We recently connected with Sammy Saladino and have shared our conversation below.
Sammy, sincerely appreciate your selflessness in agreeing to discuss your mental health journey and how you overcame and persisted despite the challenges. Please share with our readers how you overcame. For readers, please note this is not medical advice, we are not doctors, you should always consult professionals for advice and that this is merely one person sharing their story and experience.
From my own personal struggles with Bipolar Disorder I feel like having the right support group around me has given me the motivation and validation to keep moving forward, past the darkness and negativity. When there are days when I am down and unmotivated to do anything I always have somebody in my life to pick me up and motivate me to go out and do something even if it is just going for a walk around the block. I don’t know how I would have continued to persist without these people around me.
Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?
I am a photographer and writer based out of Atlanta, Georgia. I moved to Atlanta five years ago from Illinois. I think from my point of view the exciting things about what I do is being able to tell stories through two different art forms. As a photographer I really specialize in Portrait and Landscape Photography. With that I tend to tell a much prettier story on what is going on around us. I absolutely enjoy going out in nature and taking pictures of the beauty that surrounds us everyday. I also enjoy working with clients such as models or even families and creating art or wholesome photos with those people. As a writer I tend to dip into the darker side of story telling, as I write a lot of crime fiction. I have published a novel that is available on Amazon. Called: Killer Within Her Eyes, It is written under my pen name S.J. Salvatore. It is about two sisters whose lives are turned completely around when their brother is murdered. It also follows the detective that is following the clues to the case that leads him down many twist and turns to uncover the truth behind the murder.
I am currently working on a second novel that I am very excited about as I feel like my main character is very compelling. The story itself is also leading to many different twist and turns throughout.
I also having some very exciting things I plan on doing this summer. I am going to be doing some exploring around some of the mountains in Georgia. I am really excited about the potential photos that will come out of these trips.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
I think the three biggest things especially as a photographer that really helped along my journey were; framing a shot, practice and understanding my camera. When I first started photography I was told 1 out of 100 shots would be good. Although, I was a natural when it came to framing a shot it took a lot of practice and understanding my camera before I became better. I biggest advice to somebody that is early in their journey is patience. When ever you have an opportunity get out there and snap photos. Take some friends with you and take pictures of them. The more practice you have the better you will become. Don’t ever doubt your ability or give up because you don’t feel like you are improving. If you need, do some research and watch tutorials on your camera and understand what each function does.
Looking back over the past 12 months or so, what do you think has been your biggest area of improvement or growth?
For me I think that my mental health is in a much better place. Because of that I have been able to put a little bit more focus on going outside more often. I am going out on hiking trails which has really help[ed me out more creatively especially with coming up with new ideas for stories and my current novel. Not to mention I am taking far more photos when I am going out then where I was 12 months ago. I have a much better headspace and a more positive outlook on things.
Contact Info:
- Website: Photographybysammy.com
- Instagram: Sammyjr_artist
- Facebook: Facebook.com/photographybysammy
- Linkedin: LinkedIn.com/in/sammysaladin0
