Feature: In conversation with

In conversation with... Andy Billman

(Blathwayt 2010)

Leaving Reed’s in 2010, Andy started building a career in the advertising industry. Then in late 2020, he gave it all up and took a leap of faith to pursue photography as a living.

His passion has seen him become an up-and-coming London-based photographer with a curiosity for built environments and the spaces we find ourselves in.

Within six months of leaving the advertising industry, Andy announced his debut solo photo exhibition Daylight Robbery. We caught up with him to hear his story so far and where he’s heading.

What was the catalyst for making you change direction?

Two years ago, I was having a conversation with my cousin and I told him that I wasn’t feeling motivated or curious in my role in advertising anymore. He responded by telling me I had told him the same thing exactly a year before.

That’s when the penny dropped; I had to change something. I couldn’t let another year pass doing something that I wasn’t finding rewarding anymore, so I made it my objective to actively work out my next steps, dedicating time each week to discovering what that journey might be!

Why photography?

I fell in love with photography at a young age and was able to explore it further as one of my A Level subjects at Reed’s, going on to study a Foundation Diploma in Photography at London College of Communication. It didn’t go beyond that, but it’s always been an important hobby for me.

After a business degree and five years in advertising, my job had quite simply taken over, leaving zero time for my photography. I came to the conclusion that instead of searching for a job that would have a better work-life balance, it was now or never to have a go at pursuing photography as a vocation.

How’s it been going?

My photography interest lies in the built environment. To propel myself into this world, I set myself a target of putting on an exhibition during the 2021 London Festival of Architecture; definitely throwing myself into the deep-end. After an intense few months, I succeeded in putting on my debut solo exhibition, Daylight Robbery, in Bermondsey across five days this June. It was a photo series documenting the bricked-up windows of London originating from the Georgian-era Window Tax. The work examines the role that natural light and air play in the spaces we inhabit and on our wellbeing, something which has become even more important after the year we’ve all just experienced.

The hard work paid off as I had a constant flow of visitors in the gallery and secured features in some great publications. I’m currently organising the second run of print sales that followed the show.

What have been the highs and lows?

Getting to know people within the industry and the support I received from them has been the best part, such as receiving valuable advice about setting up the show and key figures in the industry attending the private view and admiring the work.

I was quite lucky in that through the fantastic support network in the industry, I avoided having many ‘low’ moments. The hardest element was the tight turnaround of the project: shooting, producing and promoting the work all in a matter of months was a challenge. The lessons learned I’ll take with me for future work.

What’s next?

Alongside this project, I’ve also been securing my first commissions which is exciting. It’s still early days but I’m hoping to focus as much of my efforts on personal projects as I can alongside commercial work to hopefully exhibit again in the near future.

What words of advice would you give to anyone who was feeling the same as you were two years ago?

I’m a big believer in learning by doing. The truth is we don’t really progress when we get stuck in our thoughts or ideas in theory; we can only learn more about ourselves in practice. If that means carving out time to uncover the reasons for the feelings you’re having and/or trying things that you’re curious about, I’d advise spending less time thinking about it and more time doing it. You’ll be surprised how far each action you do in practice, however small, takes you.

Further info

For further information on Andy’s projects please visit andy-billman.com or follow him on Instagram @andy_billman. He is available for commissions in the UK and beyond. ■

I’m a big believer in learning by doing. The truth is we don’t really progress when we get stuck in our thoughts or ideas in theory; we only learn more about ourselves in practice.