We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Shedrick Pelt a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Shedrick, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today How did you learn to do what you do? Knowing what you know now, what could you have done to speed up your learning process? What skills do you think were most essential? What obstacles stood in the way of learning more?
Photography is a craft that has a whole vibe to it. A history of those that come before you paving the way by elevating the craft through select techniques and teachings. I’ve always wanted to honor that idea and especially as a Black photographer I strive to not make the struggles of my ancestors in vain.
In the beginning of my journey as a photographer I sorta just dove in. Immersing my self in the experience as it was totally new to me. I didn’t come from an artful family much less one that even took a lot of photos. That initial connection was like falling in love. I wanted to be with photography everyday. Every minute. Living in NYC at the time set tone for even more romance. The buildings towering above me, constant activity on the surface streets, the fashion and cultures of its inhabitants.
Absorbing all that for more than a year I started to realize I want to tell more of a story. And to do that I needed to learn more about how to tell those stories through the aforementioned techniques. I started to study how the masters and my contemporaries presented compositions, framing, color theory. I copied a lot of their shots verbatim, just trying to understand what they were trying to accomplish. Youtube was my best friend. A treasure trove of voices that had been there and done that and were willing to share all the jewels. It was pretty much a free photography academy.
Outside of the artistry I knew I wanted to make photography a business. So I would hit up underground hip-hop artists to see if I could come out and shoot their shows. Sometimes I’d pay to get in just for the opportunity. Like many others before me I did a lot of “free” work in the beginning. And I’m glad I’d did. There no bigger set back than charging someone for an opportunity and not being able to deliver a quality product. It hurts your street cred and also your self confidence when the client isn’t happy. Fast forwarded 10+ years and my pivot into photojournalism has taken many of the same steps. Researching the works of photographers like Gordon Parks, Carrie Mae Weems or Anthony Barboza has open my imagination to another world of story telling. Further entrenching me in my own mission statement of “Transitioning through life with a BOLD new approach”. At the end of the day you have to commit. Learn as much as you can, sacrifice your personal time to build your craft, befriend like minded people in your industry, take it one step at a time, and embrace those that embrace you.
Shedrick, 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?
Do you sell on your site, or do you use a platform like Amazon, Etsy, Cratejoy, etc?
Over the last 2 years I’ve made a concerted effort to monetize my creativity. In hopes that I can establish a solid foundation for my future and allow me to have more time for passion projects. This is separate from the documentary work I do in the community. Utilizing my graphic design experience I set out to create photobooks, prints, and commercial designs that are a blend of photography and design. This means understanding what type of visuals people are in the market for and going out and specifically creating that content. I use Instagram to push the marketing message and Big Cartel to facilitate the purchase. I’d say a con to using these sites are the fees but the pro means you connect with buyers from around the country and world. The bulk of my sales come from a grass roots approach with hand to hand purchases or “out the trunk”. This helps with keeping every dime of the sale. I find this approach really energizes and activates the community around my work. Putting a face to the art.
Can you talk to us about how your funded your business?
I spent 10+ years in the bar business prior to photography and although the entire time wasn’t spent building my business the last 3-4 years of that stint I knew I wanted to go full time into the creative world. I was living in Harlem, NY and because of the cost of living and other factors I was working 6 days a weeks in the restaurant and anything in art was an after thought. As I began stacking my bread for the inevitable pivot, purchasing top of the line equipment that would get me through my first couple years was my main focus.
Any exciting project you recently worked on?
At the end of that experience with a wealth of narratives in tow, I decided to put it all in a vintage postcard themed photobook titled ‘District Postcard Views’ featuring (63) 5×7 removable postcards
Contact Info:
- District Postcard Views Photobook: https://www.sdotpdotmedia.com/
district-postcard-views- photobook - Website: https://www.sdotpdotmedia.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sdotpdotmedia/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Sdotpdotmedia/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shedrickpelt/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/sdotpelt
- Other: Photojournalism Portfolio – https://www.sdotpdotmedia.com/photojournalism Art Restart Podcast Interview – https://www.uncsa.edu/kenan/art-restart/shedrick-pelt.aspx The Grio Interview (Jan 6 Insurrection) – https://thegrio.com/2022/02/24/the-insurrection-lens-black-photojournalist/
Image Credits
portrait of me by Shelby Swann