Andy Fernandez

Background: Born in LA, raised in Redding, & now growing up in Portland OR, here i am. After 18 years I finally realized my future- my heart- lay within a small square of paper with three Chickens all facing to their left peering at the viewer. Forever. One of my first photos from 2 years ago affects me even now, i thought "Wow, that moment happened only once and I was fortunate enough to capture it." It made me smile, it inspired me, i didn't let my Christmas present, a Canon point and shoot, go to waste. From that moment on it never left my side. It was with me climbing the boulders in the river, walking the beach, exploring the city, learning with me at school, through the good and the bad, and even some photo-shoots for J. Calderon apparel. In 12th grade i began to form an idea that would be my entire reason for snapping and sharing photos. It all came from a conversation and a photo. One day, as i waited for the yellow school bus to turn the corner and lug us off to school a fellow classmate reached up to one of the low hanging trees and tore off an entire branch. Instantly i asked, why he did that, he didn't live there.He simply said, "it doesn't matter- it's just a tree it's not like the world will end." I knew it was no use arguing but i said something that shocked myself. I said, "you could very well have changed the future just by tearing this branch down." He shrugged it off but, it kept me thinking. Later that day an image appeared on my screen while in photography class, an image of a man and a woman driving away in a car. the man had a broken nose appearing to be very dangerous, and the woman was elegantly dressed. Normal people at first glance but, upon closer inspection these two seem complete opposites. What brought these two together? the broken branch? In the following days i found words to describe why i took pictures. A photo is a moment in someone’s life taken from another's perspective, a moment of an eternity created from a past unknown. What change could i make with a single image of eternity? I'm enthralled to find out, therefore I take pictures to share a moment of eternity that others didn't have the chance to experience and hope it impacts them positively. Now i find myself with a Camera in shambles because of it's consistent use but it still snaps photos as good as it used too. If it can keep going I can too. Hello College