First and foremost…

If you’re looking around the site, you’ll probably notice that there’s a lot of commercial and portrait work here made for former clients. While I do take on some paid work from time to time based on the project, I have closed my photography business in order to pursue a different path. I am no longer in the business of photography. That’s why you won’t see any pricing or information about hiring here on this page. If you do have a project that you think I might be interested in, please feel free to contact me about it.

Otherwise, I hope you simply enjoy my personal blog and the art I consider my passion not my profession.

Some more about Andy Armstrong…

I am a native Knoxvillian. I’ve lived here all of my life, and have no plans to leave any time soon. I enjoy the instant gratification of photography. I love knowing what I want and being able to capture it through the lens of the camera. My main goal in shooting photos is to capture a moment – to show someone else the beauty that I saw. It is so gratifying to show someone how beautiful they really are – whether that be in their interaction with their children or simply sitting for a portrait. Rarely do we get a glimpse of our lives from the outside. That’s what I’ve always striven to do with my photographs – slow life down just enough that we capture a moment of it forever. While I am not in the business of photography, I occasionally take on projects. If you have one that you think might interest me, please don’t hesitate to use the contact form on this site.

– Andy Armstrong – artist and photographer

My thoughts about my Work

“I am not a traditional portrait photographer. I don’t believe that portraits have to be shot in the studio with Rembrandt lighting and a blue mottled background. I don’t believe that every subject needs to stare at the camera with a big smile. I don’t believe that multiple subjects have to be balanced in triangle formation, and I don’t believe that everyone needs to wear perfectly coordinated outfits. In fact, I believe that there is only one “have to” in making portrait images: The portrait must convey a sense of the subject’s real personality and humanity. That’s all.”

“I am not a purist.  I don’t believe that an image has to be finished straight out of the camera. I don’t believe that film is the only true photographic medium.  I don’t believe that a digitally retouched or rendered image is somehow less than a photograph, and I don’t believe that there is any one specific way to make a photographic image.  I believe that a photographic image is finished when the photographer says it’s finished, regardless of whether finished is straight from the camera or after hours and hours of digital work. I believe the finished image is more important than the method used to finish it, and I believe that the art of photography is not bound by traditional methods, because it is, in fact, an art and should be treated as such.”

“I believe that every photographer has a unique perspective, and that unique perspective biases the photographer’s work. I believe that a photographer’s unique perspective is important and should be embraced, because it is that unique perspective and bias that will serve as the foundation for a photographer’s style. I believe that a style is something that must be discovered and nurtured. It is not borrowed or adopted. It can’t be copied or faked. I believe that style is inherent to the photographer, and once discovered and properly nurtured, it will be the one thing that sets us apart.”

– Andy Armstrong, Photographer and Artist

A little more about Andy

Andy Armstrong is a 12-time international award-winning Master photographer who makes his home in Knoxville, Tennessee.  He has received an Accolade of Outstanding Photographic Achievement from the Wedding and Portrait Photographers International Association (WPPI). In 2011, Andy Armstrong’s print, “He promised he would change” was awarded International Commercial Image of the Year at the WPPI Convention in Las Vegas.

 Award Winning Images