We were lucky to catch up with Sam Skelton recently and have shared our conversation below.
Sam, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. I’m sure there have been days where the challenges of being an artist or creative force you to think about what it would be like to just have a regular job. When’s the last time you felt that way? Did you have any insights from the experience?
I am very grateful for where I am at right now in life and my photography career. I have had lots of great opportunities that allowed my work to shine and for those who have been supporting my work I am very thankful for. Although there are lots of positives and negatives as a creative, which goes for any job anyone has, there are times in which being a creative can be stressful. I am very happy being a photographer, but for a while there are times where I get into my own head about the work that I want to be published and this can kill the flow in which my photos are released. Figuring out various ideas to bring to life and how I want my viewers to interpret the work is a challenge and can take me weeks or even months to figure out the perfect idea.
I treat my career as a regular job. I need to be on top of my work, whether it’s connecting with photographers in my area or planning releases that I want to put out at a certain time. I haven’t had that thought about having a regular job as I still work in the restaurant business and balance that with finishing up my last year at college. Balance is a huge key to success and being able to focus on multiple things at once can be beneficial if done in a timely manner. I like to be transparent when asked about my career and I’ll say this, comparison can be the thief of joy and my own head has led me to slowing down on the work I do. I have spent the last few months figuring out the direction I want to take my career and my photography work and I have landed on publishing work that I personally find enjoyable to shoot.
Whether there’s a concept or not, I want the photography work that is published to be interpreted by the viewers in their own way. Letting the viewers make their own story about what might be happening is how I want my work to be seen. I’ll still continue to do concert photography, personal portrait shoots and other work that I enjoy but I have to remember to not compare my work to someone who has been in the industry for years. I am happy to be a photographer and it allows me to bring what I see to real life and challenges me to get out and explore the world.
Sam, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
My name is Sam Skelton, I am currently twenty two and I grew up in Indianapolis, IN but I now live in Nashville, TN. I have been within the photography/creative industry for around 4 years but I have been shooting with a camera since 2017. I specialize in concert photography and have worked with many acclaimed music artists who fall under various different genres. I started to get into the music industry as a photographer back during my freshman year of college when my friend Edgar, also known by his musician name Midwxst, was going on tour. At the time, I knew I wanted to be involved in the music industry as a photographer. I had a big dream to shoot concert photos and a big inspiration to me is Cole Bennett, owner of the music video company Lyrical Lemonade. His growth and being able to build a music-centered company from the ground up inspired me to do the same but with photos. I found my passion for photography while taking multiple photo classes throughout high school and I love listening to music, so incorporating music into my art felt natural. I didn’t have experience in shooting concert photos but I was very blessed and grateful for Edgar to allow me to shoot a few of his shows.This opened a new door for me. I was able to network with other creatives in the music industry such as musicians, photographers and managers while at these shows, and being able to show my work allowed me to get connected and shoot for other artists.
From there I was able to build a portfolio that I was proud of, and this provided an opportunity for me to start shooting more content for bands at my college and portraits of friends that needed photography work done. I started doing client based shooting in Nashville, TN, which is where I live now. Since it’s a music city, my location made it easier to reach out to artists who needed work done. I remember back during my Freshman year I would be traveling almost every other weekend to different cities to shoot content. Being able to work hard and take risks at an early age truly helped me get to where I am today. I have met very talented individuals who work in the music industry and learning from them has further helped me understand how photographers fit within the creative world. A lot of artists need photographers, as it’s a way for them to visually represent a rollout for a single or album that they are wanting to release.
In my work, I like the audience to feel like they are in the photo and drawing emotion is a big emphasis for me. A lot of concert photography incorporates the fans, as they bring emotion to the work just as much as the artist does. Connecting both the audience and artist in the work allows me to capture the energy that was present at the time and to show how much these fans care for the artist that they listen to. What sets my work apart from others is how my photos are specialized towards the artist I am shooting. I like to color grade and style a theme in my work for a specific artist in order to show the viewers the type of crowd they are pulling in. I am very proud and grateful to have opportunities to share my work and story with others, as a big thing for me is inspiring others to follow their passion. All it takes is to get out there and try, as you never know what opportunities are calling your name. Go and be creative, the biggest thing holding you back is yourself and it’s important to follow through with a passion one has. I still struggle with figuring out what my next piece of work should be, but I feel as if that makes me stronger and pushes me to think outside the box. Putting myself in uncomfortable situations that I am not familiar with is hard, but I like the challenge. It only further helps me grow as both a person and a photographer.
What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?
The most rewarding part about being a creative is the support that I get on my photographs, and how I am able to inspire others to follow their passion. The opportunities I’ve had helped me grow as a photographer, and being able to see how people react to my work means a lot. Showing my work in either articles or in a studio space provides a chance for my art to mean something to my community, and I hope that those who view my photography are able to connect with it. I hope to continue to keep inspiring people to be creative.
How did you build your audience on social media?
Growing an audience on social media can be challenging at times. When I first started out I had a low follower count, but I was more determined about the art that I was planning on showing. The biggest lesson that I learned is that it takes time to grow an audience, and still to this day I am learning more about how I want to structure my future work. Despite having very few social media followers at the time, I kept posting photo series that I enjoyed making which lead to more people viewing my art. Having a portfolio of your creative work is important as well. It’s better to show work that you enjoyed making, even if you may not think it’s the greatest, than not showing any work at all. I started to grow more of an audience my Freshman year of college when I was consistently posting concert photography photos and reaching out to musicians in Nashville. I not only did concert photos, but also did portrait photography. This helped me get my name out there as more people would ask me to take their photos when they saw my work. My biggest piece of advice for those starting out and wanting to build a social media presence would be to start consistently posting. The more work that you publish to the public the more chances it has to be seen. Despite what industry you may be in, make it a habit to network with creatives in that field and to reach out to others to collaborate on work. It’s worth it in the end and can lead to a pathway of new connections that can only further help you achieve your goals.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://sam-skelton-portfolio.squarespace.com
- Instagram: _samskelton_
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sam-skelton-882586204
