Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Carly Scaduto. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Carly, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today We’d love to hear how you think where to draw the line in terms of asking friends and family to support your business – what’s okay and what’s over the line?
I couldn’t do what I do without the support of my family and friends. My husband and children generously support me and allow me to take the time on the weekends to follow my passion. My parents often watch the kids when I photo shoot schedule conflicts with other activities. So many of my friends and former colleagues have trusted me with their family photos. So many people in my network have recommended me or referred me to their networks. I’m so grateful for all the support I have received along the way!
Carly, 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’m Carly Scaduto- a wife, mom to two beautiful children (I have a son who is 8 and a daughter who is 4), a full time communications professional, a pianist, former piano teacher and a part time professional photographer. I’m a creative person to my core and from a very young age have loved art, music, writing and photography.
For the purpose of this interview, I’ll focus on my most recent endeavor – Carly Scaduto Photography.
While I have always loved taking pictures and following photographers (before there was social media!), my personal photography journey began back in 2014 when I was pregnant with my son. I had this innate desire to learn to take nice, professional-looking photos of him as he grew and decided to buy my first “fancy” camera – a step up from a point and shoot, one where I challenged myself to learn to take control and eventually learn to shoot in manual mode. Over the years I took classes, joined several Facebook photography groups, watched a lot of Youtube videos and learned by practicing along the way. In those early years I really was just learning as I went, not always knowing what I did that made the pictures turn out the way they did! Once I had my daughter, my photography skills really took off with so many opportunities to document both kids along the way. When she was about 1 (in October of 2019), I felt like I had outgrown my camera and was ready to upgrade to a full frame mirrorless camera and boy did that supercharge my skills and interests. Fast forward a couple months to March of 2020 and suddenly my whole family was home with each other 24/7 which meant I always had my camera around to document our time together – bubbles, playing in the back yard, biking around the neighborhood – you get the idea. I also blame the pandemic for my expensive habit of buying other people’s used lenses off facebook marketplace. The more lenses, the more time together, the more I wanted to take photos of everything. I was that mom- taking the camera to the playground, to the soccer games, to every outing we had as a family. I just LOVED documenting and improving my skills as I went.
Then in the spring of 2021, I randomly saw an add on social media about a company called Shoott looking to hire local freelance photographers. At the time I wasn’t looking for a professional opportunity – but something about that ad caught my attention and intrigued me. I don’t know why, but I decided on a whim to apply for it thinking they would never consider me as I was just a hobby photographer at that point. But to my surprise, they contacted me for an interview and I proceeded to go through a very rigorous interview and vetting process including finding my own random client for a test shoot! I was excited and nervous and a bit conflicted as I worked full time, had two young kids and wasn’t sure how I would balance it all. Plus I really didn’t believe in myself and my skills at that point. Sure, my friends and family always complimented my photos, but I didn’t have a non-biased validation at that point. Then Shoott told me they loved me and my work and that was it – the best validation that I could ever ask for. Despite the nervousness surrounding making the leap from hobbyist to professional, I felt the universe was nudging me along and boy did I get trial by fire! My first day as a Shoott photographer I had 7 clients!!! And on top of that, I had to cull, edit and deliver all those images (like 700+ photos) within 48 hours. It was stressful and exhilarating at the same time and I couldn’t wait to do it again! As more time went on, more people in my network started noticing my work and asking if they could just hire me directly vs going through Shoott. I resisted for a while because I thought Shoott was the best set up- I pick my day, they bring the clients, I shoot and edit and that’s that. No behind the scenes business stuff, no marketing, a way to find that balance. But let me tell you, once again the universe nudged me along and eventually I realized too many people were approaching me and it was time to set up my own business. So in August of 2021 that’s what I did and it has been amazing ever since!
Because I’m a part time photographer and my business is a wonderful creative outlet for me, I love working with clients to execute on their creative visions. While I do a ton of family photography, seniors, babies and much more, I have so much fun when a client comes to me with a vision and I get to work with them to execute on that vision. I love working with business owners to help them get all the photos they need for their website and all their marketing needs. I equally love working with families, especially those with younger kids. My clients with young kids can feel at ease about doing a family photo session with me because with me, it isn’t about getting the perfect posted picture where everyone is looking (but don’t worry, I get that every time!), its about letting the kids lead and capturing the true family dynamic during the session. Just last weekend I had such a fun session with a 2 year old in a nature playscape at a local park. The whole session was led by him – we followed him and got so many adorable and authentic pictures. And most importantly, we all had fun along the way!
What makes me unique is I overdeliver on images and when a client hires me for a full session, they get all of the “keeper photos”. I take the time to edit all of them and therefore I truly believe the client should have all of them. It’s a one-price model – you hire me, you get the session and all the photos for one set price. Even with my mini sessions, I edit all the images and the client always has the option to buy all of them if they choose. When culling the photos, I tend to keep the ones that some photographers may discard because again, I’m looking to capture the true dynamic of the people I am photographing – whether it is a funny look on a kid’s face or a parent reacting to something silly a child did, I deliver all of those!
In addition, I am passionate about teaching and mentoring others who are new to photography because I have been in their shoes and know how overwhelming it can be to learn how to use a “fancy camera”. I love sharing my passion with others and helping them to grow and learn to take their own beautiful photos and learn and improve on their editing style.
Perhaps the thing I love most about photography is the connection it enables me to make with others, especially my clients. But also the connection with people from around the world that also love photography or have the same camera as me. I have learned so much from others via social media and YouTube – it is amazing, but also take so much pride in how much I have helped others to learn along the way.
What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?
To my core, I believe I am meant to share my creative talents with others. I believe EVERYONE deserves to have nice photos of their kids, themselves, to support their business and much more. When a non profit approaches me about in kind or discounted photography for their event, I ALWAYS see what I can do to help. When a silent auction needs items and approaches me, I ALWAYS donate a session. My photography can empower others – whether it is the help raise money or enable a business owner to have more impactful marketing, I believe it is part of my purpose to use my photography skills to support others in a variety of ways and I am so proud of all I have done in this capacity so far!
Any resources you can share with us that might be helpful to other creatives?
I really wish I had a photography mentor as I was starting to learn photography which is why I am so generous with my time in mentoring others – it’s something that would have helped me so much early on in my journey.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.carlyscadutophotography.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/capturethekids/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CarlyScadutoPhotography
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carlyscaduto/
Image Credits
Carly Scaduto Photography