Hello... World?

Your typical title to your typical first blog entry

...and of course, what better way to follow up a typical title to your first typical blog entry with a typical introduction to what your typical blog may talk about in the future.

 There are going to be 3 types of people seeing this page: those who know me personally, those who remember me from my YouTube days and those who have found my photography pages. 

 So a small bit of background about me. I am Andy, at the time of writing this, I'm a 24 year old photo and video enthusiast. Capturing, editing, producing, it's my life. I started out doing all of this on YouTube, in the form of Minecraft editing. Typical activity for the modern day 12 year old, right? Except I was 17. Yeah, that happened. Anyway, I lived that life for a good few years, working for "clients" (12 year old who wanted Call of Duty or Minecraft videos edited), developing my knowledge of After Effects and other platforms, creating an audience and reputation. It was the life. I didn't need anything more than my mini fridge of Lucozade and those hours outside of college sat at my desk, on Skype with the crew, editing Minecraft. I had quite the following, actually. 8,000 subscribers. That was until the bitter end. Shortly after starting a job in a primary school, many 10-11 year olds found my channel, recognised Mr Moor on there and promptly reached out and commented on my videos.[1] So of course, my channel had to be terminated.

 It was not a poor decision though! Yeah, it was a hit in the heart, I had worked on that for a long time, but I'm a strong believer that everything happens for a reason. That reason came Christmas 2014, I picked up my first DSLR. A Canon 1200D, with a 50mm f/1.8 on the side! That setup is enough to make any new photographer look great. The bokeh from that 1.8 f-stop, the lightweight body on the 1200D, the compressed foreground/background with that focal length. I quickly "realised that I was a good photographer"[2]. Of course, I pursued it.

 It's a funny thing though. I wasn't the only one who thought I was amazing from day 1. It seemed many others did (Those who had just as much experience with a camera as I did, of course). It wasn't until I realised that every photo I took looked the same that I decided to invest in more gear. Cut the crap, now a few years later, I run with a Canon 5D MkII and a Tamron 24-70mm f/2.8. I was never really one for LOADS OF CAMERAS AND A PLETHORA OF LENSES. If I can have one body and one lens that covers everything I do, I'm a happy guy...

...although I am getting a Lytro Illum very soon. That should help change the game for me.

 But of course, it's never about the gear; it's how you use it. I've had many opportunities to develop my keen eye for a good shot and all that good stuff. Hopefully, I'll be able to share my stories, share my tips and tricks as I go, and all that hoo-hah that comes with starting your typical photography blog page. I will also be revamping and using my old-new YouTube channel[3] and of course, consistently releasing new shots and videos on both of my Instagram pages[4].

 But this isn't just about the photos. This is about me.

(Definitely not batting my eyelids)

[1] It's worth noting that all schools have a policy which, understandably, forbids members of staff from communicating with the pupils/students online. Whilst platforms usually feature a simple block function which alleviates a lot of the worry, the sheer amount of children seen commenting on my videos was enough to warrant a safety and security concern, which ultimately led to the decision.

[2] I wasn't a good photographer, the 50mm lens was just that good, it made any shot seem amazing. Saying that though, I did already have running knowledge of Rule of Thirds, plus I had a good idea of how I liked to frame my shots. Just things that I learned during my time working with video. Minecraft cinematic recording doesn't differ too much from photography in terms of  the way you compose a frame. That said, I still had a lot to learn.

[3] https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCS46YCvTdFIKjamlZrB4v3g I am not far from achieving the criteria for a custom URL.

[4] https://www.instagram.com/andymoorphotography/ My "commercial/professional" page. I try to sell myself as a music and events photographer on this page.

https://www.instagram.com/andymoorcasual/ And this is my casual page, where I take photos that I take on a day-to-day basis. I am trying to kick off this thing I call "Tourist Stories", in which I capture around 7-10 photos of a place in a manner that allows you to know a place from just these photos. Things like defining areas, monuments and the culture.