The Brains Behind the Cover

Photographer Andrea J. Walker takes you behind the scenes of this month's cover photo shoot.

Author Brenda Peterson on the West Seattle beach near her home | photography by Andrea J. Walker

City Arts: What were the conditions like that day?

Andrea J. Walker: Beautiful soft Seattle light with breaks of sun! I love shooting under Seattle’s giant softbox of a sky.

Have you ever staged a photo shoot  in similar location?

I did a shoot with a couch in front of train tracks (and the occasional train).

What was the greatest challenge of this shoot?

Having complete creative freedom and wanting to do too many things!

What was it like working with Brenda?

Luckily Brenda was very patient and generous with her time; she is a lovely person and great to work with. She was committed to the creative work. She was also generous with her delicious farmer’s market apple cider! I felt she was a collaborator in the process.

Did you have any “ah ha” moments? In other words, when an idea struck you and realized you had it all figured out?

When thinking about her book and her story, I imagined her living contentedly on the beach after the rapture, happy to be still there. That’s where the living room on the beach idea came from. 

How do you feel the photos turned out?

I was pleased with them and especially happy I had the chance to use 4 x 5 film for an assignment (the cover shot, below) but I always without fail wish I could have done more.

What project are you looking forward to next?

I would like to continue my series of portraits of people with really unusual hair, and I would love to do another assignment for City Arts.

Where can people see more of your work?

www.andreajwalker.com