Hi, I'm Andrew, and I love photography! In addition to working with many Fortune 500 companies (including Brooks Brothers, The Body Shop and Kenneth Cole) on their advertising and catalog campaigns, being able to take photographs that capture the emotions of my family and friends has given me great joy for the last 25+ years. I struggled for years trying to create a workflow that was efficient and easy to use, but I could never find a full solution from capture, to backup, to editing, to print, so I developed my own system, and I've been using it for my own images and videos as well as my clients' work. I work on-on-one with my clients to find the best solutions, and I help them automate the process as much as possible.

My son Tyler (pictured below at about one year old, and with my wife and me at twelve years old), has been my favorite portrait subject since the day he was born. I'm in charge of our family's archives, and I take the job very seriously!

ABOUT FOCUS & FILTER, award-winning finalist in the Photography division at the 2018 International Book Awards.

With regard to my new book, Focus and Filter, I sincerely believe that the 50 Tips + 50 Pro Assignments inside the book will help inspire you to capture more memories of the people, places and things you love (and take better photos for your clients if you are a pro photographer. But don't take my word for it! Here are some comments from readers of the book (from selected Editorial and online reviews):

"One of the hardest things to teach with photography, especially when you are deeply knowledgeable, is keeping it simple for others. Andrew does a fantastic job with Focus and Filter, covering an amazing range of what can be complex subjects, and keeping it clearly explained. His writing style is concise and conversational, which always makes learning easier. And some of the tips are just gems and extremely useful." - Jack Reznicki, professional photographer and author, www.photojack.com  

"If you want to photograph like a pro, it isn't enough to own the same gear as a pro...You have to act like a pro. And to act like a pro, you have to think like a pro. These assignments [in Focus and Filter] get you thinking like a pro.” -Mike Pasini, Editor, Photo Corners  

"After 27 years as a professional photographer, I've seen a lot of how-to photo books and articles. But I've never seen a book quite like this. It's like an emergency manual for DIY weekend projects, filled with useful photos and helpful tips like how to easily modify your lighting with reflectors and how to choose the right portable flash unit. It will stay in my collection for many years to come." - Ron Wyatt, Photo Workshop Leader & Two-Time Olympic Games Photographer, www.ronwyattphotos.com  

"...Mr. Darlow's text contains some very unique features. Among them, for the DIY photographer, he provides well-developed, common sense hack versions of expensive gear that can save photographers significant amounts of money. "

A FEW OF THE PHOTOGRAPHS FROM FOCUS & FILTER

Whether you’re a novice trying to figure out how to choose the right settings on your camera, or a longtime pro who wants to know the advantages of Auto ISO, or which batteries are going to perform extremely well in your flash units and wireless radio triggers, this book has tips and techniques for you. Here are just a few of the things you'll learn how to do...or hopefully learn more about if you've "been there, done that!":

📷 Capture candid and formal people and pet portraits; 📷 Take safari-quality animal pictures at the zoo or in the wild; 📷 Capture spectacular night-time cityscapes (even when shooting through glass); 📷 Create a studio “grid system” for under $300; 📷 Take breathtaking fireworks photos that jump off the screen (and page!); 📷 Produce magazine-quality food photos whether you are at home or eating out; 📷 Capture motion using tracking and Andrew's “Rock & Swing” techniques; 📷 Find the right portable flash unit that meets your needs and budget; 📷 and much, much more!

WANT TO SEE MORE TIPS FROM THE BOOK?  

 CLICK HERE to view Page 74/75 (TIP #21, shown here), where you will see how I used a $10 auto windshield sun shade (and the sun) to create dappled light and "glowing" catchlights in the model's eyes. To see the product page for the same type of windshield shade I used (you can see my assistant holding it at about the same time that I took the portrait shown in the book), visit this page.

 Below, you can see how I captured a great blue heron with a lens not often used for bird photography. Below is the original image (left), and the photo after it was cropped, with its caption from Page 180 (TIP #47). Often (especially with wildlife), there's no time to change lenses! But with a good camera that has at least about a 20 megapixel sensor, you can often crop quite a bit and still retain enough quality to make great-looking prints from your files.