Andi Singer

“I’m looking for a way to show that we actually live in a kind of magical world and we should stop and stare around more often”

Intercru: Where are you from? Where do you live and work now?

Andi: I am from Bucharest, Romania.

Right now, I am back home during these crazy times but I am planning to go back to NYC once things hopefully start going back to normal.

I have worked in Bucharest, London, Milan, LA, and NYC.

What got you first interested in photography?

I used to do animation and programming when I moved in with a friend that was a photo journalist. I felt like there was a big evolution in digital imaging coming (this was in 2007) and I was interested in maybe doing music videos now that technology would allow access to better video equipment.

My friend was shooting film all day long and I got inspired by him. I took my dad’s old film camera and started shooting with it as a means to studying imaging and that turned into a personal journal of moments.

What is your favorite part about photography?

That I get to keep moments that I lived forever.

For you, what makes the perfect photo?

For me the perfect photo has a certain magic and electricity.

There are times now and then when everything comes together in perfect synchronicity- the time of day, the light, the weather, the way the model interacts with the camera, and nailing the sharpness :))

I like to affect the process as little as possible and instead build conditions so that these things will align and I get to see something that the eye couldn’t catch in the photos. I’m looking for a way to show that we actually live in a kind of magical world and we should stop and stare around more often.

Where do you find inspiration for your photography?

I’ve been an art-hoarder since I was young. I was always looking for the weirdest movies, artists, musicians, painters, sci-fi books, etc.

I’m self-taught so I have this constant hunger to search for new things and it’s most probably where I get my inspiration from. It’s a natural process so I don’t pay much attention to it.

I’m actually trying to stay away from studying famous photographers as I don’t want to be influenced by them or try to copy them. I think finding your own style is the most important thing, although I am very interested in contemporary photographers.

What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever received?

Being able to say “no” is more important than anything.

This applies to anything in our lives. We try so hard to please the others around us and that is usually a bad investment of your time and energy.

The moment that I stopped doing this and started saying “no” to things I didn’t really want, my life changed in ways I never thought possible. This ultimately led me to finding myself and loving what I found. My life is so much better for it!