Hi Andrew Kerr here!
As the Beatles song goes "What would you do if I sang out of tune? Would you stand up and walk out on me? Lend me your ears and I'll sing you a song, I will try not to sing out of key."
I implore you not to "walk out on me" if this intro to me is somewhat "out of key" I am an introvert by nature and don't really like talking about myself. However, for you, I will try to lay myself proverbially bare so that you can know me a little better.
I was the single dad of two sons. One is considered "Normal" the other is considered special. My boys are both adults now but my youngest son is autistic and functions around the level of a 12 year old. I used to be a plant operator on a petrochemical plant called SASOL, but due to a works injury in 2016 I was declared disabled and put on medical pension.
The news was quite devastating because the neurosurgeon told me that I would not be able to walk, stand, or sit for long periods of time, and that I could not place any strain on my back as the nature of the injury could paralyze me.
At the time I was barely walking and decided that it was either walking upright again or a wheelchair... In between just wouldn't do. I worked out every day, and slowly I stopped walking like a bad extra in a zombie movie. The pain is ever-present but I am back to being a fully functional part of society.
As time passed I turned to photography, my childhood passion, as a therapy for my adjusted way of living. I studied and got a diploma so that I could understand not only the emotional connection but also the technical prowess needed to be more than and adequate photographer.
I have been a professional photographer for 4 years now. Other than photography I love to cook and I grow fruits and vegetables in a greenhouse that I built out of scrap metal. I enjoy tinkering with various DIY projects around the house and because of various skill sets from welding to plumbing to electrical, I am quite the handyman.
I also love writing, I published a novel on amazon called 'Back to life', I have written over 500 Haiku's and twice as many poems in other structures.
I guess that's me... condensed into a few (too many) lines. I hope to be a valuable member on this site because being valueless is the quickest way to obscurity. Not only as a photographer or any of the other parts of me that I will be sharing but also as a contributor to the community at large.