We recently connected with Joe Scarnici and have shared our conversation below.
Joe, thanks so much for taking the time to share your insights and lessons with us today. We’re particularly interested in hearing about how you became such a resilient person. Where do you get your resilience from?
I’ve been living on my own since I was 16, back in junior high school. My resilience comes from having to figure things out by myself from a young age. Growing up in Western Massachusetts in the 90s, I was right in the middle of what we now call the “opioid epidemic.” I saw a lot of people around me struggling with addiction to pharmaceuticals and other drugs, heading down some rough paths. It was then that I decided to carve my own path and aim for something more than what my surroundings had to offer. With that mindset, I worked hard to create a better future for myself.
Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?
I’m a sports and active lifestyle photographer with a passion for capturing people who dedicate themselves to excellence. I love collaborating with brands that share these same values. Right now, I’m in Paris, photographing the Olympics for Team USA. The energy and dedication of these exceptional athletes fuel my passion for photography.
In addition to my photography career, I also invest in real estate. I buy and manage properties, focusing on restoring old homes to their former glory and building new ones that I would personally enjoy living in. Currently, I have a home from 1949 that I’m planning to update this fall.
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
Work, Work and more work.
As a photographer in LA, I would love to say I got to where I am today by being uniquely talented or inherently different from my peers. But the reality is, I’ve outworked most people. I wasn’t born a prodigy, nor did I suddenly become a trendsetting photographer who believed they were above everyone else. Instead, I saw opportunities—one door at a time—and walked through them, always striving to work as hard, if not harder, than those around me.
I wake up every day ready to grind. I observe how others work and then push myself to surpass them. I’ve learned everything I could from each opportunity until there was nothing left to absorb, and then I moved on to the next challenge. This relentless pursuit of growth, skill development, and hard work has been my driving force, and it continues to propel me forward as I look for the next door to walk through.
How can folks who want to work with you connect?
I’m always looking for peeps to collaborate with. I’m always keen to find makeup artists, athletes who want to get in front of my camera, clothing stylists with a vision – I love collaborating with people who want to create!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.joescarnici.com
- Instagram: @joescarnici
so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
