Meet Andre Buchanan | Documentary Photographer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Andre Buchanan and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Andre, what led you to pursuing a creative path professionally?
Art has always been the only thing I was interested in as a child. Growing up, in school, we were told that you couldn’t really make much of career as an artist. The school system really pushed every other subject as more of a career path but I honestly just did not care about them. Creativity brings me joy and I always thought, that if I can have a creative career instead of a regular 9-5, then I can have the perfect life for myself.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I’m proud of a lot of the work I have done and how much I have accomplished over the years. My wife likes to point to some of my older photos and shows me how much I’ve progressed since the early stages in my photography. I am most excited for all around new experiences to come. Starting out I did not have a lot of money or equipment so I had to learn to work with what I had in order to grow and get better. The lessons I’ve learned and continue to learn, is how to balance work and life. I want people to remember and recognize the things I loved to document. I love shooting concerts, weddings, different subcultures, and documenting the streets. All of these elements bring me so much joy and I just want more people to appreciate what they have around them and not take it for granted.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Something I am oddly good at, is being able to look at a photo of some place in the city and pinpoint it on the map without any reference. I love exploring this city and am always finding different spots. Buford Hwy has an infinite amount of restaurants with cuisines from all around the world. I’m always discovering a new spot to eat. I really like Downtown Decatur reminds me of home. For drinks, we are going church! Sister Louisa’s in Edgewood is a whole vibe. After this, we’d hang out in Old Fourth Ward.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
There are many people in my life that have given me so much support and encouragement along the way. Back in Columbia, SC where I started this journey, I have a solid group of guys who are so talented, would give me advice, and collaborate with me. Rob Coffey, Dan Hare, Khari McCloud, Shawn Gerald and, and Azfar Haque are still very close to me even though we live farther away now. The skate scene in Columbia played a huge part in enhancing my creativity. Since moving here, I’ve been able to collab with a lot of great Atlanta people, like Rez Johnson, Kaja Planer, Nati Wondimu, Sam McKnight, and more who all inspire me. I would also love to recognize my number one supporter, my wife Ash. She has seen the ups, the downs, and has had my back 100% of the time.

Website: andrebuchanan.com

Instagram: @dammitdre @trashscans @andrebuchananphoto

Linkedin: linkedin.com/in/andre-buchanan-a2a2b9176

Twitter: @dammitdre_

Image Credits
Portrait of me – Ferriez Johnson 1st image – Elizabeth Carter 5th image – Taina Dominguez and Emily Miceli