We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Ashton Sotiro a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Ashton, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. What’s been the most meaningful project you’ve worked on?

My most meaningful project has been my Greek myth series. This is a series of editorial portraiture that pulls inspiration from figures and stories in Greek mythology, and retelling them through a modern photographic lens. As a kid, I was really into Greek mythology. I’m part Greek-Cypriot, so I think it was my way of connecting with my background and having something unique that I could identify with. I loved fantasy and was obsessed with Harry Potter, so reading stories of heroes and sea monsters and goddesses was the most exciting thing to me.

I began this series as a way to help keep me inspired in my creative portrait work, and in executing these photoshoots, I realized how special it felt to me compared to any other creative work I had done. Greek mythology is embedded in so much modern culture, and my favorite thing about it is that it’s been used by countless others as inspiration for art, music, literature, film and more, but there is no “right answer” for how it should be portrayed. In my series, I adapt the figures and stories in my own lens, intentionally and emotionally, waiving most of the pre-existing stereotypical imagery associated with them.

Telling these stories in a series of photographs is so meaningful to me because I can combine my love for mythology, individualism, and art together to create something that is totally unique, and if someone sees my work and loves it like I do, that is enough for me to know that I am a successful artist.

Ashton, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I am a creative portrait photographer for artists and couples, and I’m based in Washington DC.

I was always that “creative kid” growing up, because I really liked art and was pretty decent at it. Always doodling on folders, always off to an after-school art class, always volunteering in group projects to be the “drawer”. It was to the point where my elementary school art teacher fully expected me to pursue art later on. However, as I grew older, I stopped painting and drawing as much because I lacked the patience to really take my time with it. I just wanted my work to be finished as soon as I picked up my pencil. I felt like I had such a wasted talent because it was such a big part of my childhood identity. In college, I discovered photography as a means of generating content for one of my club’s Instagram accounts. It was a programming board that brought concerts to campus. I truly just wanted to help our marketing efforts, but during one event, I ended up with a photo pass and I got to photograph Misterwives, an up-and-coming indie band at the time. Looking at my camera screen and seeing the shots I got immediately shifted something in me. I was doing the coolest thing in the world. I was capturing moments that could never happen again. I was creating something that no one else was creating.

That was the day my photography career began. This form of art was different from any other medium I had worked with. Maybe it’s because of the steps involved. Ideation, planning, shooting, editing. None of it made me feel impatient in the same way painting and drawing had. I still haven’t discovered what that unique element is, but I just know that on that day, the sleeping artist inside of me had woken up hungry to create.

Live music was my biggest passion, and I eventually explored portraiture in the form of graduate sessions, headshots, and couples sessions, earning a couple bucks here and there. I liked working with my colleagues and friends and capturing their happiest moments. I liked capturing the music artists on stage, their faces showing the deepest and truest emotions as they were doing what they loved in front of thousands. Capturing those emotions felt like my superpower.

After I graduated, I started shooting creative portraits for fun with my friends, and I continued to chase that high from capturing emotion in my subjects. I was never extremely outgoing, but meeting up with new people to shoot and direct them felt second-nature to me. I craved photoshoots more and more often. I developed a modern-classical and editorial style, very different from music photography, but I loved it just the same. After three years of exploring the art of photography, I felt like I was fully realizing my childhood artistic talent.

I never intended on turning it into a career. I truly just loved displaying my artwork for others to see. Despite my modesty, my inquiries started growing and growing until I realized that my artwork was worth something. People saw what I was producing, and genuinely wanted to work with me because of it. 2022 was the year that I finally created a separate Instagram account for my work, invested in a brand and web designer, and took business matters more seriously than I had been. I decided to market myself as a creative portrait photographer for artists and couples, the two demographics I felt most excited to work with. At the time, I had no idea how much these steps would propel me forward as an artist and a business.

Now, I own and operate Ashton Sotiro Photography LLC, and I am fueled by individuality and creativity. I work with clients who are just as excited to create as I am. I use my love for capturing emotion to influence my artwork and tell a story with each photo. I aim to inspire and teach, and I will always be eager to pick up my camera and create.

How did you build your audience on social media?

As an ex-social media manager, I was actually extremely hesitant to create separate social media accounts for my business. I was worried that this was the move that would make photography feel less fulfilling and more like a job. Like a burden, even. But when I bit the bullet and made those accounts, it felt so freeing. And with that freedom, I was able to post all of my work and form a clear and cohesive brand for myself.

Posting work frequently is one of the strategies I live by, because it also motivates me to keep creating shoot after shoot. There’s a lot of pressure in posting the perfect picture, but I think that the more you post, the better accustomed you get to social media, and the less pressure you feel. This doesn’t necessarily mean that you should post every photo you take, especially if you do a shoot that isn’t up to par with your work, or isn’t in the niche you want to target, but this does mean keeping up a consistent presence. Consistency means more opportunity to circulate on social media. The more you circulate, the more chance you have of attracting your dream client.

I think social media should be seen as a creative outlet rather than a marketing tool. That was my approach from the beginning. I wanted to display a piece of my heart and mind in my own space, like when you walk into someone’s home and see a gallery wall filled with pictures from their travels or life milestones. When your approach is so personal and heartfelt, you’re going to attract an audience because you’re offering something totally unique, relatable, and interesting to accompany your photos.

What’s been the best source of new clients for you?

Surprisingly enough, Tiktok is where 90% of my inquiries come in! I created a Tiktok account for my photography in October of last year, and I gave myself a goal to try to post every day. Since then, I’ve been able to reach a huge amount of interested potential clients in my area. I am hovering around 1800 followers, which isn’t too much by Tiktok standards, but I’m leaving an impactful impression on those who do follow me or come across my work. I like Tiktok as a platform because your content has a higher chance of being shown to someone new than on Instagram, and that’s a really powerful tool for those who want to reach the right niches.

Contact Info:

• Website: ashsotiro.com
• Instagram: @ashsotiro.photo | https://www.instagram.com/ashsotiro.photo/
• Facebook: Ashton Sotiro Photography | https://www.facebook.com/ashsotiro/
• Linkedin: Ashton Sotiro | https://www.linkedin.com/in/ashton-sotiro/
• Other: Tiktok: @ashsotiro.photo | https://www.tiktok.com/@ashsotiro.photo

Image Credits
Photographer (for Personal Photo and photo showing writing / mythology book): Dani Brophy All other photos taken by me.