production — ANDREW DAVID WATSON BLOG | Director of Photography | Cinematographer | NYC, NY | Gear, tech, travel. — Andrew David Watson | Director of Photography | Cinematographer

As a kid I was obsessed with Texas. My grandfather was an East Coast cowboy and filled me with fantastic tales of the west. I even had my mom write to the Texas tourism board for booklets on the state. Years later when I made it to Austin, Dallas, Houston & San Antonio for shoots I felt like I had been lied to as a kid. Major cities, urban sprawl and no real cowboys. Well, I finally got to experience the Texas I always imagined as a kid, and that Texas is 9 hours west of the major cities in towns like Fort Davis and in the country side outside Marfa. Thanks to my radically awesome friend Bennet Barbakow I ended up in Marfa, Texas on a shoot last month. Marfa is a funky artsy town located in the middle of NOWHERE Texas. But thats the point. The isolation is part of what makes Marfa, Marfa. Since learning about Marfa a few years ago I have always wanted to go, but never had a good reason to make the trip (7 hours from San Antonio and 3 hours from El Paso… its tough to get too). We were only in Marfa for a few days but I made the most of it. I spent nights wondering around the town shooting some stills and the days gawking at the beautiful landscapes. The USA continues to amaze me with some of the most beautiful and diverse landscapes in the world.

I love the mix of projects I'm lucky enough to work on. From the studios in Manhattan to the salt flats of Bolivia to the Yukon river delta, I have really worked in a wild range of places and conditions... and I have a new one to add. Back in April I headed down to Panama for 2 weeks of production on a History Channel shoot with my friends at Radiant Features. We spent two weeks filming the new Panama Canal construction zone, which is the new set of locks being built to accommodate super freighters. The construction site is the size of THREE! Empire State building laid on its side. The best part was the fact we got to film in sections of the site, which once finished, will be under water for possibly the rest of human history. Pretty cool! The shoot was a blast, but also some of the toughest conditions I have worked in. We were essentially working in a cement plant the entire time (aka endless dust). We were also dealing with Central American sun and humidity, not to mention extremely dangerous situtations (ever been clipped in to scaffolding 14 stories up while guys are pouring cement next to you?). Hire me for a gig and I’ll tell you some more stories!