for the fun of it. However, that same
year, I watched friends of mine picking up cameras and shooting while on climbing
expeditions. They'd go back home and sell their images to their sponsors, get published,
give slide presentations and get paid. That extra cash helped fund their trips and gave
them some cash on the side. That's what prompted me to start shooting again, and I began
carrying a camera on my expeditions too.
"I started looking at outdoor photography more critically, studying techniques, framing,
light and equipment," he continues. "And I marketed my images like that for awhile, but
I never really had a business knack for it. I hated trying to push my work. The outdoor
industry seemed like a tough place to sell photography, which inspired me to really learn
my craft. I absolutely loved coming home from trips to Patagonia and the Himalayas with cool
images to look through and share. I thought to myself, it would be amazing to make a good
living doing this work, but there is no way.
"In 2001, towards the end of my days with NOLS, I had the opportunity to pick up a video
camera, which the school owned, and shoot a self-interview for an adventure race I was
entering that was to be televised. People in the marketing department loved what I
photographed and edited. I was asked to shoot footage for an upcoming promotional video
the company was putting together. Before I knew it, I had shot video on eight courses
I'd worked. I shot mountaineering courses in the Cascades, horse packing in the Wind
Rivers, whitewater courses on the Green River, plus rock climbing, sailing and skiing.
This gave me a great video reel to show, and I had proven I could capture footage in
remote places where others could not. Before long, I was shooting for TV and film. Most
of my work was outdoors and expedition-based. Later, I went to Mali to help shoot some
footage on a North Face Climbing expedition and then to the Teton Mountains to shoot for
Timex and Nokia. I've worked on feature films and all sorts of stuff since, but still
photography was always present on the side. I kept it as my own little personal creative
outlet. I suppose I'm even shy about it," Andrew says.
"Over the past few years, still photography work started trickling in from local Boulder
businesses. I bought a digital camera and slowly moved into that side of the industry.
During that time, I was also doing some Photoshop work for clients and got hired by Peggy
Dyer, a local wedding photographer. I was totally blown away by her work. Before that, I
had sworn I'd never shoot weddings, but Peggy gave me a whole new perspective on it. Her
images were incredible! I couldn't believe you could get such beautiful, creative work at
weddings. Peggy really took me under her wing and gave me the coaching and resources I
needed to develop my skills as a professional photographer. That meant learning the
business, not just the craft. So I checked out other wedding photographers, like Joe
Buissink and John Michael Cooper. Once again, I was blown away by the images they were
making at these weddings and realized that wedding work is cool."
Later, Andrew got his chance to shoot a wedding for a friend of his sister in Chicago,
and the images turned out great. Then he was hired to travel to Italy to shoot another
friend's wedding. After that, his wedding business snowballed through referrals, and the
calls kept coming in. Before he knew it, he was in the wedding photography business, which
slowly expanded to include portraits.
"My whole approach to weddings is different--it's sort of like I shoot my outdoor travel
work," Andrew says. "I like capturing the essence of a place in the best light available.
When clients open their wedding albums, I want them to feel like they're opening a
National Geographic travelogue. I tell the story of where they're getting married,
showing the ambience and the character of the location as much as all the other things you
traditionally shoot at weddings. With the destination weddings, I take a day before or after
the event to shoot the location. That gives me time to catch the right light and scout. I
can take some time to be in a place and really feel it. I want to capture people naturally
in whatever environment they're in. I don't like to pose. I do direct sometimes. It's
pretty easy to coach people in the beautiful locations I have already chosen to shoot
in, even if I only have five minutes to shoot. A lot of times, that's all I need. I'd
rather let the bride and groom spend time with guests during the cocktail hour than to
be tied up shooting formals for an hour. My clients don't want to take a lot of time
for the group shots anyway. Usually, they tell me to just do my thing. My goal is to
create pictures they'll want to hang on their walls as art."
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