Andrei Crandall

Media : photography

Studio : Crandall Sightings

SDMAAG Member : Artist Member

SDMAAG Member Since : 2012

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Artist's Bio

I was born in a small city in Far Eastern Russia. I moved to Berkeley, California when I was four years old. I learned to communicate in pictures before I learned to communicate in English. I was given my first camera on the plane from Moscow to New York to keep me entertained. I took a lot of pictures of my feet.That first experience with a camera began my love of photography.

I am thirteen years old now and I hope to take pictures to share with the world for the rest of my life. I am lucky enough to have parents who love to travel around the world and take me and my camera with them. I have taken pictures in Fiji, Bermuda, France, Spain, The Virgin Islands, China, Mexico, and several states in the United States.

I attended a French bilingual school for grade school. I now attend Longfellow Middle School in Berkeley where I am on the honor roll. I am fluent in French and English.

I have taken classes at the Berkeley Repertory Theater and University of California Summer Tech Course for photographers. I am mostly a self taught photographer. I take photographs with a Canon Rebel XS. I have been encouraged by my Aunt Maureen and California Professor Sally Stein, UC Irvine. My idol is Ansel Adams who started taking pictures when he was eleven years old.

I am a golfer, a drummer in the school orchestra, a swimmer, a cook and a horseman. I enjoy movies, aviation video games and books about San Francisco and travel. I go to People's Park every Sunday morning to help pour coffee and hand out homemade cookies I make on Saturday night to the homeless. I do this with a group called Night Workers of the Street. I have photographed many of the people that I served and have come to know a number of them. I am also perfecting my oatmeal, chocolate chip, raisin cookie recipe. Some say it's the only homemade thing they have eaten in years.

My photograph of a single jellyfish taken at the Monterrey Bay Acquarium, was chosen as one of the pictures of the month for the Southwest Airlines Spirit Magazine in the April 2010 issue.

I have sold my photographs in the Collector's Gallery in Berkeley, CA. I have had three private shows in the Better Homes and Garden gallery in Berkeley and at the Hermosa Salon, also in Berkeley. Collectors in France, New York, Florida, Fiji, South Carolina, Florida, Chicago, Calfornia, Portland, Wisconsin and Arizona have purchased my photographs.

I am lucky and honored to be one of the youngest members of the San Diego Museum of Art Artist Guild.

For a summer project in 2012 I shadowed the Mayor of Berkeley, California for a day. I photographed him from the time he had his last cup of coffee at home to him riding public transportation, greeting people on the street, participating in public and private meetings and working with his staff in City Hall. A show of my photographs the Mayor liked the best were displayed in the gallery at Better Homes and Garden in Berkeley and at Cafe Clem for a fundraiser for the Mayor's re-election campaign. The Mayor also put a slideshow I created of several of my photos of the day I spent with him on his Facebook page. This was a huge honor and one that my school principle congratulated me about.

On July 3, 2012, I shadowed California State Senator Loni Hancock for the day. I was priviledged to have full access to her working with other Senators and her staff for the entire day. I did my best to work like my hero photographer Pete Souza. Mr. Souza is the photographer to the President and his goal is to become invisible but to capture the moments that are making history.

I have been offered an internship with the Official California State Senate photographer for the summer of 2013. Ms.Shelley offered me the position after she saw my work from my days shadowing Mayor Bates and Senator Hancock and my acceptance into the Artist Guild. I feel honored to be chosen and to be one of the youngest interns offered this position.

I will also be the youngest intern with The Companion Group this summer in Berkeley. The company is biking distance from my house. I will have an opportunity to learn a number of different aspects of their design and manufacturing of their products. I will also be able to work with their marketing department and on photo shoots. Chuck Adams is giving me a chance to prove that fourteen year olds can be on time, work hard and hopefully add to his very cool company. ( They have a ping pong table and he buys lunch once a week!)

In November 2012 I was sworn in as a Berkeley Youth Commissioner after being nominated by Berkeley Mayor Bates. I will attend monthly meetings and hopefully will promote arts for Berkeley youth. On March 23rd we had our first Youth Conference. I designed the T-Shirt for the conference. It wasn't something that I had done before but I had fun doing it. I was awared a certificate by the Mayor of Berkeley at a ceremony at UC Berkeley's International House on May 17, 2013, recognizing me for my community service. I think it made my parents proud.

Every Friday morning before school I have breakfast at the Homemade Cafe in Berkeley with my mom. We read the San Francisco Chronicle's business and sports sections together at the counter and say hello to the staff. I was invited at the end of last year to show my photographs at the Homemade Cafe this spring. My solo show is up now and will show through June 2013. The entire show is of the Homemade Cafe- the food, the staff, the people and the coffee. I think I captured the feeling of this favorite Berkeley restaurant. It's a great place to eat, meet friends and hang out.

I hope to study photojournalism in college. I would like to teach photography at a University. I also want to be the photographer to the President of the United States someday.