Conversations with Amanda Cirotto

Today we’d like to introduce you to Amanda Cirotto. 

Hi Amanda, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstories with our readers?
Since childhood, photography, nature, and wildlife have been my passion. I grew up a tomboy building forts in the woods and catching tadpoles in the creek that ran through my backyard. I also loved playing with an old point-and-shoot camera to capture moments from family vacations or fun shots of my friends. 

I have always had a thirst for outdoor adventures. A former Girl Scout and wanderluster at heart, I dropped out of college for a semester to go backpacking out West. It was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to explore some of our country’s greatest parks. From Glacier National Park in Montana to the Cascades in Washington, Yellowstone, Shi Shi Beach – it was an incredible trip. However, being a Native of Tennessee, the Smokey Mountains have always owned my heart. 

I did return to college at MTSU following my trip out West. I majored in their Recording Industry Music Business program. As much as I love my time spent in nature with a camera, I felt called to a different career path in my 20’s. 

When I was 2 weeks old my dad tragically passed away from an inoperable brain tumor. My Dad was a singer/songwriter and was building notoriety for himself as a regular performer on the Ralph Emery Show in Nashville in the 70’s before he became ill. I felt the need to pick up where he left off, and while I am not a singer/songwriter, music was another passion. I worked for over a decade in the Nashville music business as a Creative Director in Publishing. I loved being surrounded by the incredibly talented and creative writers of Nashville but found myself longing for my own niche of creative expression. 

In the summer of 2011, my daughter Lydia James was born. That same year, my parents surprised me with a nice Canon camera for Christmas. Having a camera back in my hands again felt like magic. I began photographing my daughter and sharing the images to my Facebook. One thing led to another and soon I had friends reaching out asking me to take portraits for them. Photography as a business became a side hustle during a difficult transition in my life. I ultimately said goodbye to the music business as the required nightlife became increasingly hard with a little one at home. 

Life takes many twists and turns, but a constant for me has always been my love for photographing nature. There is no place on Earth I feel more at peace than out in the woods with my camera capturing both the big and small details of this incredible world. 

I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle-free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
The road has not been smooth, but isn’t that true for any journey? After leaving the music business I struggled to find a new career path. My marriage was crumbling and I was trying to sort out life as a single Mom. Tackling photography full-time at that point in life felt too risky as it can be an unstable gig. 

I believe in serendipitous moments and found one while taking staff headshots for my dentist. While I was setting up my gear, I overheard a conversation of their need for a dental assistant. I inquired about the details and a couple weeks later applied for my RDA license and began working for Kemp Dental for the next few years. One of the greatest things about most dental practices is that they are only open Monday through Thursday. This allowed me to cram in a 40-hour workweek in a 4-day stretch, which in turn gave me a steady paycheck and insurance to provide for me and my daughter. Even better, it left me with Fridays open to spend in nature with my camera, and Saturdays and Sundays to shoot portraits and events. 

It was a rocky journey for a few years but I have no regrets. It made me stronger as a person and made me a better photographer. I never took a class in photography, for me it has all been self-taught, a lot of YouTube videos, trial and error, Lightroom tutorials, etc., but that only makes me more proud of how far I have been able to take it. 

I’ve set up and sold nature and wildlife prints as part of the Franklin Art Crawl and Murfreesboro Center for the Arts. I was chosen by RAW Artists as one of their featured photographers for an event at the Nashville City Winery. My work has been published in Arrington Vineyard’s seasonal catalog for wine club members, I also shot several covers for TB Phelps – a men’s footwear and accessory company, and this past year I photographed the cover album for upcoming Christian artist, Megan Harney. It has been a wild ride and I am so grateful for all of it. 

As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
While I have earned, a steady income taking portraits and shooting catalogs, my primary passion in photography is nature and wildlife. I love the solitude and calm that comes with time spent in nature. I am drawn to the tiny, macro details that you will see in the majority of my work, and I believe that is what sets my work apart from others. I feel there is poetry to be found in the fading color of a fall leaf, a droplet of rain on a blade of glass, or a tight bud in the spring ready to burst open and reveal itself. It’s as if time stands still, I lose myself in those moments and become so enamored by my subject. The feeling is the same when photographing wildlife, watching a Blue Heron fish for his breakfast on the banks of Radnor Lake, a squirrel perched on a tree limb, nibbling an acorn, even a spider weaving its delicate web – It is all so wonderful and captivating to me! 

I am proud of myself for chasing this passion, even when it had to take a backseat at times, I persevered. With the rise of digital photography, iPhones with great cameras, and the power/influence of social media, this industry is competitive and saturated. I recently quit my job as a dental assistant and let my RDA license expire. I am also excited to leave behind portraits and events in the New Year and tackle nature photography full time. I have a new website up and running with prints available for purchase, and I have started a blog on my site to share my travel adventures. My partner and I have several upcoming trips booked that we are really excited about. With any luck, by December of next year, I will have my nature prints framed and hanging in local shops in and around Nashville. My stepdad, James, is an amazing woodworker and has given me the opportunity to provide custom framing to clients – I keep trying to sell him on the idea of “Frames by James”, haha. I am so excited for all the possibilities to come in 2022! 

What makes you happy?
My daughter, Lydia, and my partner, Brad, both make me so happy. Lydia is asking for a Polaroid for Christmas this year, and she has learned how to use my camera. She makes for an excellent hiking buddy, and I love when she reaches for my camera to capture something interesting, she sees along the way. She joined the Girl Scouts this year and it has been fun reliving some of my childhood through those adventures. She was the missing link in my life and during some difficult times she kept me going, kept me smiling. I love her so very much. 

I also feel incredibly blessed to have found love with a man like Brad. He supports me and gets my work. He is a great encourager on the hard days and gives excellent shoulder rubs after long weekends of shooting. If not for him I’m not sure I would have the courage to go for photography full time without a backup plan. We have a unique story in that we actually met 17 years ago at a music industry event. Brad still works in the music business. We met at a charity golf tournament and hit it off instantly. Our lives were moving in different directions then so we chose the path of friendship and ultimately lost touch. We both have October birthday’s and back in the day when sending E-Cards was popular, he sent me one on my 25th birthday. After losing touch, he continued to receive email reminders from E-Cards that my birthday was coming up. He got that email every year for 17 years. We both lived some life during those 17 years, but when we reconnected over a year ago it was as if no time had passed. The chemistry was still there and we haven’t spent a day apart since. He has filled my life with so much happiness. 

And of course, it goes without saying that time spent in nature with my camera is so fulfilling for me. When someone purchases a print or comments on an image of mine on Facebook or Instagram and it resonates or touches them in some way, that makes me incredibly happy. That’s what it is all about for me. Connection, both to humans and to Mother Nature. 

Contact Info:

• Email: amandacirottophotography@gmail.com
• Website: https://www.theoptimisticitalian.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theoptimisticitalian

Image Credits
Amanda Cirotto