Today we’d like to introduce you to David Gaffney
Hi David, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
I’m David with David Andrew Foto, and I specialize in capturing candid street photography. I come from a large family— I’m one of seventeen adopted brothers and sisters! My wife, Torrie, and I live just south of Grantsburg, WI, with our dog, three cats, and nine cows. I work at M-Health Fairview in the Twin Cities as a Security Sergeant.
Not to sound too cliche, but it’s true— I was first introduced to photography when my mom bought me a semi-disposable Fuji film camera. You know the ones in clear plastic in the electronics department at Walmart? Yep, that’s the one. I began to take random photos of my family and everyday life. One of my favorite photos I took captures a scene when we had some family friends over. They had a family that was just as big as ours! At the end of the night, we took a group photo of both families; I’m sure that photo is buried somewhere in my mom’s hope chest. Every single time I come across that photo, it brings me back in time. Picture this: A bunch of kids from all different cultures, after being baked in the sun all day, together for a group photo (probably about 40 of us there!), and cheesing away to our heart’s content. And— snap!
Through my research, there has been one type of photography that has stood out every single time, and that is street photography. Street photography to me is being a fly on the wall: unnoticed, invisible, capturing everyday life— essentially, freezing time. My first big taste of this was when I did street photography in Chicago, IL— the Windy City, full of dreams and aspirations and people going out to perform their daily lives. Insert me, there, in the middle of the magnificent mile— and rain begins to fall. Fog rolls in from Lake Michigan. And I realize in that moment that I am in my element.
Fast forward to 2024: the hunt continues. I hope to inspire likeminded photographers, who are not just interested in street photography but any niche of photography, to get out there and pursue their art.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
To say the least, no, it has not been a smooth road. As a matter of fact, I’m still in the trenches…! But, I’m making progress in my photography goals. I think the hardest part is networking with other photographers, not only to learn but also to grow off of one another. This spring, I’m launching a brand called Foto Focus that will start out as a YouTube channel; this is an attempt to fill a gap in the Midwest for networking. This will be a slow and grueling process, but I believe this is something that Midwest photographers want and need.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
The work I specialize in is street and urban photography. Really, what I’m after is finding beauty in the mundane; I want to help others see beauty in what otherwise seems to be a normal, even boring, part of life. My work contains a moody, dark, and even gloomy tone with the goal to provoke a stirring of emotions. The entirety of my photography collection does not include this, however, this is the type of photography that I tend to lean into. When I shoot, my intentions are to pull people into the frame as if they are there with me. I want the viewer to experience the shot as if they were the one behind the camera.
We’re always looking for the lessons that can be learned in any situation, including tragic ones like the Covid-19 crisis. Are there any lessons you’ve learned that you can share?
Due to the Covid-19 pandemic and lockdowns, I believe people are more interested in traveling since they were unable to for months on end. I believe people are more appreciative of the beauty around them, and because of that outlook they are more willing to purchase and enjoy photography of the place they are visiting. However, I was just getting into photography during the Covid-19 pandemic, and because of this there wasn’t a large impact to my business.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.davidandrewfoto.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/davidandrewfoto/
- Facebook: https://facebook.com/davidandrewfoto
