Andy Prickett: Patch freelance photographer

About Andy

Email: ajprickett72@gmail.com
Phone: 630-400-1774
Hometown: Elgin, Il.
Birthday: October 17

                  I’ve lived in Elgin almost all of my life and now live in South Elgin. I grew up west of Randall road in the late 70’s and 80’s in what was considered un-incorporated, rural Elgin which is one of the reasons I like Huntley so much.

  My parents, especially my dad were always buying me cameras when I was a kid. My grandfather, and great-grandfather were both excellent  amature photographers. 
My dad is also an active photographer.  In high school I took photography and learned how to develop film and use the dark room.  A couple years ago I got back into film photography and started to develop my own black and white film at home. That has led to an obsession with vintage cameras and lenses which is what I use when I’m not shooting for Patch. I have a soft spot for Americana and rural settings including farms and barns which I shoot a lot of.  I also love shooting love bands and architecture, anything from old building to cityscapes. I’ve recently started shooting kids portraits as I love working with kids.  Really I just love shooting anything with great light which is what photography is all about to me.  

I recently read a quote in a book from Bill Brandt, one of my favorite photographers that photographed Paris and London in the 30’s and beyond, and it is my philosophy on photography.

"The photographer must first have seen his subject, or some aspect of his subject as something transcending the ordinary. It is part of the photographer's job to see more intensely than most people do. He must have and keep in him something of the receptiveness of the child who looks at the world for the first time or the traveller who enters a strange country.... they carried with them a sense of wonder...

I believe this power of seeing the world as fresh and strange lies hidden in every human being. In most of us it is dormant. Yet it is there, even if it is no more that a vague desire, an unsatisfied appetite that cannot discover its own nourishment......We are too busy , too worried, too intent on proving ourselves right, too obsessed with ideas, to stand and stare. We look at a thing and believe we have seen it. And yet what we see is often what our prejudices tell us to expect to see, or what our past experiences tell us should be seen, or what our desires want to see. Very rarely are we able to free our minds of thoughts and emotions and just see for the simple pleasure of seeing. And so long as we fail to do this, so long will the essence of things be hidden from us."

Bill Brandt ~ Photographer

"In my opinion these words contain the truest and most beautiful ideas in the whole literature of photography."

Bill Jay on the above words of Bill Brandt

I have been shooting for Patch as a freelancer since November of 2010 and have loved it. It has been a learning experience for me and I have already grown so much and have gotten to know many of the people of Huntley. Being a photographer, I often find myself with so many extra shots that I would like to share with the readers but can’t always post all of them due to space. I also don’t get a chance to share my personal thoughts about some of my experiences while on assignment. I’m excited about this blog for both of those reasons. I get to post all the “outtakes” and share my thought with you.

Please feel free to check out my flickr page that has a lot of my personal photography at: www.flickr.com/photos/andrewprickett