Today we’d like to introduce you to Andreas Branch.
Hi Andreas, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
My photography journey began long before I even thought about it as a career. My grandfather was Chief of Photographic services at the Smithsonian Institute in Washington D.C. I recall being in the darkroom with him at five years old and him showing me how to print a photograph. It was a photo of Chief Sitting Bull. At 17, I asked him for a camera and he flatly said, “Grandson, you don’t want to do this”. That was the last I thought of photography. But little did he know that he planted the seed.
In my second year of college, he passed away and after a bit of soul searching, I decided to change my major. But to what I had no idea? Talking with a friend one night he asked what things I was into? “I like to look at photographs and write.” I told him. I found photojournalism in the school catalog and switched my major. I’d never taken any photos whatsoever mind you. The first time I developed a photo, I was transported back to that dark room with my grandfather. Chemical smells and all! I always joke and say that he left it for me. I lived next door to a punk club in Norfolk, Va and that’s pretty much where I honed my craft.
After several moves after college, I landed in Philadelphia. I got fired from my job in VA and only had a little over $100 to my name. I bought a one-way train ticket to Philly and only had $63, two cameras, and a duffle bag when I arrived. In a strange omen, I met the top photojournalist on the train in Baltimore the day I moved to Philly. His name was M’Pozi Tolbert. (RIP) My best friend from college got me a job at the shoe store he was working at on South Street which gave me a direct line into the buzz of the city. One freezing evening, two young ladies came into the store. One happened to be the tour manager of The Roots. Five days later, I was in a van on the way to NYC Wetlands with the Roots, Jaguar Wright, 3 7000 9, The Jazzyfatnastees, Ben Kenney (now with Incubus) and others. Thus began my period as a music photographer.
Eventually, I was called to do some portraits of a young up and coming artist. We shot right in my living room and some in the streets of Philly. I could tell that he had the “it” factor. His name was John Stephens. I ended up working with him quite a bit. He eventually got signed and changed his name to John Legend. That led to working with major record labels. When my tour of Philly ended, I moved to the Bay area to be with my then girlfriend. The Bay wasn’t the East Coast by any means. However, I had a good time and gained a huge amount of family there, some gallery shows and a presence.
16 years ago after my Mom transitioned, yet again I was faced with another soul-searching moment. I decided to come to LA only knowing a couple of friends from college. I ended up working for the esteemed Patrick McMullan Company for nine years. It was a good time! Getting to photograph and meet many of the actors, music and fashion icons I’d always seen. Eventually I transitioned to Variety and Shutterstock where I am on currently on their freelance roster.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
It has not been a smooth road by any means. I’ve faced blatant racism which really deterred me early on but I pressed on. Honestly, my obstacles most times were financial. There were times where I had to choose between film or food. Many days of pretzels and water back Philly but it was worth it! VoyageLA just did a feature on my friend Chef Yasmina Ksikis. I knew her at a coffee shop in Philly and she’d often give me money for film so I could get assignments done so I could eat and pay my rent. I am very grateful for my family, friends and colleagues that have come through to help in those rough times.
There are situations where I would say that life handed me a raw deal, yet I am old enough to take responsibility for the challenges that came with my decisions. With each decision came benchmarks and learning experiences that what most would consider obstacles were really opportunities for growth.
One big challenge was transitioning from film to digital age. I hated digital photography for years. I hated what it did to the industry. It leveled the playing field. Anyone could be a photographer or rather a “picture taker”, whereas I actually have a degree in it. I couldn’t see the world the way I had seen the world with film cameras. I hated the over digitized landscape of photography and almost quit being a photographer. I had a lunch with a colleague who changed the game for me in that aspect by introducing me to technologies and camera settings that saved me. Also, technology began to catch up to how I traditionally saw things. And now we are back to shooting film for magazines!
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
At the core I am a street photographer that loves portraiture. My work, I like to think exists at the intersection of where edge and beauty meet. No matter what I shoot there’s always an element of grit to it. A friend and mentor, who knew me in college, says that my eye was developed from bad chemicals in the darkroom. One of the professors used to tell his students to pour developer back in into the tank. Which after I realized my films were coming out underdeveloped among other things, I would add extra contrast to the prints which is still and element in my work to this day. Eventually, I went and had some words with him though. Lol!
Whether on the streets or shooting portraits, I always try to capture the soul of my subjects. My work can be described as very raw and very honest. Pretty much an extension of me.
I’d have to say one of the highlights of my career was getting a call from Vanity Fair to go and photograph O.J. Simpson. It was one of those “non-typical jobs” in which that technology I so hated once came to the rescue. We’ll just leave it at that!
Thank you Voyage LA for the opportunity! I am honored
Contact Info:
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: www.andreasbranch.com
- Instagram: @andreasbranchphotography
- Twitter: @fotomanLA
Image Credits:
©andreasbranchphotography Personal Photo of me with camera: @angelatorresphotography
