Kansas City photographer Paul Andrews has committed himself to taking a photograph a day for all of 2014. He's been posting the photos online as he goes, and his project has gained a local following by way of social media.
Andrews came up with the project around the turn of the New Year, when, like many people, he was taking stock of what he'd done with the past twelve months of his life. Looking at his 2013 work reel, he noticed lots of photography for hire, and very few images that reflected his own passion for the art form. So he set up a rigorous schedule to take himself to task.
Well-known local artists and musicians make appearances in Andrews' studio, as do people whose identities are more private. Some sitters arrive with props, like this guy. Others arrive with only themselves.
Central Standard is embarking on a partnership with Andrews, pairing on-air conversations with photographic images to tell people's stories.
Interview Highlights:
On determining how best to capture someone in one photograph
"The better I know somebody, the harder it is to really capture them in one photograph, because you know lots of things about them ... people you're just meeting or just getting to know sometimes can be a little bit easier because you can suss out that one thing that is kind of what they're all about, to some degree. I don't know if you can ever really capture everything about somebody in one photograph, but you can always try and capture a little something about them."
On what he's learned about Kansas City through the project
"Just what a small town we are and what a community we have."
On why he photographs people
"I guess portraits to me are really engaging. You look at a photo of someone and there's something immediately about it that you can interact with to some degree. There's something that pulls you in to think about that person and what their story is in a way that maybe flowers and buildings and stuff don't necessarily... Your interests change over time, too. When I started out I was photographing old abandoned buildings and alleyways and things like that, but people are more what I'm drawn to these days."
