Because your family doesn't live life in front of a blue mottled background.

Few things are as precious as the family portrait. In fact, most people say that if they had only a few minutes to gather belongings from their homes before an imenent disaster, they would grab their family photos. Why? These are precious moments of our lives saved forever on a piece of photo paper - a glimpse of who we were and how we became who we are.

Let me be blunt for a moment. I am not a fan of the department store portrait. You know the kind. The ones where we put on our Sunday best and our fake smiles, and someone with the same training as the person who might sell you a tie in another department snaps a photo in front of a mottled blue background.

While they are an accurate account of what we looked like in that year, these photos tell us nothing about the people in them. They show no interaction, and they never show the real us.


You don't live your life in front of a blue mottled background.
Why remember it that way?

What makes a family is the interaction between family members in a setting that is comfortable to them. How a toddler takes his mother's hand. How a daughter snuggles into her Daddy's neck when she's feeling shy. That's who we are, and that's exactly what I want to capture when I shoot family portraits: Your family the way it really is.

If you're looking for a standard family portrait that you might get at one of those photo factories in the yellow pages, then I'm probably not the photographer for you. If you're looking for someone to tell the story of your family's life through photographs - if you're looking for more than a standard family portrait - if you're looking for a timeless piece that hangs in your home and is the starter of conversation, a source of joy, and brings a twinge of longing to go back to that time in your family's history - then I'm here to capture that for you.

Wedding and Portrait Photographers International (WPPI) recognizes my work!

WPPI held it's annual convention in Las Vegas, Nevada last week. Besides the excellent trade show and wonderful classes, WPPI held their annual 16x20 print competition, and photographers from arround the world, including Andy Armstrong submitted prints for competition.

Prints that received Accolades of Excellence were hung in show at the convention in Las Vegas. I am pleased to tell you that WPPI gave three of the four prints Accolades of Excellence and three photos got to hang in show at the convention.

Here are the three prints that received awards:

"Dominion"

"Don't Tell Me" - Third Place Overall - Premier Category

"TVMA"

Knoxville Tennessee Photographer Andy Armstrong - Glamour, Fashion, Portrait, Wedding and Commercial Samples

Andy Armstrong is an international portrait photographer based in Knoxville, Tennessee. He specializes in portraiture, but also covers event photography, wedding photography, commercial photography, fashion photography, glamour photography, and family portrait photography. His style is mainly photojournalism, and he believes that his photojournalistic style is the key to good storytelling in his work. Andy Armstrong Photography is based in Knoxville, TN, but also serves, Maryville, Oak Ridge, Gatlinburg, Pigeon Forge, and surrounding Tennessee counties. He has covered weddings and events nationally and internationally, including, Boston, Denver, and as far north as Canada.

Knoxville TN Photographer Family and Senior Portrait Sampler at GoFish

Knoxville TN Photographer Wedding Photo Sampler at GoFish

Knoxville TN Photographer Glamour, Boudoir, and Fashion Sampler at GoFish

Knoxville TN Photographer Wedding Photographs Sampler at MySpace TV

Knoxville TN Photographer Family and Senior Portrait Samples at MySpace TV