We recently connected with Todd Ethridge and have shared our conversation below.

Todd, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today If you could go back in time do you wish you had started your creative career sooner or later?

I always dabbled in photography as far back as when I was a kid in the 70’s. I wanted to take pictures like I saw in the rock and skateboard magazines. But all I had as a kid was a Polaroid instant camera and I had no idea how to take real photos. Over the next decades, I slowly began to learn and experiment with a borrowed camera from my sister and other random point and clicks. It wasn’t until around 2000 that I started taking more artistic style shots with unusual cameras like Lomo and Holga. Then about 3 years ago, my wife bought me a digital Canon for Christmas and I finally started to really capture what I always wished I could. I definitely wish I had gotten more “real camera” practice in my youth.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I spent years in the radio business, then transitioned to a voiceover artist. In the last few years, photography just kind of happened by accident and became a side business. I took photos of a friend’s daughter and as soon as she and I posted them on social media, people started contacting me about doing portraits, head shots and family photos. I was literally taken by surprise, but a very pleasant surprise. I have recently branched out into real estate photography as well. But I really love portrait work. Everyone is different in so many ways, but everyone’s eyes tell their story. Then if you put them in the right light or a setting that makes them feel confident and empowered, that’s when the really good photos happen. I love when someone sees a great photo of themselves and they are genuinely surprised by how they look. That’s very satisfying for me as a photographer.

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

When Covid 19 hit, my voiceover business, like many other businesses, took a major hit. I was struggling to keep it afloat. So while I worked at doing so, that’s around the time that photo work began to happen. So not only was I being creative and really enjoying myself, but a side business was born that helped supplement my income. Honestly, making money with photography has been a bonus.

In your view, what can society to do to best support artists, creatives and a thriving creative ecosystem?

First and foremost, just showing interest in art is a great place to start. Sometimes I think that gets lost in our fast paced society. It’s great when people go out to see an art show, photo exhibit, etc. But I think we’re also lucky in this time of social media where artists can post their work and promote and sell online. Art in all its forms has so much more significance in our lives than people really stop and think about. Imagine our lives without art, music, movies, etc. we all need it, whether we realize it or not.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.toddethridgephotography.com
• Instagram: @toddethridgevo

Image Credits
Todd Ethridge Photography