We were lucky to catch up with Stefano Mazzucca recently and have shared our conversation below.
Alright, Stefano thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. We love asking folks what they would do differently if they were starting today – how they would speed up the process, etc. We’d love to hear how you would set everything up if you were to start from step 1 today.
If I was to start over, I think the first thing I would do differently is how I approach people. I used to be really shy and not approach potential customers thinking I would get rejected, but with time I learned how to approach people and how to take a no as an answer. I focus more on automotive photography and most of the people I have worked with have been super friendly and professional, it is an amazing feeling to approach a person and being able to have a nice conversation while taking pictures of their vehicles. Besides this I think I would change the way I learned how to take pictures, at the beginning I started doing this only as a hobby, not “professionally”, but if I could start again I would take it 100% serious from the beginning and I’m sure I would be way further with it than I am now.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers
I’m a 22 years old with a passion for cars and motorsports, ever since I was a kid I loved the sound of an engine and when I got my first Mustang I decided to show my passion for cars through a lens. StefanoMedia started around April of 2020, it started as just me taking pictures of my own car which then leaded to me starting to take pictures of my friend’s cars. After a couple of months I had learned how to take pictures in a better way and that is when I started to get my name out there. Because of the Mustang group I was in most of my photoshoots were done with Mustangs and that is when I had gotten the nickname of “the Mustang photographer”. With time I started to go do photography more as a job than as a hobby and that is when things started to get more serious, I started to go to events, shows and races to be able to create content for my own social media page. I think what sets me apart from other photographers in this industry is the passion I have for cars, I like to know which type of vehicle I’m shooting before the photoshoot date so that I can do my own research and see the best angles for that specific vehicle. I take my time when it comes to the photoshoot and the editing, even tho I work pretty fast compared to others. I try to put myself into the client’s shoes when it comes to my photoshoots, I try to give the best prices to them and try to send back edited pictures within the week from the photoshoot date, sometimes even sooner. I am always open to new challenges which is why I started doing portraits photography as well, I have to admit, it is a whole different world from automotive photography, but with enough time and experience I’m sure I will get it right as well. Lastly, I would just like to thank anyone that has supported me and my page during these 3 years, hopefully it will last many more.
We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?
I started everything from scratch, my instagram page only had a couple hundred followers for a while before I started to get more. I believe the key to grow on social media is being consistent, it’s hard because you won’t always have the time to go out and create content for your page, sometimes you won’t have the clients, sometimes the day won’t be good enough to take pictures, other days you might not feel motivated enough. But, the key to all of this is to try and be as more consistent as you can. I personally started by posting just a couple of times a week to then post once a day, and that’s when the page started to grow more, share your pictures with friends and family and you will see a difference on your audience.
Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?
I don’t have an end goal with this “hobby”, I love motorsports, I wish to see sharing my passion for cars through my lens for everyone else to see and enjoy my content as well. I know there are many people out there that dream with some of the cars I am able to capture and the feeling that they can see that car through my page is just amazing. I love the feedback I get from some pictures and I love when people enjoy what I share. I really hope I can keep doing this for a long time, whether it is just for personal pleasure or professionally.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://stefanomedia.myportfolio.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stefanomedia/?igshid=ucakgve0nif7
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@stefanomedia?_t=8ZM7e5361ss&_r=1
Image Credits
All images are owned and taken by me, StefanoMedia.