Carol Andrews
M.Photog.Cr., ABI
PPA Member since 1986
Shoots: Portraits
Location: Houston, TX

• Read her bio.
• Read her Board Spotlight interview (April 2007), featured in Professional Photographer magazine.

Bio
A PPA member since 1986, Carol has served many roles in professional photography. For instance, she has been a PPA Studio Management Services Consultant in 2005 and 2006. And in addition to her membership in the Texas Professional Photographers Association (of which she was on the Board) and leadership in different PPA committees, she was the 2006 Chairman of the PPA Business Initiative Committee.

Carol's ability to soulfully connect with her subjects on an individual basis has earned her the reputation for being the "Queen of Hearts,” with all she embraces in her photography, consulting, and coaching, as well as her life. Her studio in Texas knows her as one who loves the magic in photographs…and you can see it in her work. Her award-winning photography has been juried and accepted at the world’s largest exhibition of photography, Fotofest, not to mention exhibitions at Epcot, in Germany, and various PPA Loan Collections.

Board Spotlight, April 2007
Bigger than a Camera…
By Angela Wijesinghe

Carol Andrews didn’t choose photography as her first career. Or her second. She “inherited” it.

Her late husband introduced her to photography and the idea of owning her own business. After they found (as many couples do) that love doesn’t always mean you can learn together, Carol went to PPA’s Winona School for her first official photography class. Alas, she became addicted. She “fell in love with the art…the visual magic,” and another professional photographer was born.

Throughout her entire career, Carol has served as a PPA volunteer. She started as a “Call Girl” in the telephone committee of her local Houston Guild (yes, they are quite proud of that name). Carol believes in “paying it forward,” and ten years ago she was on the receiving end of that philosophy. Facing the heartache of a terrible tragedy—the death of her spouse—she had to pick up the reigns of their photography business. Nonetheless, her Guild was there for her. They supported Carol until she was strong enough to stand on her own. And they did the same thing when she suffered a horrible car accident. That accident even made her miss the Awards Ceremony where she was to receive her Craftsman Degree. But, in one of Carol’s most memorable moments, the Houston Guild flew her sponsor, Ann Monteith, into town to personally present her degree. That kind of support and thoughtfulness helped her realize that her association was no longer a business organization…it had become a family.

As Carol says, “To me, photography is bigger than a camera. It’s about the choices we make. It’s a family.” In fact, one of her passions is teaching, for she sees it as a way to give back to her family. When a photographer writes her a thank-you note, saying they “made it,” it solidifies the connection, making what she believes in even more real.

Being on PPA’s board of directors “feels like a good purpose in my life,” she muses. “I believe that when your heart is truly in the right place, good things come to you.” She holds the memory of the support she’s received throughout her career…and the dreams of the support she wants to give to others. To her, there is no difference in her local Houston board and PPA’s national board of directors. The purpose is the same: making a difference and helping others—helping them feel the connection to this PPA family and realize that photography truly is “bigger than a camera.”