“The Sony World Photography Awards really kick-started my career” - an interview with Andrew Scriven
Humpback Whale in Antarctica © Andrew Scriven
No, that isn’t a painting or a drawing that you can see above. Believe it or not, that’s a photograph of a humpback whale taken by Andrew Scriven on an Antarctic boating trip back in 2010. At the time he was nothing more than a budding photographer on an adventure.
“I went on a journey around the world for 12 months with a big backpack and my camera,” Andrew tells me as we discuss where his career as a professional photographer began. Before this he was working in finance, but quickly discovered that it wasn’t for him. “I quit my career in the city and wanted to follow my passion of photography and travel.”
Unsurprisingly, the photograph started getting noticed online and elsewhere, and before Andrew knew it he was being recognised for his work on an international level.
© Andrew Scriven
“That shot was a finalist in the 2010 National Geographic International Photographer contest, and it gave me the confidence to pursue photography as a profession.” On the World Photography Organisation website, Andrew describes taking the photo as “one of the most magical moments of my life”.
This success encouraged him to continue seeking out adventure armed with little more than his camera and a backpack, travelling to dangerous, remote parts of the world and potentially putting his life on the line just to get that perfect shot. He’s been up close and personal with polar bears in Svalbard (see below) and lions in Tanzania, and faced the challenge of shooting at extremely high altitudes in Nepal.
"There's definitely an element of adventure associated with my photography that goes hand-in-hand with the pictures,” he tells me. “I walk and spend a lot of time on my own in these places. I wouldn't say that I was particularly a daredevil, but I do appreciate the sense of adventure."
Andrew might not have had the opportunity to visit many of these locations had he not entered the Sony World Photography Awards back in 2011. The photos from his Antarctic boating trip earned him a coveted finalist spot at the awards, and from that point on his profile began to rise rapidly.
Svalbard © Andrew Scriven, Shot on Sony α99 camera
“SWPA really kick-started my career. I got to the final of the National Geographic award and I sort of hoped that would kick-start something but it didn't really - it just fizzled away.
“But with SWPA, there was so much press around it. The World Photography Organisation got in touch with me and I started interviewing for blogs, and then Sony asked me to get involved with a commercial shoot...all of this really built up my confidence.”
This is something Andrew mentions often during our chat together - the importance of being as confident as possible.
"A lot of photography comes down to confidence - the confidence to be judged, to print [your photos], to put them out on a website, to share them - and I think a big reason for entering these competitions is that once you do get the recognition, it encourages you to take the next step.
“I think the best thing is now that I have the confidence and audience for my pictures, I can choose a location that I want to go to and I can be confident that the pictures will be seen and enjoyed.”
Taken from the top of the peak outside Longyearbyen © Andrew Scriven, Shot on Sony α7r camera
Andrew’s success since 2010 is a prime example of how if you’re passionate and motivated enough, you can end up turning your hobby into a career. Thanks to that one fantastic photo of a humpback whale, Andrew has been able to travel the world, do what he loves and get paid for it at the same time. But has he noticed a change in the way he works and thinks since becoming a professional?
"What photography meant when I started and what it means now is a bit different. It slows you down to think about and appreciate the environment around you and to actually look and observe rather than just unconsciously walking past it. It makes you more conscious of your surroundings.”
But Andrew’s pictures capture so much more than his surroundings. They capture moods and emotions, almost tangibly. Take a look at the image above and you can almost feel the bitter chill of the Antarctic climate - it makes you shiver for a split second.
As we wrap things up, I ask Andrew what photography means to him: "Photography is a creative expression of how I'm feeling. It's the fact that I can share these pictures and actually express what I was thinking and how I was feeling at the time.”
