IF A picture really is worth a thousand words, then one of Northern Ireland's most promising young photographers has already written a bestseller judging by his collection of topical, moody, artistic, ironic, sad and funny photographs capturing Belfast and her many faces over another long, hot summer.
Andrew Johnston's slogan is 'Documenting Belfast As It Is' and he candidly 'screen-grabs' the city at work, play and protesting, relying on natural light and skill with his trusty Canon, while generally bypassing modern editing tools and airbrushing.
The east Belfast boy may be only 20, but his eye for a visually arresting photograph with real, emotional depth, shows a maturity well beyond his years – something that has taken both his many willing subjects off guard and professional cameramen and camerawomen by surprise.
At the last count, he had over 10,000 photos filed on his computer, but today The Irish News unveils a collection of some of his most recent images, many taken against the backdrop of summer bonfire disputes, with riot police or Orangemen frozen in the background.
In another shot, the ordinary and extraordinary collide when a man close to a New Lodge bonfire is snapped casually reading a newspaper, seemingly oblivious to the row of policemen in riot gear lining up behind him, ready for a stand-off.
In others, Andrew has trained his lens on everyday domesticity, freeze-framing the most simple but poignantly profound moments at home with his grandmother or zooming in on the lively facial features of an elderly man taking a break from a game of snooker.
"I enjoy capturing the authenticity of people and places and really just keeping everything as it is, in that one moment of time," he says.
"I always work on the manual setting, using natural light, and I don't edit much; my leaning is towards old-school photography. That is how my love of the camera first started – looking through old black and whites in photo albums stockpiled in my auntie's attic."
After studying A-levels (including one in Photography) at Ashfield Boys' High School on the Holywood Road, Andrew spent a "sort of gap year" working there as a classroom assistant, but this September he begins a degree course in Photography at the Belfast School of Art.
Although he has no formal training as such, Belfast Exposed has been a welcome source of mentorship, inspiration and support. An exhibition of his work which ran recently at Torino Cafe Gallery in Royal Avenue drew crowds.
"That was great, because there were loads of tourists in the cafe and they were showing a real interest in my pictures, so it gave me a chance to chat to them about the scenes and the people," he says.
"I have a stammer, so that is not always an easy thing to do, but I have to tell people why I have a camera around my neck and what I'm doing, so it has helped me to become a bit more confident. I don't let the stammer hold me back."
But the main attraction for Andrew is found in Belfast's shady side streets, well away from the shiny tourist areas of a city he finds beautiful, busy and "strange" at the same time.
"I love dandering about in the Falls and the Shankill areas with my camera around my neck," he says.
"Something or someone always catches my eye. There is always a story to tell and I think photography should be about capturing it and creating a visual history for the next generation.
"When I was looking through the photo albums with thousands of images taken by my aunties and grandmother over the years, I was struck by how styles had changed... the clothes, the cars, the streets.
"Wee streets have been pulled down, new houses go up. You need to document all that – and always have your camera ready."
:: Andrew Johnston is on Facebook and Instagram (@andrewj.98)
