I love to tell stories. When I was 14 I bought an old movie camera in Lytham St Annes. It took cartridges of Super 8 film and after the film was developed it had to be physically cut by hand and joined together with sticky tape. From that moment on I was hooked on story telling with this little camera and my growing collection of polaroid stills cameras. At the same time I developed a love of using these cameras on location using real places like Southport, Manchester and Preston; capturing light, organizing filming permissions and interacting with everyday people.

My hobby rapidly turned into a professional interest in film, painting and photography and in 1996 I graduated from Newport Film School. In my final year I started freelance work covering live sports events in Manchester and I haven’t stopped working since. Never losing site of the importance of narrative I endeavored to work in roles that would have some impact on a projects story. I got hired as a director, location scout and manager, film stills photographer, editor and sometime script doctor on numerous TV, Film and Advertising productions. I have been involved in some great productions over the years such as the feature films Alfie, Ali G In Da House and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. I also got to work with directors such as Baz Luhrmann (pictured right), Danny Boyle and Christopher Nolan. 

But after more than a decade in the media industry I wanted to use my experience and creativity for something more than advertising and TV. I wanted to return to the grass roots of telling a story, just myself with a camera, on location with real people, like it used to be.

So for me the choice of starting Photoamor and becoming a wedding photographer covering Manchester, Cheshire, Lancashire and the North West of England was an easy one. What could be better than capturing the story of love between two people on their wedding day?

I haven’t turned my back on the world of advertising and the moving image. I continue to work as a creative Final Cut Pro editor with clients such as Tesco and the British Forces Broadcast Service. My video work can be seen on Vimeo

I have been published in editorials such as Ceramic Review, South Manchester Reporter and Horror Magazine.

Charity photography includes the British Lung Foundation and The Barefoot Foundation.

Andrew Swarbrick (BA Hons Film & Photography)