Meet Josh Scott

We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Josh Scott a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Josh , thanks for sharing your insights with our community today. Part of your success, no doubt, is due to your work ethic and so we’d love if you could open up about where you got your work ethic from?

As a kid I remember the early morning sounds of my dad’s boots tapping across the kitchen floor, the creek of the door, and the gravel crunching under the weight of the car as he headed down the driveway to work. Over the years I’ve realized that he has a work ethic unmatched by most. Always working on something most people would hire out or just not do at all. I believe the work ethic, tenacity, and resilience I posses was instilled through the actions of my dad.

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 freelance photographer based in Detroit. I started shooting on my own sometime in 2012.
Most of my work is editorial with a handful of commercial clients I collaborate with a few times a
year. Living a freelance lifestyle has its ups and downs but I can’t see living any other way. The freedom it
allows is priceless. Finding multiple streams of income helps. After graduating from high school I worked as a
carpenter and still use those skills when things are slow or I just need a little reboot.
Recently some of my personal work was featured on a popular website (A Photo Editor). The images are
part of a larger body of work I’ve been working on for years called “As Water Would”. The series
concentrates on the waterways of Detroit. The recognition has pushed me to start getting a new book
together and an online store to sell prints. With all the tasks of running a business along with regular life it can sometimes feel like
nothing’s getting done.

If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?

Looking back there were a few instructors from a community college I attended with good advice. Such as, “just keep shooting” or “you’ll learn more after one day on set than you will with a degree form here”. School was never my thing so I took the advice. I was fortunate to find work in Detroit shooting cars and had the opportunity to learn from some of the very best photographers, assistants, producers, stylists, and representatives in the business. It was all on the job training. Some of the best times of my life, truly learning the trade and what it takes to produce a photoshoot large or small. Another thing that stands out was my lack of business insight. I feel like this is the thing I was most unprepared for and what I hear a lot from other photographers. Seems most creatives just don’t have the mindset for business, making it a hard one to conquer.

Okay, so before we go, is there anyone you’d like to shoutout for the role they’ve played in helping you develop the essential skills or overcome challenges along the way?

I’ve had lots of help along the way but it really comes down to self reliance.
When it hits the fan the only one there to save the day is you. You must be resilient, crafty, and ambitious.
To be a working photographer is not an easy task and it is full of surprises. Outside of myself my good friend and mentor, Roy Ritchie, is who I think of. We’ve worked together for years. He’s a tremendously talented self taught photographer. His friendship and influence has been indispensable to me.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://joshscottphoto.com
• Instagram: joshsphoto