Chas is a local photographer that is extremely gifted with his photography.  Being an excellent journalist adds even more value to his artistic nature. He used to write movie reviews and post them generously on Louisville Mojo and also had his own movie review blog, among other things. His work has been published in Alternative Revolt Magazine, a worldwide online magazine showcasing Independent and Major Rock/Metal bands, among others.

 

Currently, he has a facebook page called The Dark Side of the Ville where he posts stunning pictures of this great city and prime locations within its borders at night. http://store.blurb.com/ebooks/445352-dark-side-of-the-ville

 

Quite recently he published his photography book with these amazing pictures and continues to excel at proper photo techniques, imagination and creativity.  Whether it’s the beauty of the city, live bands in action, or capturing emotion by pen, Chas Andrews deserves a nod for his astonishing work.

 

THE INTERVIEW

 

Daniel/LLM:  Hey Chas!  When someone asks you how the weather is, do you actually care?

 

Chas Andrews: Sometimes. This being “Thunderstorm Alley,” it's nice to know after  spending an entire day in Cubicle World if I'll be walking out to find my car floating out of the parking lot or not. Someone once said if you can live in Kentucky you can live just about anywhere. I've been a lot of other places and that's pretty much true although nothing I have experienced is as cold as Southern Illinois. I had never experienced cold that freezes you from the inside-out until I lived there.

 

Daniel/LLM:  You know how I love odd questions. But we’ll focus more on photography here and your skills in general.  How long have you been doing photography and where did the passion stem from?

 

Chas Andrews: I've been doing photography off-and-on for maybe two decades? I remember once running across a picture I took at one of the Smithsonian museums – back when we lived off 110 rolls. It's a bad picture of the flash off something encased in glass.

 

The passion for doing this extends from the fact that in halcyon days of summer blockbuster movies, at the precipice of the Millennium change-over, I was a film major. My two favorite things about making movies were dialogue and cinematography. Since graduation I've tried varying ways to continue pursuing that until a few years ago when I just picked up my Canon 40D and said, 'Let's see where this goes.' And, here I am.

 

Daniel/LLM:  Did you go to school for this or was this an enjoyable personal study through the years?

 

Chas Andrews: I went to school just so I could impress people and say, 'My degree literally says Bachelor of Arts in Cinema and Photography with an Emphasis in Cinema Studies. This is impressive until you boil it down to being a 'film major.' Aside from that I would always take pictures on vacations or whatnot and the same principles for using a video or film camera hold to still cameras as well. I will say that all the night photography has been over the past 2 years and that was more of a personal study.

 

Daniel/LLM:  What kind of equipment do you use?

 

Chas Andrews: Canon 40D. Tripod. Flashlights. Glowsticks. El wire. The “maps” function on my not-so-smartphone. Does money for beer afterward count?

 

Daniel/LLM:  Do you have an awesome tip or trick for newbies to the photography field? What about a remedy for common mistakes even most professionals makes?

 

Chas Andrews: Take the lens cap off! There are a bunch of tips and tricks but a lot of it is common sense. Make sure you know what your point of focus is. Try being creative with the angles you're using. It's digital now so you should be able to take a billion photos – take your time and get it right. If you're going out night shooting you may want to bring someone else along. If you can't do make sure someone knows where you're going to. If you are out shooting at night and someone stops to ask if you're doing night photography, politely say, 'Yes,' and be amicable – you've got maybe 2 minutes to get the shot and get out of there.

 

Daniel/LLM:  I’m most excited to tell people about your recent book with the pictures from your Dark Side of Louisville facebook page.  Clarify the details of this book please.

 

Chas Andrews:  To paraphrase from something else “Dark Side of the 'Ville” is where art, documentation, and trivia collide. It's a mixture of trivia facts, beautiful shots of various buildings or places at night, and it pretty much covers the entire city. I have really enjoyed doing it.

 

Daniel/LLM:  What excites you most about the energy of the city?

 

Chas Andrews:  That's a tough question. Louisville is a bit like Thomas the Train - “I think I can, I think I can...” Granted I've been to other towns where the only real energy arrives at the mall during Christmastime. No so much energy but the “spirit” of Louisville is one of independence – we're not going to wait on anybody to do something that needs to be done right now. Fun fact: after the tornado of 1893 Louisville turned down Federal aide and instead pooled money from the community and businesses to rebuild the waterfront. True story.

 

Daniel/LLM:  What other exciting subjects do you take photos of?

 

Chas Andrews:  I'm on the night photography kick so I've been experimenting more with el wire, glowsticks, and flashlights. Other than that I've taken pics of musicians, trivia games, a high school play, and at the last Derby City Film Festival I took a multitude of Lance Henriksen (“Aliens,” “Terminator,” “Millennium”).

