Meet ZOTEYE | Analog Photographer

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

Hi ZOTEYE, what do you want your legacy to be?
I started my career with a combination of my own business combined with a lot of different jobs for companies. Big corporate to small family businesses. What always came back is that I was never really in control of the product of brand from beginning to end. The whole cycle. I was a part of a machine, from very small ‘machines’ to very large ones. I wanted to break that cycle and be in control of the whole circle of my passion. Conception, ideation, branding, product creation, marketing, sales, finance, customer support, and so on. All of it. And I wanted to do it my way and with all the skills I took with me from all the jobs I once worked.

Photography is overlooked in our society. It’s everywhere so it becomes a commodity. Easy to make so should be cheap. Also, a lot of people are doing free work which undermines the value of the craft. But to earn a living as a photographer and deliver work that will actually convert, not just money wise but also feeling wise is something that needs training. Everyday hard work and a lot of trial and error.

Risk taking is part of life. We wouldn’t be here talking to each other if we each in our own way would not have taken risks almost on a daily basis. We need risk, its part of our DNA. If we don’t do it, there would be no progression. Everytime I take a photo or deliver work to a customer, I take a risk because my work is a view of the world through my energy as a being. The risk that this work is perceived at the other end in a different way is always there. I do try to have a portfolio out there on many different platforms that will submerge potential buyers or customers in my world but still, everytime someone asks me to make a piece specific for them or shoot their portrait, it is always a new moment, new energy and new collision of energy that is going to be established from which I don’t exactly know what will be the outcome.

Be myself and don’t be someone you think you have to be is very important to be succesfull as an entrepreneur.

Going upstream and don’t follow the masses is the secret of succes for my brand.

I debated a long time if I would work analog again after shooting digital for many years. It was a very difficult decision to only work analog and leave digital entirely behind. When you look around you as photographer/filmmaker, 90% at least of the work is made digitally. It is also much cheaper to work digital. So you really question yourself if you’re not being very stupid with even considering to work analog. Why would you do this in 2023? But when I let my gut feeling talk, I didn’t even hesitate. Analog is the way forward for me. It’s about the process, the look, the craft.

Work became life and life became work. It’s all one. And that’s the perfect balance for me. I also tried to use a lot of planning tools and corporate systems to make some structure in my own business but it didn’t work. It was like trying to make a tiger fly. I needed my own system that came out of me as an artist and self employed living being with my own life. Not a small part of a department, part of another department, part of a group, part of a country, and so on…

I the “glass half empty” way of thinking is very important for me. I always try to see a half full glass and that has helped me every time again and again to overcome struggles but also make the joy even bigger with a succes.

Art is life and is the only thing in my opinion that gives us the ability to communicate with anyone in the world, whatever language they speak, whatever their background is. Even aliens will be able to understand art. I talk with visuals, already since I was a kid. And I want to talk a lot, the whole time actually, because there’s so much to talk about.

I want people to remember that the glass is always half full.

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 have been working as a photographer since the year 2000. Hundreds of people, events and brands have passed my lenses, all across the world. I have worked a long time digital but I am proud that I went back to the beginning of my love for photography which is working completely analog. I got there by believing in myself and by never stop seeking the right puzzle pieces that makes me-me. I’m proud of the person that I am when shooting with anyone in the world, I first want to know them before picking up any camera. I can’t do it otherwise. And that is something that creates a bond with your subject(s) that gives me te ability to dig deeper in someones energy and life or passion(s).

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 would definitely start by taking them to eat a breakfast in the All Good Cafe. After that, a walk through Deep Ellum with some visits to some little stores and then lunch time in Dallas Food Market. After lunch I would invite my guests to walk towards Downtown, have a visit to the DMA and a coffee somewhere in one of the many cosy coffee places downtown.

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 soulmate and wife Theresa Braselton. She helped me to see the real me and believe in my self and my art.

Website: https://www.zoteye.com/

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

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/johan-bockstaele-837360213/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/_zoteye

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/zoteye

Other: NFT platforms: Solana: https://exchange.art/single/6MrtMJTHpi2U84Ttx5SJaJKx4XwADqGCGBGtAHQ7wDrv Tezos: https://objkt.com/asset/KT1CsMcLApYZ5Zt89Z4rrcZUn5QZH594biVC/1

Image Credits
ZOTEYE