We are excited to bring you yet another exciting conversation with a very creative and talented photographer. We are privileged to have Andrew as part of the ViewBug community and are excited to share this conversation with all of you. You can follow Andrew's work and view his profile on ViewBug.
Hi Andrew! Tell us a bit about yourself and how do you describe your photography style?
Andrew: My name is Andrew Holtz and my photography studio is located in the beautiful up and coming artist community of Asbury Park, NJ.
I went to Fordham University in NYC and graduated with a degree in Public Accounting. After college, I began a job at a large Manhattan accounting firm and quickly realized it wasn't for me. At the time my true passion was music, so I quit my job and embarked on an 8 year music career, recording several albums and touring the country. As an independent musician I needed to double my duties as manager, promoter and graphic artist so I began learning photoshop so I could design album covers and retouch photos. I picked it up pretty quickly and before I knew it I was doing the same work for other bands and artists.
When did you start taking photos and what inspired you to get started?
Andrew: After working with many photographers where I was in front of the camera and then spending so much time on the post production side of photography I finally decided to purchase my own camera and start taking pictures. That was about 3 years ago. I jumped right in and haven't looked back since! It's been a blessing to have my own studio only a year and a half after taking my first picture but I knew it was what I wanted to do. Of course I have an amazing wife that believes in me which certainly makes things easier during the more difficult times, but I haven't been afraid to take chances on myself.
Do you have any influencers?
Andrew: Being so new to photography I haven't really explored the work of others enough to claim an influence but I really enjoy the work of Alexia Sinclair, especially her "Frozen Tale" series. The victorian styling and locations are so dramatic and the way she makes her lighting look so natural is just amazing.
Do you have a favorite photo shoot and why would you consider it a favorite?
Andrew: Favorite shoot, hmmmm….Joshua Allen (Winner of "So You Think You Can Dance") in a freight elevator of the Golden Nugget Hotel in Atlantic City. Josh is so athletic and explosive. It was unreal to watch him jump and flip and break dance on this elevator. I'm about 6'1" and he was literally flipping over my head. Craziness!
That's an awesome photo! Do you remember a difficult photo shoot session? What happened?
Andrew: Difficult shoots usually turn out to be the best. I think one of the most important characteristics of a good photographer is being able to adapt to change when things change on a shoot. We had been planning this shoot for weeks at this park in NJ. Wardrobe…check, location…check, hair and makeup…check…almost.
Here comes the day of the shoot and our hair and makeup girl was over an hour late. It ended up taking twice as long to actually do the hair and makeup and by the time we got on location the park had decided to close early for the day. THE WORST!!! Luckily, when my assistant and I scouted the location we noticed another spot across the street that wasn't gated up. Technically it was still part of the park and we weren't supposed to be there so I parked my car on the side of the road with hazard lights on, my assistant, model and myself jumped out of my still running car and spent 15 minutes shooting on the side of the road! There was no time to get flustered, we just rolled with it and ultimately got some amazing shots!
Thats a great story! What do you carry in your camera bag?
A camera.
kidding kidding. My go to kit for portrait work includes, in no particular order…
Canon 5D mk3
Canon 85mm f/1.2 L
Canon 50mm f/1.2 L
Profoto B1 with a 3ft Octa and beauty dish
When I'm shooting landscapes I have a Canon 17-40mm f/4, a full set of Lee filters, and a Really Right Stuff tripod and ball head.
What are you currently working on right now?
Andrew: I actually just finished an amazing calendar with 12 professional dancers from NY and LA for charity. It's for the Dancers Care Foundation and 100% of the calendar proceeds go straight to cancer research. My wife is a ballet dancer so I end up shooting a lot of dance and when this opportunity came up I had to take it. And I actually learned some pretty sweet dance moves.
Can you share a couple of tips with your fellow photographers?
Andrew: Ok fellow photographers, are you ready for some tips?!?
1. Be absolutely fearless!
2. Make mistakes and love yourself for it!
3. Take your lens cap off and keep shooting!
