Shillano Carter runs Shillano Carter Photography out of Abaco, and he has built a name shooting weddings, portraits and campaigns across the islands. He does not talk about gear. He talks about light, timing and the nerve it took to go full time. Here is his come up, in his words.
My first hustle
My first money came from shooting my cousins with a camera my mother barely let me touch. I was maybe sixteen, charging twenty dollars a session, editing on a laptop that took ten minutes to open a file. Nobody in Abaco was hiring a teenager to take pictures. So I photographed everybody for free until free turned into people asking what I charged. That was the whole business plan.
My worst job ever
Before photography paid, I worked the front desk at a resort. Long shifts, smiling at people who would not look at me, folding towels like my life depended on it. The worst part was watching photographers come through on assignment while I stamped key cards. I remember thinking that should be me. That job did not break me. It just showed me exactly what I did not want.
“I had a second bag packed with gear before I ever packed one for a real vacation.”
The moment I bet on myself
I quit the desk job with no backup plan and one wedding booked. My family thought I lost my mind. Abaco is small, and betting your rent on pretty pictures is not a normal move here. The scary yes was telling my boss I was done. Everything after that was just work.
Doing this young in the Bahamas
People here still think a camera is a hobby, not a business. I have walked into meetings where they assumed I was the assistant. I have had clients try to pay me in exposure. The upside is nobody expects you, so when the work is good it lands harder. Low expectations became my favorite advantage.
This interview has been edited and condensed.
