Meet Scott Gutentag | Photographer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Scott Gutentag and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Scott, every day, we know how much execution matters, but we think ideas matter as well. How did you come up with the idea for your business?
I’ve been a licensed educational psychologist for over 30 years working with individuals with disabilities including intellectual disabilities, autism, genetic syndromes, and physical challenges. I picked up my first camera when I was 10 years old and enjoyed observing the many things in our environments that tended to go unnoticed, and then captured them in photos. Years later, I decided to blend my psychology and creative photography careers to specialize in photographing people with disabilities.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
Artists have their unique perspectives and views on expressing themselves and creating. I like to capture a look and do something different in my images. Also, I photograph on location and many times in the homes of my clients or places comfortable to them. Lighting and setup can be challenging, which I see as an opportunity to create! That is, how to produce an artistic portrait without an epic or mind blowing setting. Lastly, and importantly, I like to take my time and not rush through sessions. I’m always looking for a unique and beautiful angle that incorporates the individual in their environment. This process offers a comfortable session for my clients that showcase their authenticity and allows creativity to unfold.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Decide what kind of food they want and make a list. Los Angeles has pretty much everything or close to it! So that would take care of at least 2 meals. Checking out the mountains like Lake Arrowhead and even closer in the San Gabriel mountains. Of course visiting the Southern California beaches such as Hermosa Beach or Manhattan Beach. Many musical venues to visit including the Hollywood Bowl and Greek Theater and many of the smaller sites. For classical music, definitely the Pasadena Symphony at the Ambassador Auditorium. Lastly, there is so much live theater to enjoy and in Pasadena that would include the Pasadena Playhouse and A Noise Within. Not too far away is The Fountain Theater in Los Feliz. They all produce outstanding theater.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
My dad introduced me to photography on a summer vacation where he was shooting with an all manual 1957 Zeiss camera. From the day I pushed the shutter button on that camera to take a shot, I was hooked. So thank you dad! He also taught me to try my best and to never give up. Important values in life. Also, learning from and working with great photographers gave me deeper insight into photography so that I could take the words of wisdom and apply and modify them for my work with disabled individuals.

Website: https://www.scottgutentag.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/scottgutentag/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/scott-gutentag-b237a1166/

Other: Tik Tok: https://www.tiktok.com/@scottgutentag?_t=ZP-8vq7gdFQd15&_r=1

Image Credits
Astonn Hart for behind the scenes