Who is Andy Smith?

Question: Who’s the person behind the project?

Who is this crazy guy committed to a 10,000 hour photography project?  Remember, 10,000 hours is 5 years of the standard 2,000 hour working year.  However, most people have their days disrupted by pointless meetings, travel, and other often important but unproductive activity.  So the number of hours of deliberate practice that support their skill development is generally much less than 2,000 per year.

My Background

Up to and as of Hour Zero – 1^st November 2017

I have no formal arts training.  Quite the contrary, at school and university, maths was my thing.  My only thing.  I taught myself computer programming and talked my way into my first job doing clever tech stuff.  So, I’ve spent the first half of my life* first as a techie, then sales, marketing and business management.

Now I want a new challenge in a new direction.

Like most people my time is limited as I have a job which is my first priority and demands the majority of my attention.  That said, I have some flexibility and control over my time, and I want to use this to develop a skill that I love but for which I have no innate ability.  (More see: “Photography – Style, Philosophy and Aspirations.“)

I have been taking photography seriously, as a hobby, for about 4 or 5 years.  I have acceptable left-brain skills of camera handling, following the basic rules of composition, and am a black-belt at photoshop (although first dan only, as I am continuing to realise).  My technically competent photos sometimes win competitions at my local camera club (SPPC), but I want to do more. See my “Competition Strategy” post.

In my opinion my best images can be found in this folder.  I say “my opinion” as all of these photos were entered into competitions – some did well, others notably less so.

Personal Life

I am grateful for a happy life: I have a wonderful wife who is a capable yet determinedly unwilling photographic assistant, and a lovely dog who’s a willing companion despite knowing that a walk with a tripod is going to be slow with no games, and tripod + filters = misery.

I’m also lucky enough to have the time, health and resources to do this type of project.  For more see: “Other than Photography.“

Update

As of mid-2018, I have have fewer work commitments and can devote the majority of my time to this project.  We have also finished the 2017/18 season at SPPC where this year, despite competing as vigorously as ever, I won absolutely nothing.  In fact, I came third in the Advanced Photographer of the Year; being absolutely trounced by Ken Grant who didn’t even enter the first three competitions of the year.

Notwithstanding the empty trophy cabinet, 8 months into the project, I feel that my skills are improving and I’m making better images.  See: “The First 1,000 Hours – Review at 10%.”

* I am over 50 but have good genetics and an irrepressibly optimistic personality!

Reference: This project and particularly this blog is not about equipment, but you might be interested to know that I shoot Sony, and this is My Kit.