Andrew Kornylak: The Moves

Stay alert. The moves are going to happen. If you miss them, you may not get another chance.

When you do the kind of adventure photography Andrew Kornylak does, there are always going to be great moments and great moves—the reach, the grip, the expression—but there are also going to be limitations. “I have to keep the athlete in mind—that’s the first thing,” Andrew says. “Then there’s the weather, the environment, the degree of difficulty. I can be shooting a professional climber for a magazine article, and I hope he can do what I need him to do so I get the right shot. Sometimes I need a person to climb the whole course just to recreate something awesome that happened the first time up but that I just didn’t get—or didn’t get well enough. That’s not always possible, and if it is, I still can’t be asking a person to climb something ten times so I can get my shot.” 

Andrew is an experienced climber, but photography was in his life first—both his father and grandfather were enthusiastic hobbyists. He discovered a love of climbing while in college. In 2001 he gave up a career as a software engineer to become a professional photographer. Today he shoots for climbing magazines and gear manufacturers and has recently added editorial coverage of lifestyle, environment and technology subjects to his assignments.

He’s also taught workshops in which he applies his adventure photography experience to his students’ varied photo interests. “The best way to go is to shoot what you understand very well or are passionate about,” he says. “That way you’ll have the best perspective on what looks authentic, what’s been done and what’s yet to be done creatively. If you really love something, you’ll be out there shooting all the time; if you’re not out there shooting, you’re not learning.”

One thing Andrew’s learned is to simplify. At one time much of his climbing photography involved elaborate production setups and gear that included medium-format cameras and studio strobes.

“I’ve been paring things down,” he says, “going for a simpler, more natural approach.” He recently added a D3 and D700 to his D2X and now pretty much depends on SB-800s for his lighting needs. “I’m actually doing a lot less flash because of the low-light capability of the D3 and D700. It’s significantly changed the way I approach light in situations with poor lighting. All of a sudden I’ve got three or four more stops of light, so sometimes I don’t use flash at all.”

He likes to “stay within the comfort level” with equipment. “I always suggest that people really know how to work with what they’ve got before adding more. If I want to explore a subject, I’ll go out with a D700 and a 50mm lens and make that work. It’s a good exercise—it forces you to focus on the subject and get the best image you can.”

Andrew’s adventure and lifestyle photographs are featured at his website, www.akornphoto.com. You’ll also find an example of the stop-motion photography he’s done with his D3 by clicking on the Multimedia heading.

”If you’re not out there shooting all the time, you’re not learning.”