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Andrew Mielzynski
I’m a passionate and dedicated amateur photographer who fell in love with our craft at a very young age. A family friend first introduced me to photography when I was 12 years old. Since then, my love for this art form has grown stronger and stronger. I have always enjoyed spending time in nature, and photography is a gift that has enabled me to see and appreciate things that I would not have noticed otherwise.
I love to slow down, observe, and discover small, intimate scenes in the natural world. Photography has given me a tremendous amount of joy and the ability to capture a moment in time inspired by nature.
Michéla Griffith
In 2012 I paused by my local river and everything changed. I’ve moved away from what many expect photographs to be: my images deconstruct the literal and reimagine the subjective, reflecting the curiosity that water has inspired in my practice. Water has been my conduit: it has sharpened my vision, given me permission to experiment and continues to introduce me to new ways of seeing.
For this issue, we’re catching up with Andrew Mielzynski, the Natural Landscape Photography Awards’ Photographer of the Year 2024, and the International Landscape Photographer of the Year 2024. Andrew’s practice is rooted close to home in the varied landscapes of Ontario, Canada.
From capturing dynamic sports through street photography to seeking quiet contemplative scenes, Andrew has maintained his enthusiasm for being out with a camera in all weathers. His deliberate and thoughtful methodology often focuses on small, accessible vignettes which have proven to be a sound foundation for his internationally recognised portfolio.
Tell us a little about yourself, Andrew – where did you grow up, what early interests did you have, and what did you go on to do?
I grew up in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. My parents worked very hard, and my two brothers and I were extremely lucky to have a small cottage on Georgian Bay. The Bay is part of the Great Lakes that Canada and the U.S. share. Our cottage faced west, and the sunsets there are spectacular. My mother had a small film camera, and she loved to capture the light at the end of the day, but it wasn’t until a friend of the family showed up with his film Minolta that I really fell in love with photography. I was 12 years old, and our friend, Frank, set up the camera so all I had to do was press the shutter. I managed to make three photographs, and a couple of weeks later Frank showed up with three prints, one of a sunset, one of a couple of flying ducks and one of a frog. They were out of focus and nothing special, but I was amazed that I had made these, and I was hooked!!! I still have these incredible works of art. In those days, very few 12-year-olds had a camera, and I had to wait until I was finished university to buy my first film SLR, a Nikon FA.