The fascination of capturing wilderness and tell its stories through a lens first started when
Andrew Montgomery went on a school trip around the age of seven. Experiencing the foreign landscapes of Holland through a camera that was lend to him by his father, Andrew fell in love with photography and continued to follow his newly found curiosity for image making. Whilst he continued to capture family trips all across England, Europe and the World he slowly started to develop his own visual preferences and language.

At the age sixteen he was gifted his own darkroom (in a garden shed) where he taught himself the craft of developing film and printing negatives — Inspired by his growing passion he continued to study photography at college in Blackpool and started to put his knowledge into practise by taking portraits,.always striving to create better work: “When I first started taking pictures very early on in my career I looked to established Photographers as inspiration such as Peter Lavery, Ken Griffiths or Edward S. Curtis. The need to emulate what they did was a constant motivating factor as I grew up. That need to emulate slowly developed into my own individual approach to the subjects I photographed - I wanted to make my own interpretation of what was in front of my camera.”

Through a two year apprenticeship in a basement in Earlsfield, Andrew continued to process black and white images that, retrospectively, had a lifelong influence over his career: “Its a real art form in itself which I love to apply to my work.” It is this strive for growth and progress that was encouraged and supported by his mentor Roy Snell and the experiences and knowledge he gained in working in his darkroom for ten years.

It wasn’t until the late nineties that Andrew set out to work for himself, approaching the picture editor at
“The Independent” with his ideas for shooting the upcoming life-saving surfing championship in Cornwall. By winning the commission, his work was published as a four page spread as well as the front cover. From there on out magazines started to book Andrew for his deeply evocative and atmospheric images, including clients such as House&Gardens, Gardens Illustrated, Vanity Fair and The New York Times to name a few.
His commissions led him to photograph a wide range of people such as Prime Ministers, Film Set Stars, Potters, Chefs and Gardeners, always with his ability to capture their true essence, whether it is the people themselves, their crafts and skills, or the places they inhabit and interact with:
“The most important element is time. The longer you are at that place or with that person the more in-tune you will be in understanding and being able to capture that essence!”

It isn’t only the essence of the places, the people and the things that the images convey, but the unique gaze and Andrews heartfelt passion that radiates, allowing the viewers to be captivated by them: “I have realised I can never stop. I have to take pictures it keeps me sane, it rewards me creatively it gives me contentment. It can be very frustrating and rewarding, every shoot is different - its really what I was born to do in my life”

Andrews latest achievement in taking his work to another level of growth and progression was setting up his own imprint company called “Montgomery Press” which is synonymous with producing high quality, beautifully designed art books that both reflect the craft of printing and the evocative aspects of image making. The first self-published book of the company’s was created together with Clare Foster, garden editor at House&Gardens called “Winter Gardens”:

“It was the perfect subject to really explore the medium of Black and White especially within a subject such as gardens which has always been presented in colour. Its sometimes been overlooked by publishers as an art form. I had tried and failed to have images published in Black and White on previous books, colour was always the preferred approach. With Montgomerypress I was able to use it freely where I thought it should be used, which was liberating in many ways.”

With intimate images of gardens such as “Broughton Grange” reimagined by Tom Stuart-Smith ,“Great Dixter“ gardened by Fergus Garrett and “Chalkland Farmhouse” designed by Jinny Blom, “Winter Gardens” is showing their intriguing structures and winterly inhabitants in form of seedheads, often long eaten by wildlife, adding a new perspective on viewing gardens in the often perceived “off”-season: “The most memorable experience has to be the day I spent photographing Dan Pearsons Garden - Hillside. The conditions were perfect the mist and frost stayed all day and I was able to work for 5 solid hours capturing the garden. Usually you have only 2-3 hours but that day was magical and Dans planting is a gift for Photographers with its layers and textures unfolding before you”.

Andrew is continuing to expand his knowledge and capturing his experiences and the stories of places, people and things with his ever evolving excellent craft of photography. Last but not least here are a few questions that reflect his vision, his curiosity and his approach to his impactful career:

Continually sharpening and educating your unique eye and visual habits of seeing, has your perspective towards landscapes and gardens shifted throughout the last year during the current global pandemic?

“I think the Pandemic has focused the direction of my career in a way that I only want to work on projects that really inspire me. Enabling me to keep pushing myself visually, developing my approach moving beyond the expected to try and capture something unique within the familiar.”

How will you develop and curate new books and projects through “Montgomery Press”?

“I have planned the next book with Clare Foster” Andrew explains: “I am hoping always to have at least three books always in development and at different stages. 2022 will see the reprint and new Special Editions of Winter Gardens in the next few months. 2023 will hopefully see the sequel to Winter Gardens with also one other book published in 2023 as well. As for 2024 and beyond I have a few ideas also which are in the early stages as well.”

Are there any projects and any particular images or stories you are pursuing in 2022 that you would like to share?

“I am working a lot this year in Ireland which I am really excited about. Its a beautiful, rich country visually. Plus of course embarking on the sequel to Winter Gardens!!”

Do you remember your life and experiences through your own images?

“To a certain degree I do, although having shot so much over the years there is a blurring.
My son being born during the year I shot Jasper Conrans - ‘Country’ stands out for many reasons.”

If you want to discover his extensive body of work you can dive into his realm on his Homepage:
or getting familiar with his work on Instagram

Another way to experience his unique way of creating is by signing up to his Newsletter at “Montgomery Press” to be the first to know when the second edition of “Winter Gardens” will be available.