End frame: The Ladies of Granston by Chris Tancock

Andrew Warren

Andrew first became interested in photography from about the age of 18 acquiring an OM-10, initially to record the very large carp and barbel he was catching as a dedicated angler.  The camera was simply a tool and he learned how to use it as means to a very prosaic end!  Over time, Andrew became more interested in what a camera could do in its own right and as a means of expression, and gradually, photography took over from fishing as a passion.

Andrew spent 26 years as a secondary school teacher and headteacher, but became disillusioned, and he walked away from the profession before he came to hate a job that he had once loved.  

He now lives in west Wales with his wife, Debbie, and dog Jeff, and makes a humble but sufficient living from photography

Chris Tancock is a photographer living and working in Pembrokeshire, quite close to where I live. Whilst Chris photographs in the landscape, and often his images include wildlife, “traditional” landscape and wildlife photography are genres that he doesn’t particularly warm to. Chris prefers to describe himself as a “rural documentary” or “habitat” photographer. Moreover, he regards himself as a story teller, however, he fails to see how a single image can tell a story. Chris often uses the analogy of writing: a written story is composed of many sentences and paragraphs that build to create a narrative. A single sentence might be beautiful but it cannot, on its own, tell a story. Likewise, a single photograph might be beautiful, but on its own doesn’t have significant meaning. Chris’ views on photography are fascinating, and for those who want to find out more, I would encourage you to to listen to a long and wide ranging interview from several years ago, where he expands on them at considerable, but very interesting, length: