Barbara Gordon: The date is Saturday March 7, 2009;
We are currently with Knoxville-based photographer Andy Jenny, being interviewed by Barbara Gordon, on the set of "Beauty is through the lens of the Photographer".
It is a pleasure to have you with us Ms. Jenny.

Andy Jenny: Pleasure to be here, thanks for having me.

BG: I would like to start out with a few questions on your Transition into photography.

AJ: Sure.

BG: At what age, Ms. Jenny, did you stumble upon your first camera?

AJ: Honestly, I believe I always really used my father's film camera. I was so young, I would just take photographs of things like my toys and my feet. Also, my parents would always have parties, and purchased disposable cameras to capture those moments with their friends, and they always had an extra one for me.

BG: Do you still have any of those old photos?

AJ: Heh, I'm positive they're stashed away in a shoebox somewhere at my parent's house. I am getting pretty old, so I doubt many of them are looking as good as they did twenty years ago.

BG: How soon did it take for you to realize photography was growing on you?

AJ: My dad was always a big artist, and I believe he just kind of raised me with photography and art being a big part of life. So, I've always considered it my favorite hobby, but only in the last 10 years or so has it become the biggest part of my life, completely. Well, second to drinking, I should say.

BG: Lovely. So did you know that in the future you would pursue this art? Or was it more of a random "calling"?

AJ: Well, I think maybe this should call for the short story of how "Andy Jenny" began to come alive. How would that be?

BG: That would be very nice indeed.

AJ: Well, this may be a bit of a disappointment, but... there really was no major spectacle, it all just kind of fell into place. I was in a large group of friends, Halloween night, 2005; so, obviously this is all still kind of fresh. At this time, I was heavily enjoying the music of The Killers, and I met a very young girl who was basing her costume on their "Hot Fuss" album. So she and I began talking, and I, like usually, had a few drinks and maybe a few hits of whatever the drug of the night was, and I had said I was trying to break out of the general business photography, such as weddings and social events, that I had been doing previously. So, I wanted to create a name, sort of an alter-ego, but in reality, was just me, being able to be myself. Which is kind of odd if you think about it. I had to act like a lady for my business under my real name, but I could be the raging alcoholic and crazy woman under another.
So, we combined two songs by The Killers, which also has the same first sounds as my real, birth name. And, I basically fell in love with this girl, and I made her my assistant of sorts, and I really credit her with all of this, because I certainly never would have considered it, and would eventually have given up.
Nowadays, she has her own alter-ego, Catherine Cocaine, but I will always know her as quiet and attractively odd Stacey Collins.

BG: That’s a very interesting anecdote. I think it gives everyone a better look into this woman known as Andy Jenny.
Which also brings me to my next question...
When did you decide you were going to establish your own personal business?

AJ: Previously, I started pretty young. My parents had moved around a lot, until they finally settled in Richfield, Ohio, which, I hated with a passion. So, I was about 16 or 17 at the time, and I left, went back to San Francisco, where my dad still had a lot of people who would purchase his art, and hire him for events. So I started working at weddings, parties, and parades. My husband had gotten me a fake ID, so I wormed my way into bars and did business for them, in exchange for little cash and lots of free booze.
As Andy Jenny, I never considered anything I do as a "business," because I'm very strict about us being non-profit, because this is my way of capturing my life and the lives of people who truly inspire me. I don't pay them, they don't pay me. The way I see it is, I get paid to photograph other people's lives, and that's the money I use to make a living. But under the Andy Jenny name, that's going right back to personal things, that I can share with everyone, not just the people who hired me. And I find it's also a way for my models to let some artistic energy out, when they feel they aren't really capable of doing so.
So, basically, under my real name, it's about means to survive, but under Andy Jenny... it's just living.

BG: Do you feel like you've been achieving the things that you were looking to achieve thus far?

AJ: Oh, absolutely. I really am doing what I love, and from what I hear, people actually know of me now. I guess that means I'm good at what I do, or maybe my girls and boys just have big mouths.

BG: Haha, well either way, I don't think your work is going unrecognized.

AJ: Well, thank you, I really appreciate that.

BG: You are most certainly welcome. When and where was your very first photo shoot, as Andy?

AJ: That Halloween night, I believe. It definitely was not quite as grand as we try and do it now, because it was basically in this tight space, in a bathroom, I believe, trying to get away from everyone, and I just shot Catherine's makeup as best I could, with her digital camera. But like every other shoot, we usually just pick one photograph, and I remember seeing the one we chose, and it was just an immediate, "Oh, yes, this is definitely it!"
And I still have that photographed in a hidden folder, which, one of my models, Taylor, gave the name "That Folder," which I agree, I think we all have, with old photographs that you aren't quite ready to get rid of just yet, and you like to take a look every now and then, and see all the feedback you received. And it's slightly embarrassing, because it's not my best work, however, it's something I'm greatly proud of all at the same time.

BG: That's amazing. That's how everything comes together. How are most of your stages/shoots set up?

AJ: Heh, well, I'd like to say, we do it big at Andy Jenny, because in my dreams of shoots, it's a large arena of sorts... however, like I said previously, we're non-profit, which is kind of a fancy way of saying we're broke. So, the general locations of our shoots take place in open parks and fields, in downtown areas of whatever city the particular model lives in (because now we've expanded beyond Knoxville and Tennessee), or models homes.
Hopefully, someday, I'd like to use a large storage building and set up two or three separate shoots, at the same time. This would only be made better if one of them was of a band, because there have been quite a few who I really would like to work with, and they aren't exactly MTV-recognized, but I really think that makes them all the much better.

BG: That's true. Good exposure for everyone.

AJ: Exactly, and these bands, I really do enjoy, and I would love, love, love to meet them.
(Which, the music of many will appear in the upcoming Andy Jenny Documentary.)

BG: Is there a certain feel of mood or atmosphere that you like to create when you work or start shooting?

AJ: I try and keep it as comfortable as possible. Because most of my models aren't actually "models" at all, they're just normal girls and boys, right out of, or even still in, high school and college. So, sometimes they get uncomfortable, and I like to make it as small a number of people as possible. There's a really good example, a few years ago, around Thanksgiving, we were setting up a Christmas shoot at a local high school's dressing room. And there was a large number of people in there with us; it was almost like a little party. But we only had one model, and she didn't really know everyone, so she was slightly nervous. So, before I shot her, I made sure it was just me, her, and her best friend. I also had the makeup artist close by in case we needed her.
So I am really concerned about my models and making them feel like they can trust me. Because the camera catches everything; a still photo can show you being stiff and nervous, so I like them to be relaxed.

BG: How many models do you have signed currently?

AJ: Oh, I couldn't even tell you... I would have to get out the, um, "Handy Dandy Andy Jenny Notebook," which is lost somewhere in Catherine's room...
And because of that, also, we have a few currently unsigned, but, I guess honorary models of sorts.
But we have them in a few places, mostly located in Knoxville, and surrounding cities, but there are a couple in Ohio, which is also the home of quite a large group of people I want to photograph, but don't exactly want to sign.

BG: I’ve gotcha. Are you searching for new models to sign?

AJ: Well, there's quite the process to getting signed. Here's what you do if you would like to: Never ask. Because asking to be a model for Andy Jenny is an automatic "no." To become one, I have to be the one who wants you to model for me, or by recommendation from one of my three co-photographers, or two representatives. I usually don't take recommendations from my models, and in some cases, have actually had my models tell me NOT to sign some of their very best friends.

BG: What is it that you look for in a model?

AJ: Basically, I think I could make anyone beautiful, but I've seemed to have lucked out, and have an amazing-looking group. So, I'd like to say it doesn't matter what they look like, because something that most of my models share is a passion for art and photography, and a strong inspiration in music, which is a big foundation for me. Also, my models have to be trustworthy, I have to really get to know them and know for certain they won't betray me. But this is also good to have an $800 lawsuit written into the contracts, to assure this won't take place, heh.

BG: Has anyone ever broken the terms of an Andy Jenny contract?

AJ: We did have a situation a few years ago, where one of our models betrayed a fellow model, and wasn't considered a part of the Andy Jenny elite anymore. This was a breech in trust, which led to the contract having a red mark, and she's no longer with us.

BG: That’s sad to hear. How are the relationships you have with your other models?

