About Andy Barnham

I was born in Hong Kong to a Chinese mum and British dad and had an international upbringing living in Hong Kong, China, Japan and Saudi Arabia while being educated in the UK.

From rifle

I started photography as a hobby while serving in the British Army and always carried a camera along with my rifle, photographing my experiences including multiple operational tours of Iraq, Cyprus and Afghanistan.

To camera

I left my rifle behind when I left the British Army, I left my rifle behind and landed on Savile Row, the home of bespoke tailoring, becoming a menswear photographer. It was quite the change for the scruffiest officer in the mess.

About page for portrait photographer Andy Barnham
British Army soldiers refill their canteens during a break while on exercise in the Belize jungles
Eureka!

Jungles of Belize

My photographic breakthrough occurred while spending a month in the jungles of Belize. With every item scrutinised for benefit versus weight, I limited myself to taking a single memory card and two batteries foreseeing the lack of means to clear the card or recharge the batteries. As a result every potential shot was scrutinised with the camera turned on only if certain of taking a quality image and no power wasted reviewing the images; it was film discipline in a digital era.

As a former Royal Artillery officer it’s only fitting I shoot with a Canon camera.

Portraits and Headshots

Portrait Photography

After a decade of editorial work and being a photographic jack of all trades I decided to become a portrait photographer and focus on portraiture in 2019. The consistent theme in my photography, when visiting ateliers, distilleries, tailors etc..,  had been people, so it was a logical step to focus my skills on portraits and headshots. I took over 200 portraits that year initially honing my lighting techniques. I quickly learnt the key to a good portrait is the not technical skill but the connection between the subject and myself. This is why I always spend the first 20 minutes of a session with a conversation to learn about the person in order to direct them, to understand their facial expressions with the result being a meaningful portrait.

Headshot of an black man with short cropped hair in grey t-shirt in front of a black background by portrait photographer Andy Barnham
Headshot of a woman with short blonde spikey hair in front of a white background by portrait photographer Andy Barnham
Portrait of a man in a suit a tie putting on a pair of glasses in front of a white background by portrait photographer Andy Barnham
Portrait of a woman with long hair in overcoat and white shirt with a bow in front of a white background by portrait photographer Andy Barnham
Headshot of a man in white shirt looking at the camera in front of a white background by portrait photographer Andy Barnham

Work with me

I am deliberate and slow as I do not want to simply create content; rather I want to create meaningful and quality portrait photography with emotional honesty. I also love fine art print photography and ensure my work can be printed at the highest standard. If you have an upcoming project and are willing to spend the time to achieve goals of quality and high standards please give me a holla. Get in touch with me to discuss consulting and more.