Meet Samanthalee Greco | Writer, Photographer & Communications Specialist
We had the good fortune of connecting with Samanthalee Greco and we’ve shared our conversation below.
Hi Samanthalee, what led you to pursuing a creative path professionally?
I chose to be a photographer after having grown up with an expiration date and my family ALWAYS wishing they had taken more photos of me with others, our trips, etc.. That idea of wanting to ensure a memory is captured for someone has always stuck with me and lead to me getting behind a camera. Capturing special moments between others, snapping a photo of a person’s smile as they play with their dog or see their favorite musician perform, or even snapping a photo of a place that brought so much joy to someone else is what motivates me to stay creative and have fun with my camera.
Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I think one of my favorite things that separates me from other photographers is that I can’t stand editing. I spend a good amount of my time ensuring that the lighting and composition of my shots are “perfect” before taking the photo so that the editing that I do end up doing is minimal. There is nothing artificial about my photos. They are as real and raw as they could possibly get with my creative touch. This is a challenge, though, as people love presets and the extra editing they can have done to photos… but it’s my process and it’s what helps me stick to my want of capturing the real, raw, timeless moments.
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?
I’m still relatively new to the area so this is hard for me! A lot of my friends love trying new foods/drinks and playing board games so taking them to one/some of the breweries around the area would be ideal. One of the things that brought my family and I to TN was Gatlinburg (before it became the big tourist spot it is now) so I’d bring my friends there too.
Market Square has a bunch of neat restaurants and small shops to explore.
Oh! And I love the use of old buildings and how they were repurposed to become restaurants, bars, apartments, etc. throughout Knoxville/Old City.. showing them those and exploring is a must!
Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Obviously my friends and family deserve a shout out for always supporting me, letting me take photos of them all the time, BUYING me my first bit of camera equipment… but I’d also like to shout out a favorite musician of mine – Andrew McMahon. His story is incredibly inspiring and is a reminder that no matter what bad days/things come, you can get through it. He is a father, musician, author, survivor, and founder of the wonderful nonprofit foundation, Dear Jack.
Website: RTIPhotography.com
Instagram: @raise_the_invincible // @samanthaleegreco
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RaisetheInvincible?mibextid=LQQJ4d
Nominate Someone: ShoutoutTennessee is built on recommendations and shoutouts from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
