Conrad Schutt: I Never Really Thought Of Ever Doing Anything Photography Related
In Haiti, we have remarkable professionals and experts; all are working towards modifying the description of Haiti locally and abroad. Despite the social-political challenges, Haiti has and remain a land of beauty and picturesque touristic sites that are yet to be discovered. Conrad Schutt, a legendary Haitian Photographer and Founder of Malfini Photography, has been capturing the best images of Haiti from the east to the west sides. If you’re looking for beautiful pictures of Haiti, his social pages are worth a visit. When we reached to him for an interview, with a pleasant attitude, he was humble to share his story as well as some advice to aspiring entrepreneurs in the photography business.
Please introduce yourself to our readers.
My name is Conrad Schutt. I was born and raised in Cap-Haitien, Haiti. When I was eleven, I left Haiti because of political unrest. t was supposed to be a quick trip for a couple of weeks to wait while things died down. The coup turned into an embargo, which later turned into Operation Restore Democracy. Needless to say, we didn’t return to Haiti right away. I ended up staying from High School through University in South Florida. I remember growing up during those days, saying you were from Haiti was never met with positive remarks. However, I never shied away from it, because no matter what, Haiti will always be home. I returned home after FIU (Florida International University) and have been living here since 2004.
Walk us through your journey in establishing your photography career. What inspired you?
I never really thought of ever doing anything photography related. A few years back, my sister introduced me to this new app called Instagram. I started getting into it strictly using my iPhone. I would look at other accounts and be amazed at how their pictures would look and be always trying to figure out “how did they do that?” After a while, I grew a little tired of the limitations of the iPhone and was ready to give up on IG and pictures in general. That Christmas, my wife bought me my first drone and the rest is history. The drone gave me a whole new love for photography because of the different perspectives that you could get. With many places, it would be like seeing things for the first time.
Where did the name Malfini Photography come from?
The Malfini is the hawk that is native to the island; it is the biggest and baddest bird on the island. As a child, I always admired then with how they so gracefully glided in the sky. I would always wonder what it would be like to do the same. Well, with the help of modern technology, I now can. Since I do mostly drone photography, I figured that would be the perfect name.
You share many photos of Haiti, tell us a bit about that?
The easiest answer, I live here, so that is where I take most of my pictures. When you search online, you have many sites that show you Haiti, most of them not revealing the whole truth. I just show things that are also true in my eyes.
What message are you sharing through your photographs?
Haiti is a very complex country on many levels. Being from here, I do know and acknowledge the many problems that we face every day. While I do not discount these problems, I do not believe that they define the country. Anyone that has traveled around Haiti can tell you this. I guess I just got tired of other people telling the story for me. For every negative, there is a positive; I try to be the Ying to their Yang. One of the coolest moments I had was during an expo that I did in North Miami for Haitian Heritage Month where there was a Haitian American child that clearly never went to Haiti just staring at all the pictures while we were setting up. I went to talk to him, and he was shocked that he was looking at pictures of Haiti.
What do you think about creating a culture of telling our own narrative of Haiti to the people of other countries?
Well, that is why I keep taking pictures. You would be surprised the amount of time that I meet someone in Cap-Haitien that tells me that they came to Haiti because of the pictures on my IG. There are plenty of other ambassadors that are sharing a positive image and are continually trying to change the narrative. I look at accounts from all over the world, and it’s incredible how they have these massive communities in each country, which push it big time. I only wish there were a lot more of other accounts like mine pushing the same message. With technology today, we no longer need to wait for someone to do anything for you. With a phone, you can get started. I even wish that someone will read this now and think “let me give it a try.”
Tell us about your favorite photography gadgets and tools.
If you have seen my account, it is clear that my favorite gadget is drones. Right now, I currently am using a DJI inspire 2. The thing that I really enjoy about this drone is the ability to swap out the lenses depending on what it is that I am shooting. Recently I bought a smaller drone, the Mavic Pro 2. What is cool with it is that it fits in my backpack and I always have it with me. The best camera is the one you have in your hands right now.
What are your favorite places to shoot in Haiti?
Any coastline. I’m an absolute sucker for those turquoise Caribbean waters.
How do you keep your skills current?
YouTube. It is amazing that anything you want to find out how to do is probably on Google or YouTube. I subscribe to a bunch of photography channels for their tutorials.
What would be your message to young photographers in Haiti who are just starting out?
If you want to learn, you can. Two to three years ago, I had no clue what a RAW image or Lightroom was. No clue how to edit a picture, how to frame a picture, how to do anything really, and now I am currently doing drone work in other countries. All this to say that it all started with a phone. Once I got the first drone, I only used money from the drones to upgrade and made it pay for itself. At the end of the day, I guess you just have to want it.
Coffee or tea?
COFFEE
