Hooked on a Feeling

“The way I found photography was almost by mistake,” recalls Shotti, the acclaimed Bronx-based photographer known for commercial portraits and exploratory street photography. Though he initially wanted a career in music, Shotti’s friends bought him a point-and-shoot camera for his birthday shortly after he graduated college with a degree in music business. At first, he went out to photograph as an excuse to hang out with a girl he liked who was into photography. Gradually, however, an affection for photographic art took hold, and he began to dig deeper. Realizing that photography might be a viable career path, Shotti spent the next year and a half educating himself on photographic techniques before eventually scoring a few small professional gigs.

His initial break came from the music industry, a natural combination of his interests. Shotti took to the work quickly, applying his understanding of musicians and the true identity of each individual beneath their musical personas. He listened deeply to each artist’s music and contemplated its messages. His process helped him communicate with his subjects more authentically and collaborate with them to produce the professional images they wanted to portray.

ATTACHED TO MEMORIES

As his career progressed, Shotti refined his creative process and worked on expanding his range of commercial portrait projects. He investigates what he wants his portraits to convey, as well as what he sees from behind the camera in each subject. It’s not necessarily about trying to depict who someone really is, he explains, or some sense of their true self. The portrait is more about expressing the feeling present the moment the shutter clicks. “Photographing someone’s true self is impossible because we’re not just one thing,” he says. “Not one single person on Earth is always happy or always jealous or always contemplative. It’s very difficult, or impossible, to capture all these different elements in one photograph.”

In Shotti’s view, good portraiture isn’t about putting a subject in a box and declaring, “This is who you are.” Instead, he says, it’s about communicating: “This was something you did. This was something you felt.” The question becomes, Does this photo portray what this person was experiencing at this time? “You are documenting history,” Shotti says. “These images are attached to memories. They are representations of how someone was feeling in a specific moment.”

Shotti asserts that people usually are distracted when they’re being photographed because they are preoccupied with looking good. As a result, they present a façade; they’re lost in their thoughts of trying to display something. “But then, there’s that moment when everything gets dropped,” he says. “The act goes away. That moment is what I capture.” To capture these moments effectively, Shotti builds a strong rapport with the subject. Empathy is critical, he says. Rather than keep his subjects at arm’s length, he treats them as people with whom he is having a shared experience. “I try to relate to them,” he says, and he considers, “Is this person thinking about their future in the way I think about mine? Are they grieving in the way that I have grieved? Are they worried about the same things that worry me? That’s the empathy that allows a stronger connection.”

Of course, when working for a commercial client, Shotti balances that connection with the needs of the project. It is easier to achieve success when capturing images of what you love, Shotti says. “In a commercial context, we work for this person, they have a vision, and they came to us because they believe we can execute that vision,” he adds. “But why do they believe that? Because of something they’ve seen in your work. So shoot what you love. Make your portfolio what you love to do, the kinds of things nobody has to ask you to do. What you put out there in the world is what you’re going to get hired to do.”

SHARING THE WISDOM

The accumulated wisdom of a decade and a half of professional practice didn’t come easily. When Shotti started, shared resources were much more scarce. Trade secrets were guarded jealously. Pricing was a mystery. Photographers share information more readily today, he says, but many communities still lack resources for creative professionals, and other options for education and training may be hidden behind a paywall.

That’s why Shotti founded LR2 Photo Studio in the Bronx, which is both a studio for hire and an incubator for photographers and other local creatives. Spaces for rent include lighting and other equipment and are available by the hour. Shotti also generously shares his own insights and coordinates free educational programs by other photographers who pass along their tips, tricks, and techniques. These programs are crucial to raise up talented young artists who may not have much access to resources, he says.“We’re approaching the creative economy, and you see a lot of people who are able to monetize their creative passions, which is great. When I started in photography 15 years ago, it was not like that,” he says. “There were a lot fewer special programs to help people with a career in the arts. And whatever outreach there was, we weren’t hearing about those resources and opportunities for the arts in the South Bronx.”

Shotti remembers when he was starting out asking photographers how much they charged. Very few were willing to share that information. He says he ran into the same roadblocks when it came to asking about photography techniques. Concealing information from new photographers may seem like a way to protect trade secrets, but when photographers block basic information from each other, it harms the entire industry, Shotti says. For example, if a photographer lacks certain skills or accepts jobs for sub-standard rates because they don’t know any better, it drags down the entire profession. His organization works to change that dynamic.

“At LR2, we try to help people understand these things right out of the gates so they can have a sustainable career,” he says. The studio has turned into a mentoring environment, where people can come to learn about lighting and other photographic techniques, share resources, take workshops, improve their financial literacy, connect with other creatives, and even pass along projects. And it’s all free.

Shotti's efforts at LR2 have drawn widespread recognition, including an achievement award at the United Nations for his work empowering the creative community. The teaching and open sharing of information improve the photography profession and provide opportunities for creatives in underserved communities. “This is something we need to do more: sharing resources, advice, knowledge, and not asking for anything in return other than others do the same,” he says. “Often, people wait until much later in their career to give back, but you’re never too young to teach, because you don’t know what others don’t know. You don’t have to learn everything and be done to start giving back. Now is the time to help others, and that lifts up all of us in so many ways.” 

Jeff Kent is editor-at-large.