Today we’d like to introduce you to Carlie Adair.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Carlie. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
As a young girl, I was fascinated with my parent’s camera and would mess with it every opportunity I could. I would shoot on automatic thinking I was the best photographer in the world. I really enjoyed taking pictures of nature and animals. I entered an image of a sunflower titled “Sunflower Sunset” into a school art contest in 7th grade and won first place in the county for photography! As a 12-year-old, I was very proud.
The passion was sparked then, and I became uninterested because I was taking pictures of the same few things and you can only point and shoot for so long. I dropped the hobby for years and didn’t pick it back up until a close family friend named Kristi gave me a camera for my 21st birthday in October of 2016. It was a 2006 model 5 megapixel camera. I immediately dove into the field, exploring all over the city of Atlanta. I am very intrigued by abandoned buildings and the forgotten, colorful parts of the city not often explored and hunting for these places stirred my interest more.
In my off time from my full-time job of managing a restaurant, Ippolito’s Family Italian, I spent all of my free time exploring all the Bandos and rooftops of Atlanta I could find.
Over time, I found some great spots and learned how to shoot on manual. Teaching myself new tricks with every shoot I went on. I started shooting shows and events in August of 2017 for an Atlanta company called Bullet Music. I treated myself to upgrading to a full frame, professional grade camera in November of 2017 and this bad boy is 42 megapixels. A very dramatic technology increase compared to the old camera. Since then, I have worked for names such as Lindsey Stirling, RL Grime, Spafford, Illenium, Dizzy Wright, Lettuce, G Jones, Run the Jewels, Rezz, STS9.
Festivals I have worked consist of: Moonshine Music and Arts Festival, Imagine Music Festival, Music Midtown Festival, The Great American Eclipse Tipper: The 4, 3, 2, 1 Event, and Hulaween. I have been shooting shows, festivals and events for 6 months now, with portrait work, conceptualized theme shoots and fire performances mixed in. I have multiple festivals and large events lined up for this upcoming 2018 year such as Okeechobee Music and Arts Festival, Buku Music and Art Project, Sweetwater 420 Fest, Shaky Knees, Shaky Beats, Music Midtown, Hulaween, and a Thailand photography trip in the fall.
I am looking forward to growing my business even further and learning everything I can about this field. Here’s to more Shots By Carl!
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
Starting anything is never easy, especially with a field in media. It is such a competitive industry, and everyone’s creative style is so different. Shooting with an older camera starting off was extremely challenging and made me question myself so much due to the lack of quality I could capture. I knew my images were good, however, they were really dark and distorted due to the lack of megapixels offered by my model.
As soon as I upgraded my camera body everything changed. Investing in myself and my business is one of the best things I could have done. Having an older model was great to learn how to shoot on, but it wasn’t capturing what I needed it to anymore. The camera I shoot with now made all the difference and once I started shooting with that I felt my confidence grow and other problems seemed to work themselves out.
Every gig is a struggle because there are so many photographers to choose from, hence when I stated its a competitive industry. Starting your own business is really never smooth, but it’s rewarding.
Shots By Carl – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
I am a professional photographer based in Atlanta, GA. I specialize in low light photography, with an emphasis on live music, portraits, cityscapes, fire performance, and conceptualizing my own themed shoots and concepts. I believe my fire photography sets me apart from others due to how difficult fire is to photograph.
Catching the detail on the fire and on the spinner is extremely challenging. I am proud of my locations I have acquired over time throughout Atlanta. I am good at making people’s ideas for a shoot a reality. If they send me a bunch of different ideas and a general image they have in their head, I make it happen.
I do some promo work for artists releasing new music or brand shots for clothing lines. I like to think I can take pictures of anything someone throws at me.
What is “success” or “successful” for you?
I believe success is a personal standard set per person. To me, success will be doing what I love full time with ample income coming in if that will ever be attainable lol!
Many people define success with money, but I define it with happiness. If you’re happy doing what you love, you will never work a day in your life, and that is the ultimate goal for me, personally.
On the other hand, I already consider myself successful. Not many people have had the opportunities I have with such a short time in the field. I aspire to continue being successful with the people and events I have the opportunity to shoot.
Pricing:
- $150 90 minute portrait session with location included, edited files sent within a week
- $70/hour shooting rate average *negotiable*
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.facebook.com/shotsbycarl/
- Phone: 404-625-6992
- Email: carlie_adair@hotmail.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shotsbycarl/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/shotsbycarl/
Getting in touch: VoyageATL is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
