Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Scott Bartolomeo. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Scott, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Let’s jump right into the heart of things. Outsiders often think businesses or industries have much larger profit margins than they actually do – the reason is that outsiders are often unaware of the biggest challenges to profitability in various industries – what’s the biggest challenge to profitability in your industry?

Well, I do have a few thoughts on this. A starting barrier of entry would be not knowing the industry fully. As a relatively newer professional photographer, I saw right away that running a business is way more than holding a camera. Not only is it the actual camera work and post processing, but you must know sales, how to run a website, how to market yourself, be personable, adaptable, flexible, be charismatic with clients, the list goes on. There are still so many things that I’ve yet to learn about the industry. Another barrier to entry would be the person seeking entry into the industry; yourself! It is upon you to learn and study as much as you can about your field, getting the necessary equipment and acquiring the skills to be successful. No one is going to do it for you, and I think a must for newer photographers is to learn as much as you can from more experienced photographers. If you have some sort of a mentor, you are going to increase your skills better and faster. You must find a way as an individual to give yourself the best advantages possible for the best possible outcome. I’ve been fortunate to have mentors help me immensely by critiquing my work and showing me how I can improve.

I admit, when I started, I struggled to get clients. Hell I even struggle now getting clients. However, it never stops me from picking up the camera and going out to shoot whenever I can. I understand that it’s a process to start a business and gaining clientele and these things take time. I must keep grinding, and while at it giving myself a bit of grace to know that Rome wasn’t built in a day.

Scott, 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?

Well, a little about myself. I’m 40 years old, I currently live and operate in Reno, NV. I’ve had polaroids and point and shoot cameras throughout my life, but I started taking photography seriously about 4 years ago, during when Covid was going on. Fast forward to now, I now run Scott Bartolomeo Photography. It’s just me. I am an all around versatile photographer, but I really enjoy all niches of photography that I have explored. I really enjoy portraiture, and macro shots. Lately, I’ve become increasingly interested in becoming an expert at posing people. That is an art in itself quite frankly. I enjoy shooting weddings and want the opportunity to do more. I do night street photography and concert photography frequently also.

How did you put together the initial capital you needed to start your business?

I work a day job to help pay for things that I slowly got over time.I started off with a mirrorless canon Eos R and a nifty 50. From there I was able to get 5 lenses, a few speedlights, and I was given a strobe. A couple other odds and ends and I got a very decent setup now. I made some money from a few weddings and small jobs.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

I remember I got an offer to shoot my 2nd wedding ever in California, but I knew very little about this wedding. I was just being hired by another studio. Well the day of I made it there to find out it was a 4 story mansion wedding with like 200+ people, and it had so much going on that it was just insane for 1 person. I did my very best, and didn’t miss any crucial shots, and didn’t have anything super catastrophic go on, was a feat in itself. I stayed focused and felt I did pretty good.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.scottbartolomeophoto.com/
• Instagram: http://instagram.com/scott_bartolomeo_photo
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61554379487099

Image Credits

Scott Bartolomeo