Eric Anderson left Texas for New York in 2006 to dive headfirst into the photography world. Clueless about how difficult it would be to break in, Eric lucked out by having a few studios take him in as an intern, and finding a few photographers to assist.
It wasn't until he'd been out of Texas for a few years that he began to fully appreciate his home state. After honing his skills with a camera in New York, he went back home to begin a personal project. He took several weeks to drive around the state, which he needed. "Texas is just mind-blowingly large," he says. He photographed people and places, in order to experience stories he'd grown up with. He documented everything from true cowboys to tech startups, country music to hip hop artists, beaches to mountains. "The trip was incredible," he continues. "It's a project I hope I never stop working on."
With that experience as a benchmark, it's no wonder that Eric likes all of his projects to be with people who share the same vision, and have enough flexibility and creativity to produce great results. "There's nothing better than working with a team that's all on the same page. Those jobs are the ones you crave."
How do you keep the job interesting & challenge yourself?
The photo world is a crazy place these days. With the barriers of entry so low, photographers are flooding the market. At the same time the value for images has decreased. It's a huge conversation I won't get into here, but suffice it to say, I'm just thankful to be working consistently with a camera. I don't have to "spice things up" very often to keep it interesting... being able to shoot a variety of people and places every month keeps this job extremely interesting. The primary challenge for many of us photographers is just keeping our spirits up and having faith that people will continue to appreciate good imagery, even when they're bombarded with it from every angle.
What are your favorite photography tools? Do you ever just miss film?
I shoot a combination of Canon, Hasselblad, Polaroid film and a host of other old cameras. For digital workflow, I'm a huge fan of Photo Mechanic, Lightroom and Photoshop. I don't miss film because I try to still use it as much as I can! It's not as dead as some people think. If anything, I feel like interest in film has made a comeback of sorts.
If you weren't busy behind a camera, what else would you love to do?
If I had a musical bone in my body, I'd play guitar or drums. I studied architecture and finance at school, so odds are I'd be designing houses with my father, who's had his own architecture firm for many years. I'd be totally on board with that.
How long have you been using Squarespace? How did you find us?
Honestly, I don't remember how I found Squarespace! I've been using it for a few years now and can't imagine moving the blog anywhere else...
Why does Squarespace work for you? What's your favorite feature?
I keep it pretty simple on my photo blog, but the intuitiveness and customizability are magnificent. I'm prone to changing things up every few months, and SS makes it so easy. The analytics is really great, the iPhone app is perfect, and the integration with other social media sites has been smooth. As for a favorite feature... definitely the iphone/ipad app!
What's next for you?
Exciting things happening! My lovely wife Amy just started her own Squarespace blog, Parker Etc, about all the things she loves... style, music, home stuff. I'm also moving to a new studio in Manhattan, and hoping for a busy and reasonably cool summer in NYC.
Where can we find you online?
My portfolio site, www.ericryananderson.com, and my blog, www.ivegotfriends.com.