Budding Photographer Interview - Andrea Cobler aka Andie182

I've been watching Adrea's photostream for quite a while now. Her photography has improved greatly as she has progressed through the NYIP course. Her photos are fantastic. Everything from her horse photographs to her monkey photographs to her people shots. Such nice work.

Photographer name: Andrea Cobler aka Andie182.

1 ) How long have you been interested in photography?

I've been interested in photography since I was a kid. I always asked for a new camera for Christmas and loved taking pictures- mostly snapshots of horses. I love old photographs. I think the thing that I find so incredible about photography is the fact that with the push of a button, you can freeze a moment in time.

2 ) What got you started in photography?

That whole thing about freezing time. I love history and to be able to record it in such a beautiful and incredible way, to me, is amazing. In my "real" job I often enter the homes of people who are elderly and infirmed. It's easy to start thinking about them as just another 911 call, but then I notice their photographs on the walls and realize that here is this living, breathing person who was once a kid or a mom or someone's beloved wife and it makes you really respect their lives. I think that photography is a powerful tool and I hope that my pictures will someday influence others.

3 ) Do you have any photographers who's work you admire?

I love Annie Griffiths Belt and David Stocklein. I love both of these photographer's styles- the emotion that they capture, how they use light to set a mood- both are incredible photographers.

4 ) What inspires you to make photographs?

I think I love the emotion of the moment. My favorite photo's are ones in which I have captured a special bond- between 2 people, a person and a pet; I love photographing people and their horses. I am also really coming to love the effects of light since taking the NYIP course and really looking at lighting and how it can enhance a subject and set the mood of a photograph.

5 ) Do you have a specific style that you like to shoot? Such as portraits, fine art, photojournalism etc.

I think my favorites are portraits. But not necessarily formal, posed portraits. I like to really interact with my subjects when I am shooting them and get candid- what I call "semi-posed" portraits. I really strive to capture personalities

6 ) What is your favorite photographic subject?

I have been horse-crazy since I was a kid!!! I grew up riding American Quarter Horses and they are my favorite subjects. Especially when I can capture the bond between a horse and it's person. I really love those shots!!

7 ) What gear do you shoot with?

I'm pretty simple right now. I have an Olympus E-300, a 14-45mm f/3.5 lens and a 45-150 f/3.5 lens. I currently have an Olympus FL36 flash that I recently dropped and broke so I am looking at getting a new FL50. I would also like to buy the new Olympus E3 body and a 50mm f/2.0 prime lens. Time to upgrade!!! Alot of my shots are outdoors and natural light but for studio stuff I have 3 Impact hot lights with umbrellas, a set of barn doors and a few backgrounds that I like to shoot against. My favorite in-studio shots are high or low key so I mostly shoot against black or white.

8 ) What is your favorite lens?

I mostly shoot in telephoto. My 45-150mm is usually atached to my camera. I love to bring the subject in close and throw the background out of focus. Also when shooting horses, you have to shoot in telephoto if you don't want the horse to look like a cartoon character.

9 ) Do you shoot in Aperture Priority, Shutter Priority or Manual?

I'm usually in aperture priority- again, I love that shallow DOF. When I am shooting action shots I do switch to shutter priority- usually very fast speeds, so it also opens the aperture up and I still get that shallow DOF. I recently spent a weekend camping and boating with my family and my son and nephews were learning to wakeboard. They love for me to get good action shots of them (I am their official "My Space Profile Pix" photographer) and I decided to spend the whole weekend shooting in Manual. It really helped me understand how my camera controls light.

10 ) Where do you see your photography in 10 years?

In 10 years I will be able to retire from the "real job". I hope to attend Rocky Mountain School of Photography's proffessional course prior to that and then I really want to get my photography going. I don't worry about making a fortune with it but I want to be a respected photographer in my area. I see it as a way to do some things I love, meet new people and enjoy the next phase of my life.

11 ) Do you have a tip for our readers?

I hear alot of people complain about how "outdated" NYIP is because they still cover alot of material on film photography. I would say relax and learn all you can from this course. I think that understanding film photography and techniques makes you a better photographer. It gives a better understanding of what is needed to get a particular shot. The photographers of the past couldn't immediately view their work and make adjustments and re-shoot. They had to know their craft and be able to think and adjust according to the conditions. That was my goal when starting this NYIP course. I wanted to be able to create great photo's not just accidentally get one from time to time. I think that NYIP has helped me realize this goal and I think a big part of that was learning the basics.

12 )Do you have a favorite photo of yours that you would like to share with us?

I have lots of favorites!!!! I think that currently this is my favorite:

I love it because we just sold our house and property and bought a new house in a subdivision. I have been looking forward to living in town now that my kids are grown and boarding my horses but when we were looking at the new house I realized that I couldn't easily see the sunset. I also knew that while I would enjoy having someone else clean stalls and do all the other dirty work for my horses, I would miss just being able to walk out the front door and see them. So our last week at the old place I wandered outside to capture the esscence of the lovely golden evening light and the horses and the dogs. I saw my filly running and knew she would be between me and the setting sun and so I quickly got ready and took the shot! I couldn't have asked for a better photo to remember our home by! I had this shot enlarged and printed as a 24x36, framed it and it now hangs on my bedroom wall. Every morning when I wake up I am greeted by my horse and that beautiful golden light that I didn't want to forget.

Wow, that's a great photo for sure. Great information here Andrea. Thank you very much.

I recommend that everyone have a look at Adrea's photostream. She has some really nice work there.

Chris.