Starting a successful photography business isn’t easy. Just look on the internet and you’ll see tons of photographers and photography businesses listed. It takes talent, dedication, determination and a lot of luck to succeed in the photography business.
A Tough Beginning
19 year old Sam Maloney isn’t your typical photographer. Sam was diagnosed with autism at the age of three.
When Sam was 10 years old his school refused to teach him how to read. His mother, Debra, was diagnosed with cancer in October 2007 and was unable to advocate for her son due to her battle with cancer. In January of 2011 she recovered and went to his school. Her son was 11 and unable to read. She realized that he would be unable to write by hand and asked the school for assistive technology. Her request was denied. She strived to find a way to help her son.
Finding Success
Debra read books by Temple Grandin and recalled Grandin speaking about teaching to the interest of the person on the autism spectrum and thinking out of the box.
Debra remembered a photo that Sam had taken of her and her daughter and that Sam loved taking photos with her phone. Maybe photography would be the key to teaching Sam. She looked at his photos and wondered “am I just a proud mom or are these pictures really good?” Everyone loved them.
Debra asked his music therapist to help Sam to learn how to hold a camera. She pushed Sam to take him out of his comfort zone to try new things. “At first it made me angry, but that push helped me a lot,” said Sam. Sam started taking photos and eventually Debra created a Facebook page to share his work with the world, Snapshots by Sam Maloney.
A large part of why Debra started Sam’s page is because she wanted people to learn who he is. “People fear autism so much – that’s what we want to change,” said Debra. Sam wants more friends and wishes that people were more accepting.
Sam wishes people would be more patient. “In school a teacher that I worked with forced me to write when I cannot write. They grabbed my hand and forced me to write. I wasn’t treated fairly in school at all. That’s one of the things that makes me angry – that they weren’t patient and were forceful. It’s tough. Don’t be afraid if you hear someone is autistic. It’s just a diagnosis. It’s not about curing autism, but learning adaptive skills in an understanding environment.”
Sam’s Photography
Last year Sam started his own website www.sammaloneyphotography.com. Sam has a diverse portfolio of street photography, nature photography, senior portraits, modeling portraits, and weddings (although he generally prefers other types of photography), and his favorite – car photography.
Sam has been planning his dream photo shoot for a year in his mind. He wants to go to Dubai and photograph a car in the middle of a dirt road with Burj Khalifa Tower and the city skyline in the background similar to magazine covers that he has seen.
Sam’s camera is a tool. It makes him more social and he also uses it for homeschooling. He is now more comfortable in society. During photo shoots it helps him to communicate while looking through the lens instead of maintaining direct eye contact. He still has some difficulty in meeting new people. “I don’t feel comfortable asking questions to people I’ve never met. We meet at Starbucks since it’s not that crowded and I can talk with them one on one without a crowd around me, ” says Sam.
Sam says, “Photography means a lot to me. I hold it close to my heart. I’ve been doing it for 10 years and don’t want to do anything else.” As a photographer myself, I know that every photographer sees something different when they look through the lens. I asked Sam what did he see. “I visualize a person holding an umbrella in the rain. A different perspective on society. I see people going to work every morning, going home every night, taking the bus or train home. It makes me understand what they are going through to make a living. It gives me motivation to work my butt off. Most people when they go to college they don’t know what they want to do. You need to have a passion for what you do. You’ve got to enjoy what you do so you won’t be miserable for the rest of your life.”
Traveling is one of Sam’s passions. He mostly photographs near his home in Rochester, NY, but has been to New Zealand, Canada and Virginia. Debra says traveling helps build Sam’s self esteem and teaches him how to be on his own. He is planning on taking his first independent trip in February to Arizona where he hopes to add a side trip to the Grand Canyon. Sam hopes to visit New Zealand again, as well as Tokyo, Japan, Hawaii, England, Ireland, Belgium, Amsterdam, Iceland, Alaska and to see the Northern Lights.
Autism on US Routes 11 & 20
Starting in March 2020 Sam will embark on a journey to inspire others to see the best in themselves. Sam is planning a road trip on US Routes 11 and 20. Each route has its own remarkable history including being two of the oldest interstate highways in the United States. Sam chose US Routes 11 & 20 to photographically document the spectacular beauty of these routes.
US Route 11 starts at the top of New York State in the Adirondacks and finishes in New Orleans. US Route 20 runs west from Boston to Newport, Oregon. The first leg of his trip starts the third week of March along US Route 11 and ends in Bayou Sauvage National Wildlife Refuge in New Orleans on April 2nd, which is World Autism Awareness Day. Sam hopes through this national campaign to dispel negative perceptions of autism.
Helping Others
“I know what it feels like to be financially strapped where you barely have any money. All of my camera equipment has either been given to me or money was raised by fundraisers.” Sam has a heart for helping others and has started a program called Portrait Cares four years ago to give back to his community.
Through his program Sam has photographed several high school seniors, giving them the opportunity to have professional senior portraits when they might not have been able to. Sam has also provided photography services free of charge to Rochester Refugee Resettlement Services, Americorps, and Children Awaiting Parents. Rochester Refugee Resettlement is currently building a website and Sam will be taking all the photos for their webpage. Sam assisted Children Awaiting Parents by taking photographs for their adoption registry.
Sam’s message is that no matter what is holding you back in life, you just have to keep moving forward. Sam’s turbulent journey is finally over and he is looking forward to his future.
Sam’s Future
Sam is currently working on developing his portfolio. In order to expand his car photography portfolio he is planning on approaching dealerships and seeing if they need any photography done for sales and speaking with car owner who might like photos of their car.
Sam’s goal is to make enough money to support himself by owning a successful and stable photography business. He hopes to one day purchase his own house in the country and pay off the mortgage or live in a nice apartment on the top floor with a big window with sunlight coming in.
Sam also loves to travel and hopes to see the world with friends, especially his friend Reuben. Sam plans to visit all 50 states. By the age of 50 he hopes to live in another country, probably Japan. “There’s a big car scene in Japan with a mountain highway and a famous interloop for car meetups,” said Sam, “Most of all though I want to be independent and on my own.”
