We were lucky to catch up with Bart Mastronardi recently and have shared our conversation below.
Bart , looking forward to learning from your journey. You’ve got an amazing story and before we dive into that, let’s start with an important building block. Where do you get your work ethic from?
My mother and father. Both of them worked hard their whole lives to give my brother and I a great life. We grew up in a great home in Ozone Park, Queens – NYC with other working class people around us. . We were raised on the idea – You worked hard for what you wanted. My whole family were immigrants who came from Italy to America for a better life for their family, their children, and themselves. They believed in the ethics of working hard. Nothing was beneath them. My grandmother (maternal) was a seamstress in the factories in Brooklyn. She left Italy where she lived most of her life but knew it was time to leave. So she came to America with 3 children (my mom being her eldest) on her own until her family arrived in America later. Work, regardless of what it was, afforded them the cost of living. This understanding of earning your living was then taught to my brother and I. I understood at a young age that with work comes the knowledge that working hard doesn’t mean I work until I die, it simply means to do the work, job, career, as best as you can. The quality of the work, to show your abilities. My work ethics are a valuable principle to myself, my business, and my whole being. For example, if a client is hiring me to do a job, or I am creating my own work, there is an expectation to go beyond the basic line of acceptance when delivering the final piece of work. When I approach a series of photos to capture it is the details in my work which ultimately sets the image apart. This all has to do with my work ethics. To be successful in business with longevity it does take much effort and commitment for it to succeed. I thank my mom and dad always for teaching me the importance of benefiting from work ethics.
Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?
For my business, Bart Mastronardi Photography, I work with clients who want to have creative portraits captured in a visual story concept; similar to Fine Arts style. I also have a subdivision for actors and business people for their headshots, too. Working with clients is exciting because it is a creative process between us to get to the final image. Even when makeup and hair are working with my clients at the time and I am setting up lights with my crew it is all part of the excitement on the journey.
Then when my clients are on set and we start to capture the images, share ideas, and build upon the concept we began with, it only enhances the process visually.
When the day is over I usually take a day to step away from the photos simply because I enjoy looking at the photos with a fresh new eye and allows the client to process what they just worked on for themselves also.
Editing is one of my favorite times to spend with each photo my client has chosen. As it is the time the photo truly comes alive with processing the whole gradation of the visual image we captured at the session.
Then when it is time to share the image, print the image, and see the smile on my clients face then I know this is exactly what I am meant to be doing in my life.
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
Three important skills, qualities or knowledge.
Three Skills
1. Making a decision and moving forward with it. Change when needed or modify.
2. Creativity. Researching (read, music, museum, books, write) your creative outlook will benefit your work.
3. Problem solving. Learn to tackle challenges head on. Everything I do is about figuring out how to get the work done, accomplished, and deliver it beyond the means than when I started it.
Three Qualities
1. Integrity. Be truthful in all you do with your business and yourself. Clients will respect you more and trust you will deliver. Most of all, be truthful with yourself.
2. Adapt. Learn to change through the process. You will have an idea and your client will have an idea and then the Photo session itself will have a whole other flow of ideas. Go with the change. You feel it working.
3. Confidence. Know that you have something your client really wants from you – your creative skill. This is why they are hiring you to capture their photos. You have the skill to do, and you need to bring the confidence to process. Just never let them see you sweat. LOL.
Three pieces of Knowledge.
1. Clarity. Be clear with what you want out of who you are and where you are going in all you do. Especially in business. Having a clear system of processes to achieve your goals is important. In business it is imperative to have this knowledge of what you are doing with your business. Each day, week, month, year, and so forth strive for success. Know what you are going for. With clarity comes the ability to see where you are going. Who are you? Where are you going? What do you envision for yourself (business)?
2. Always keep growing. The world is always changing and that means our business will change with it. Study your craft and practice it as often as you can to grow as a visual creator or anything in all you do. You need to keep evolving. If not, look to the dinosaurs.
3. Discipline. This is key to all I have written about here. If you are disciplined in anything you do chances are the business will succeed. You will succeed. It takes strength to get up each morning and run a business. One day is not enough. It happens almost every day. Discipline yourself to grow, to commit, to build, to evolve, to create strong healthy habits for yourself and all you do.
Most important beyond anything: Keep healthy in Body, Mind, and Spirit (your Energy).
Before we go, maybe you can tell us a bit about your parents and what you feel was the most impactful thing they did for you?
The most impactful thing my parents did for me.
My parents always worked extremely hard to put food on the table, clothes on our backs, and provide a really great home life as best as they could for us. Holidays, Birthdays, movies, vacations they could hardly afford. Looking back now I did not realize how much they did for me (my brother, too). Both of them worked and gave us the best education they could and more. They were good people. I learned this through them. Good is a high virtue. A quality of righteousness. Good is not being a pushover. My parents did not take any bullshit in life and spoke their mind.
Being good is the impact my parents made for my brother and me. To be a good person in all you do. It means to stand up for yourself, to take care of, and others also. Responsibility. Be accountable for what you have accepted to do, will endure, and the results of the outcome. Yes, being a good person in today’s world is certainly impactful.
As a kid you think your parents will stay forever. This is simply not true. My parents have both passed. The world is a bit lonelier without them. I still have difficulty accepting their passing. As a photographer I include these waves of emotions into my work. I do have many people who love me so it helps. The goodness they have instilled in me still branches out in all I do. Even as a teacher with my filmmaking students.
All I am is because of their goodness. Whether I agreed with them or not I see what an impact their goodness has had over me and what I give to others. Being good is a quality I highly encourage and look for in others.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.BartMastronardiPhotography.com
- Instagram: Bart Mastronardi Photography
- Facebook: Bart Mastronardi Photography
Image Credits
All images are copyright by Bart Mastronardi Photography. Charles Chudabala Wil J. Jackson Shaeja Lee Carlus Tyler Mike Knowles Martha Reeves Lexie Di Chellis