AJ: Most of my models, I'm actually friends with, and there are some I don't really associate myself with other than for the sake of the photography. There have been a couple cases I signed solely for their looks, and certainly not their personality, heh.

BG: What do you look for in your representatives/assistants and other photographers?

AJ: The representatives I have now, just kind of came about... I had the most trust in those two, and I knew they would be a big help, and I knew they were responsible with contracts, getting models signed, getting shoots set up, and everything that needed to be done. As for my other photographers... I can't be at every shoot, especially for unsigned people, such as musicians and bands. So, I've "hired" Adam Purkey to do this for me, and for those that he can not do, usually for schedule conflicts and the fact most of the bands I enjoy and like to shoot reside and perform in Ohio, so I have someone as a basic stand-in. My other photographers are signed models that I admire the work in photography I've seen them do, so I wanted to be partnered with them, it was truly all my honor that they agreed.

BG: Very smart move. Even though you do have written contracts, are there still certain guidelines on the set that you have?

AJ: Well, it's actually stated in the contract, photo shoot rules, that on set, you address me as Andy, but if we're around a lot of people, you can just call my normal name. And never tell me what to do; I hate that, especially if you're just a model. I know that sounds rude, but it is really frustrating. That's honestly pretty much all I ask.

BG: I understand. How does all of your crew get along with each other?

AJ: Well, we've had some rough times over the years... and there's been a lot of drama in the Andy Jenny circle. So, not all of our models get along, and there's some shared hatred between quite a large number of them. But for the most part, I think we can usually put it all aside if we ever have a group shoot or group activity. At least, I really hope, heh.

BG: We've covered almost everything in this interview so far. We have a few candid questions from some other admirers.

AJ: Alright, sounds good.

BG: What inspires you, and where do you get that inspiration?

AJ: I'm heavily inspired by music, and I actually go through different phases of what types of music I listen to. That usually inspires different sets. We've had some based on Britney Spears, and are actually moving onto a full set, each photograph based on individual songs from Cursive's Happy Hollow. This has actually been planned for almost a year...so whether is gets done or not...
But outside of music, my models really do inspire me, and only recently have I started giving them a little bit more freedom in directing shoots, and planning them out, and I just capture their ideas the best I can.

BG: So what do you prefer not be apart of your photography?

AJ: I'm going to steal a line from Catherine... "I don't like ugly people!"
I try to keep a sort of unconventional beauty, and make it glamorous. So, to be honest, I don't want normal, I want something and someone different. Because that leads to so much more for me.

BG: I see. So what was the very first piece of photography that stole your heart?

AJ: Well... My dad loved 1970's music, like David Bowie, Lou Reed, the Rolling Stones... and Mick Rock was actually pretty successful in San Francisco for a long time, including my childhood. So, where normal kids would have photos of them as babies, family portraits, and nice little pictures of their dogs, my hippie parents had a big, blown up, framed poster of David Bowie applying makeup for his full Ziggy Stardust show. And I used to try and imitate him, boa and all, even into my teenage years.
This was actually strong inspiration and connection in my first shoot as Andy Jenny. Catherine's makeup was slightly based off of Bowie's in that phase, and was one of the first people I had met in Knoxville that shared my love of Mick Rock.

BG: That's amazing.

AJ: It's almost unreal, in fact.

BG: This whole interview has been quite impressive and successful. It has been my pleasure interviewing you Ms. Jenny.

AJ: I'm very excited we were able to redo this... because last time was a bit distracting.

BG: It was.

AJ: Thank you very much, Ms. Gordon, this means a lot to me. I appreciate it.

The High Fashion shoots are going to be taking place very soon, as soon as many of my models are on break, or graduation (which, for most is this Saturday, and a BIG congratulations to those!) and we are able to shoot.

Now, you may wonder why it's been a process. These shoots will include nudity.
For Myspace, they will be edited for under 18 members.

Look for a website soon, possibly.
I need money and design support before I begin this project.

Now, the reason I am really posting this, is because I need your help.
I'm looking for large masks to use in these sets.
Animal heads, gas masks, etc.

If you can supply them, and you live in the Knoxville area, please message me and we will work out something as soon as possible.

Thanks!

- Andy Jenny