Andrew Whittuck recalls, "When I left school I worked for a portrait photographer, printing her black and white prints. I learnt a lot just being around the studio and I remember she said, “‘listen to this” it was Miles Davis's ‘Kind of Blue’.
After I had a couple of small photography exhibitions, I thought that to go further I needed to go to college. It was during my first year that the tragic disaster at Aberfan happened, over a hundred children and teachers were killed in a coal slag mudslide. I visited and photographed the horrific scene shortly afterwards. After that I realised college wasn't for me and started shooting freelance photo stories. During the months that followed I worked on several projects including the Pink Floyd shoots.
I had a friend who knew the Pink Floyd managers and they were keen for any publicity, since they had only been formed eighteen months before. So for the first shoot they all came to my studio/bedroom in my parents’ house in Hampstead with all their instruments and most importantly for me, with their lighting guy. The only illumination I used was the lighting they used in their gigs, a 35mm Kodak projector with glass slides with a mixture of oil/water and coloured ink.
I also then accompanied Pink Floyd to Abbey Road were I took a series of black and white images of them whilst they were recording their debut abum 'Pipers at the Gates of Dawn'. After that I took photographs of them at the UFO Club, Alexander Palace and the Royal College of Art."
Andrew then continued his a career as a freelance photographer establishing his own business and working extensively on food photography, plus some portrait work for the likes of Melvin Bragg. He became qualified as a photography teacher and taught at many colleges throughout the UK whilst also documenting performance art events. Andrew now runs a series of landscape photography courses and holidays.
