Weathering the changing seasons of the photo industry

From lugging bags of bulky film, running back and forth to photo labs and spending countless hours creating the perfect photographs in a darkroom, Haverhill’s Jim Scourletis has done it all.

Yet the practice of being a photographer has changed radically through the last couple of decades, and as he heads out the door these days with a much lighter load and the knowledge that he can have instant access to his photos is a blessing for him.

“Going to digital has been a boon for photographers,” he says. “The expense of film and processing went away. The time involved in creating prints went away.”

Yet we all know that when digital photography became mainstream, everyone with a cell phone became a photographer.
“So in a way,” says Scourletis, “the technology has deteriorated the photography profession.”

Still, he isn’t yearning for the past.

Scourletis seriously picked up his first camera while he was taking a year off mid-way through college.

“I didn’t want to be idle, so I enrolled in an adult ed class in photography, borrowing my father’s 35mm point and shoot Canon,” he says. “The instructor was a well-established commercial photographer with a studio and darkroom; part of the class was shooting and part was developing and printing. I got into it immediately and bought my own camera.”

When he returned to Salem State College the following year, Scourletis began photographing sports events for the school newspaper. Through an exchange program he attended Trent Polytechnic University in Nottingham, England, for a semester where he furthered his darkroom skills in both color and black-and-white labs.

Graduating from college, Scourletis pursued a career in photography, despite his degree in geography. Working in a camera store in Danvers, he took on photo jobs, worked in the lab and managed the shop. From there, he worked as a production manager in a full-service black-and-white photo lab and studio, handling mostly commercial product photography.

“After a while, I came to the realization that you can only shoot so many things in front of a seamless background,” he says. “I needed to get outside and shoot the landscape.”

Scourletis eventually landed in a purchasing position for a healthcare company, a career that lasted 35 years. During that time, he continued his photography for his own personal enjoyment, shooting large-format black-and-white and color slides. Through his healthcare job, he met a woman who archived historical photos and drawings, and he took on some of her copy work in his spare time, photographing historical documents for publication in textbooks.

“This was a great side gig, and a way for me to stay connected to photography,” he says.

He also began to place his photographs in a stock photo agency that sold images to the publishing industry.

“Luckily, as digital photography and the ability to scan images began to take away the need for copy work, my stock photo sales began to increase,” he says.

Scourletis’ sales were primarily of his landscape photos, which were published in travel brochures, magazines and trade books through the agency.

Like many others, when he purchased his first digital camera, Scouletis felt suddenly unincumbered by the hassle and expense of using film.
“I felt that there was no limit to how many photos I could take,” he laughs, “until I realized that I still had to transfer them to a computer, edit them down, sometimes enhance them and then print them. Still, the beauty of digital is that you only have to create that perfect print once, and then each time you print it you can maintain the exact same results, unlike spending hours on each print in a darkroom and not always getting the exact same image.”

The publishing industry continued to radically change, as the royalty-free concept (free or very inexpensive use of photographs for publication) offered by the few largest stock photo agencies diminished sales for the smaller agencies like the one representing Scourletis.

Once again, he pivoted and considered selling his own work as fine art. Approaching a gallery in York, Maine, he was accepted as their only photographer. For the next 10 years, Scourletis sold his seascapes and landscapes in the gallery, sitting in on a regular basis to meet the public.

“I became aware that I was the best salesperson for my own work,” he says. “I realized that people love talking directly to the artist and learning about the process.”

He enjoyed 10 years at the gallery before it closed in 2010.

Scourletis takes pride in printing all of his own wall art, using archival paper and canvas. He also cuts his own mats and does the framing.
“I never really mentioned this to my customers, but during the last few shows I have participated in, I shared this information and now see that most people see value in that.”

As a member of the Greater Haverhill Arts Association, he exhibits in their shows and has become an annual exhibitor at the Amesbury Open Studios annual event.
Recently retired from his day job, Scourletis now has more time to concentrate on his photography.

“I would like to start traveling more,” he says. “That’s the best way to add more variety to my collection.”

And while the photo industry continues to evolve, one thing remains the same: People appreciate a beautiful photograph.

“My favorite part of showing my photography is meeting people who have a special connection with one of my images,” he says. “This makes the work more meaningful to me.”

Patricia Bruno is a Methuen native, currently living in Haverhill. A writer and photographer, she is also the owner of The Winged Rabbit gift shop in downtown Haverhill.