 

Daniel/LLM:  You also write reviews, is that correct? Or rather, you did write movie reviews for a while. What other writing did you do and do you still do it?

 

Chas Andrews: Wow. That's been a bit. I kinda stepped out of that at the end of the writers strike and whatnot. The quality and amount of movies being released went way downhill. After that I did my own online crime fiction story, “The Big Adios.” I still work on a personal blog at times and “doodle” on occasion but I haven't written a story in a while. I'm working on getting back to that.

 

Daniel/LLM:  What about some other hobbies you enjoy?  If I recall, you were also into Cinematography. Is this something you still pursue?

 

Chas Andrews: Is eating a hobby? Over the past 3 years I've taken it upon myself to try out more of the local restaurants and get to know this town better. Maybe understanding Louisville is a hobby as well.

 

I love cinematography but it's relegated to watching movies. If you're looking for the cinematographer to watch I suggest Roger Deakins (“Skyfall,” “No Country for Old Men,” “True Grit,” “The Shawshank Redemption”) He does excellent work.

 

Almost forgot to mention – trivia. I play it and I hosted a bit last year. In fact more people run into me and say, “Dude! I've played against you in trivia!” more than I'm known for anything else. I would also like to add that I've beaten Charlie Steele's (WQMF) team at trivia a few times. Just sayin'

 

Daniel/LLM:  Are any of these a paying career? If not, what is?

Chas Andrews: Porn. And writing romance novels. And porn is about

writing romance novels. Seriously though if you, if one, has the inclination then yes, there could be a career out of any of these. When I hosted trivia I met a guy who said he was down from Chi for the day and found out about my hosting and decided to drop in. I talked with him a bit further and found that in other cities and states there's a whole trivia subculture and they are serious about it, so there must be some kind of money there.

 

I could do a blog/podcast about eating in Louisville, maybe give it that “NPR feel” and add in the ambient sounds of other people, silverware clacking and of course, the sound of me stuffing my face. I don't know how well that would go over...

 

I tend to look at it all as money vs. happiness. If you're happiness IS money than you can disregard the “vs.” But traditionally speaking those searching for happiness do so not for the money and those who search for money do so not for the happiness. “Let us meditate upon this wisdom. Oooohhhmmm...”

 

Daniel/LLM:  Have you received any awards or accolades for your photography?

 

Chas Andrews: No rewards but I have been paid for some photos. The best accolades I've ever received were when someone looks at my stuff and says, “That's totally bad-ass.” Then, I've done my job. Quick story: one night I was out shooting around Frankfort Avenue and these guys walked up around me. I began talking cameras with one guy and he asked me what I was doing. I replied that it was night photography and that my project was “Dark Side of the 'Ville.” He instantly replied, “Dude! I've seen some of that shit!” That's the “made it” point so far.

 

Daniel/LLM:  Nice! How can someone check out this book and hopefully buy it to support you?

 

Chas Andrews: Thanks! One can check out: http://store.blurb.com/ebooks/445352-dark-side-of-the-ville  This goes to the ebook site ($6 kids!) or if you scroll to the bottom you can click on the soft/hardcover version. It'd make a great Christmas or birthday gift or even if you just want something unique.

 

Daniel/LLM:  Describe its value in case they care little about what I have to say.

 

Chas Andrews:  Beautiful night photography taken in/around Louisville, KY with interesting tidbits. Unique, cool, interesting, art.

 

Daniel/LLM:  What are some links to check out your other works?

 

Chas Andrews:  Go on to Facebook and like “Dark Side of the 'Ville” and Chas Andrews Photography. Other than than you can read all my old movie reviews at: http://chasness.wordpress.com/. And I have my website at www.chasandrews.com. Almost forgot: The Big Adios can be read at: http://aidencobb.blogspot.com/     

 

Daniel/LLM:  Is there anything else you’d like to add?

 

Chas Andrews: 3 parts vermouth, 1 part... Oh, wait. Seriously though this has been fun. If you're reading this and are a “creative type,” I wish you the best. If you're into or want to go out night shooting sometime, hit me up on Facebook. Buy a copy of the book! Thank you.

 

Daniel/LLM:  I’ll go ahead and wrap this up with a signature last question.  Let’s say an important publication contacted you to do a phenomenal shoot of one location and one celebrity. Let’s also say that you had to take the photos listening to one song on repeat.  What is the location and celebrity and what song would you be able to endure for that long?

 

Chas Andrews:  Location: Scotland. Celebrity: Nicole Kidman. Song: “Let's Stay Together,” Al Green (call it mood music)

 

Daniel/LLM:  It’s been a pleasure. I look forward to more of your exquisite work!

Chas Andrews: It has. Thank you.

 

 

 

Story and interview by

Daniel C. Morrison – Louisville Limelight Magazine