51 Blake Andrews Finding Your Visual Voice in Street Photography
1 hr 6 min
This conversation with photographer and writer Blake Andrews explores a photographic life shaped by curiosity, independence and a willingness to embrace uncertainty. Beginning with a single photography class in Portland in 1993, Blake reflects on how photography gradually overtook his creative life over the following years, becoming less a hobby and more a way of moving through the world. What started as an interest evolved into a lifelong practice that has now accompanied him for more than three decades. Throughout the discussion, Blake traces the evolution of his visual approach. His early photographs were heavily influenced by formal composition, geometry and photographers such as Lee Friedlander, with images carefully constructed like intricate visual puzzles. Over time, however, he found himself drawn towards a looser, more intuitive way of working. Today, he is increasingly interested in accidents, ambiguity and photographs that resist immediate explanation. Rather than seeking resolution, Blake looks for images that leave viewers with questions and encourage repeated viewing. Tim Bingham and Blake also discuss the changing landscape of photography, particularly the contrast between developing as a photographer in the pre-social media era and today's image-saturated environment. Blake explains how books, libraries and personal experimentation shaped his education, allowing him to develop a photographic language free from the influence of online trends. While acknowledging the benefits of social media, he expresses concern that platforms such as Instagram can encourage visual conformity, making it harder for emerging photographers to find an authentic voice. His advice is simple but challenging: pay attention to your own instincts and ways of seeing rather than chasing popular aesthetics. The conversation offers a detailed insight into Blake's analogue working process. Shooting exclusively on film, he develops negatives at home before producing proof s...