FilmNeverDie Shooters - An interview with Andrew Brown

So, where do you come from & what do you do for a living?

My name is Andrew and I currently live in Melbourne and am working as a psychiatric nurse in the public health system. Although it is a challenging area to work in, it is also rewarding.

I grew up in the northern suburbs of Melbourne and did all my schooling here. After finishing year 12 I decided to study National Park Management at The Queensland Agricultural College. I was then lucky enough to live and work in western and northern Queensland, Arnhem Land Aboriginal Reserve and Tasmania.

I am currently studying part-time at the Photography Studies College.

How old are you?

I am 48 years young.

How did you become inspired to shoot on film?

I remember back to when I had a kodak instamatic and the anticipation of receiving the prints from the developer. It is a feeling that can be shared with friends and family when gathering to see what magic unfolded from the combination of the photographer and the camera.

Traveling through Europe I was able to see great art works using instant analogue photography and in particular polaroid cameras. This set me on the path to using the format as a way to develop my art.

What format do you shoot? 35mm, Polaroid, 8 x 10 etc

I shoot 35mm in mainly B & W using a Pentax MX.
I also use a Polaroid SX-70 and have even developed and presented folios at college using this camera.

And I have a Polaroid 210. I am also currently photographing with a Leica M3 a friend has loaned me.

I obviously have various digital cameras that I primarily use for college. However I like the form factor of the Fujifilm x100s because it reminds me so much of old rangefinder cameras.

Why do you like this format?

Shooting with film forces me to take my time and think about the image I’m trying to capture. I sometimes find that when I shoot digitally that I take many shots in the hope of getting one good one which to me is not that much fun. When I do my street photography I like to take my time and people watch.

I also like the fact that the developed prints are readily accessible and unlike digital images don’t sit on a hard drive somewhere never to be viewed again.

Where do you see the future of analogue photography?

The future of analogue photography is bright. Far too often these days you see many images that are over sharpened in photoshop being presented at photography competitions and on the internet. I believe people are once again falling in love with images that evoke a feeling of yesteryear due to imperfections or the presence of grain. The greater dynamic range of some analogue cameras also allows for better contrast and colour images than a lot of the digital images people view today.

Analogue photography has a future that is enhanced with the presence of Gary and his team at Filmneverdie.

Where can we find out more about your work?

www.browniesphotography.com.au
www.andrewbrown.zenfolio.com