Today we’d like to introduce you to Bart Mastronardi.
Bart, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I grew up in Brooklyn and Queens NYC. My dad took me to the movies a lot as a kid. I loved movies because they were so much bigger than life for me. I received my first photography camera when I was 12 years old for my Confirmation. The Kodak disc camera. I started taking so many photos. I had no idea what I was doing. I just captured images. I also am a director and producer within the horror genre. Having directed and produced two feature horror movies: Vindication (2009) and Tales of Poe (2014). As a cinematographer I have filmed for many independent movies, commercials and shorts. My love for the visual image has always been important to me. I still read books with pictures.
Photography has always been a part of my background as it was the springboard to all the arts I work in. As I have gotten older it has become my passion and love. Photographing, editing, and then printing up the photographs I create with people has certainly expanded and grown into a full-time love since I have moved out here to Los Angeles in 2016.
I now get to photograph with some incredible people from around the world, which includes many people from all walks of life. Photography as an art has brought to me to a great space in my life. It is a blessing in my life.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
We all have bumps along the way. It is those bumps which help us to grow; to know how to deal with what life hits us with. I would say my biggest struggle has been understanding more of who I am as a person. I am man who is gay. It was a challenge growing up as I felt alone. I did not understand myself. I grew up in a Catholic immigrant household of Italians, so the old world ideals were meeting my new world of ideals of who I was becoming. As I became more immersed and being creative with the arts I was able to express myself through theater, filmmaking, and photography. I met so many creatives in my field who were part of the LGBT community which made it so much easier to understand who I am. I am proud to be Gay.
For me, I struggled with feeling confident on so many levels within myself. It meant I needed to make some hard decisions in my life as person of what I wanted to have and do in my life. It meant breaking away from traditions I was accustomed to in my family. The more decisions I began to make and create with my work I built myself up. There are more struggles along the way, but this is a part of life. How I dealt with the challenges only increased my growth as a photographer. Dealing with death, breakups, life’s ups and downs. After a while, I learned challenges are tests. The results were how I handled them. However, with all the challenges I faced I never did drugs or drank much alcohol to get rid of my problems. I am quite proud of myself for being able to use other outlets to channel my pain. I focused on being at the gym, working out my body. I had to heal myself from the inside out. In turn, it comes out in much of my photography. This May I turned 47 yrs old. I am still learning more about myself now than before, however, I can steer myself better now than when I was 21. My forties have been the best years of my life so far. I am more at peace with myself, which makes the creative process and relationships for me a greater experience.
Bart Mastronardi Photography – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
My business specializes in portraits, fine arts, and headshots. My photographs are mostly known for my portraits and fine arts.
I am most proud of where I am going with my photography business as within the past year my clients have grown, business is expanding to the point I am being asked to travel to take photographs for people. I have had three gallery showings in Los Angeles, which blows my mind because I am actually living a life I am creating through my art-work.
I am not sure what sets me apart from other photographers. I just know I love what I am able to do with photography. It’s a great honor to photograph people who ask me to capture them in a way they believe I can for them. Trust is a major component with business and relationships. Many people I photograph are not always models or actors. They are people who want a creative portrait of themself as they are in a moment. It is an overwhelming feeling to be in a position to be the person who is asked to create and capture a client on such a personal level. It is a joyous feeling.
What is “success” or “successful” for you?
Here is success: Alan Rowe Kelly; Chris Roe Management; Raven Adams; Nathan Wrann; Samuel Meade; Shanna Lynn Elizabeth; Chris Olsefsky;
Mike Knowles; Christopher Roe, JR; Will Simon; Paul Antonelli; Beth Wernick; Thomas Le; Michael Varrati; Adrienne King; Azmi Mert Erdem. Each of them are family to me. They know my love for them. Deeply. They are filmmakers, actors, models, photographers, dancers, singers, chefs, writers, musicians, producers, artists. They are the pinnacle of success to me. All of them in their own rite have helped me to be successful, too. I love them more than they know. Each of them work everyday to achieve and crush goals to support themselves. They have moved from a far to live out their dreams. Some have jobs that have nothing to do with their dreams at times, too. Kids, homes, bills, etc… Yet, they continue to live out the dream because they have in their soul this love, passion, consistent focus to create a life worth living for themselves. Success. Trust me, the people who you surround yourself with should encourage, push you to higher achievements, help to break down your fears, offer education, help you to embrace the odds; pick you up when you fall; advise; give you shelter when you have no home; support you, create with you. Then in turn I do the same for them. They all have done this for me. Giving and receiving. Then does success expand for us all. Outside of these relationships, I then must look to my own responsibility for my own success. Basically, I have to do what they do for success. Everyday I put the work in to be the photographer I see myself as. It is happening. How? Simply by balancing myself out. My success is achieved by balancing my physical, mental, emotional, financial, and spiritual self. It is internal. When I can balance I focus. When I focus I know what I have to do. What I have to do is succeed by living out the life I envision for myself. Rather than exist in life I live life out. It took time to understand that idea. I bloomed late in life. My photography work is a part of the success in my life.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.BartMastronardiPhotography.com
- Phone: 718-541-3179
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bartmastronardiphotography/?hl=en
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bart.mastronardi
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/bartmastronard1
Image Credit:
Bart Mastronardi Photography
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