Andrew Howe - Photographer

IT WAS Chester’s Cathedral that inspired Andrew Howe to start taking pictures.

The Cheshire West and Chester Council technical officer has been interested in photography for as long as he can remember but has only recently taken it seriously.

“One of his earliest memory’s is my grandfather showing me photographs he had taken of pre war London in the 1930s, all bowler hats and big cars with running boards,” said Andrew from Chester.

“My very own first camera was a small Kodak Instamatic, that I had for my birthday, I must have been six or seven, I loved it, could not believe this small little plastic box could actually take a photograph!

“My mum took me to Chester Cathedral about this time, undertaking a project for school, we went into Chester, complete with camera and notebook, the shots I took that day came out ok as I remember and I got top marks for my project too! But what I can really vividly remember is the great big Cathedral, with its vaulted roof, cloisters, tower, choir stalls, and most of all the amazing colour, light and reflections, it was awe inspiring.”

He added: “I guess I have had a few film camera’s (I guess I grew out of the Instamatic), and had a general interest in photography as I got older. I studied graphics at college and university and was let loose with a Nikon SLR Camera, and remember developing my own arty black and white shots with Ilford FP4 film, and slowly swishing the development fluid back and forth, watching the image I had painstakingly created gradually emerge on the photo paper.

“I have only taken photography really seriously in the last couple of years, and finally about 18 months ago, took a deep breath, and brought my first Cannon Digital SLR, the days of the agonising wait in the darkroom were over, digital concession to the modern age and all that, however my own journey had only just started.

“It takes quite a while to find your feet, develop your own personal style, and basically see the world through your own very eyes in photographic form. I am mainly - though not exclusively - interested in architectural and city shots. I live the shapes and patterns building make, but also love abstract and black and white work. A lot of my work involves photo fusion and HDR, though I like to only use this to enhance detail and in very subtle and subdued form, so not to distract too much from the image itself, and any post production in Photoshop, though I am a firm believer in a photographer takes a good image, not a camera.

“My favourite places to take shots so far are Liverpool, and Madrid, and hoping to visit Valencia this year, I think Spain is one of my favourite places, and I guess I better start shooting in Chester after all this time! Maybe I should go back the Cathedral, where it all started for me. I’m sure it hasn’t changed a bit, still awe inspiring.”

For more information or to see more of Andrew’s work, visit his website http://andrewhowe.500px.com/#/0