6 Years! Wow... - Andy Harris

It is 6 years today (1 Oct 2012) that the studio (JFYP Studio) officially opened it’s doors…! Wow, doesn’t time fly when you are having fun! And yes, I think for almost all those 6 years it has been just that – good fun. On opening the studio I had no great ambitions to make a fortune (which is good, I haven’t!). I had the thoughts that I’ve always wanted a studio to ‘play in’ and with my redundancy payment I invested in one.

That’s when the studio began… Happy 6th Birthday to me!

I thought I might do a bit of studio photography, carry on with weddings, that I’d already been involved in for a number of years, and see what the future would bring. My estimate at that time was to spend 2 to 3 years in the studio and then get out once I got bored or the costs were too heavy…

Model shoots have been great fun – Photo by Sean Tuplin.

But it was never boring, and the product offerings expanded rapidly (to give more opportunity for income), and life pretty much carried on. The studio busyness ebbs and flows and there are periods of the year that are very quiet, but the business keeps coming in, and the money (just about) covers the costs, hence I’m still here…

I have broadened my scope in photography to cover a much wider type of photography both inside and outside the studio (especially taking on commercial and products work) as well as broadening in terms of expanding my skillsets to cover being able to do training etc.

The biggest impact in some ways though are meeting the people – photographers, models, customers etc – and the number of people I can now call my friends has increased considerably! Some of the people I have met along the way have been inspiring, helpful, challenging (in a good way) and have contributed to the studio and it’s success. Primarily I wish to acknowledge Peter McLean who organises the model shoots and workshops we hole at the studio – he is the voice of reason, a good confidante to talk photographically too and a great friend to me and the studio.

There are many others of course I could mention, and you know who you are! You are the regular studio customers, the hirers of the studio, the supporters of the model shoots/studio days, the trainees I’ve coached, and all the members of the Matrix cooperative now running in the room alongside the studio! I think I have a great mutually supportive relationship with you all! And thank you for your support.

Parties are noisy but great fun at the studio!

I also want to thank my good lady Linda (and my other close friends) who are very supportive and helpful in keeping me grounded and where I am. I think the studio has helped me develop as a person too and I am a long way from the relatively quiet IT professional that I was for so many years. I am now a Pro Photographer with a great studio, and wanting to push my photography even further – inside and outside the studio – I am keen on taking Lifestyle Photography forward and the challenges that provides.

Never work with animals… let alone 7 Bedlington Terriers!

Anyway – enough rambling – I just thought it was worth marking 6 years! And saying a bit… No special offers as part of this anniversary, as you all know I believe my prices are great value, but if you do book something after reading this (and mentioning it), I will give you an added bonus to any package or hire (eg. prints, or extra studio time etc).