Meet Kathy Shorr | photographer

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

Hi Kathy, how does your business help the community?
I am a photographer who decided that I wanted to work on projects that may be able to make the world a more tolerant and perhaps a better place. Simply put, by exposing viewers to the lives of people who they may not know by sharing their personal stories, rather than seeing the differences between them ,they may begin to see the similarities.

An issue that I felt that had become extremely polarizing with only extreme views was gun violence in America. I thought that if I could show the collateral damage of gun violence by photographing the actual people who had experienced it, this abstract concept would be humanized and connections could be made across political views. In my first project on gun violence, I photographed 101 survivors from across America- every race, many ethnicities, ages, high & low profile shootings, many gun owners-even an NRA member- all shooting survivors. Most were photographed at the actual location where the shooting occurred because these places are familiar to all of us.

By sharing the stories of survivors in my book, SHOT… 101 Survivors of Gun Violence in America and now in my new work SHOT: We the Mothers, photographing mothers who have lost children to gun violence, I hope that Americans will begin to realize that no one in America is safe from gun violence. We all have an obligation to vote for responsible gun laws and to insure that these laws are enforced.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
My path in photography meandered and detoured. When I graduated the School of Visual Arts, my first few years were creatively successful- I also began to get jobs. I was constantly trying to get into journalism and always checking in with editors and hoping. One national news magazine had an editor who was not very pleasant to always be solicitous with. After one year of this annoying game, she called me at 4 pm on a Friday and said the magazine needed this photo by Monday morning. Her closing remark was “have fun”. The photo was a new fashion item- a girdle skirt. My mission was to find someone wearing one. I spent the entire weekend looking for this photo- out till 4 in the morning on “dangerous” East Village streets looking for a woman wearing one. No luck. On Sunday in the late afternoon, I was walking through Soho with a friend completely frazzled and anxious. As we walked we saw a lingerie store with the skirt in the window! I asked the saleswoman if she would please model one for me and she did. Finally! I worked all weekend for this photo and if the magazine did not like my photos- I would not have gotten paid. When the magazine came out, I looked at the photo and got very angry. I felt like I had worked over 20 hours for $300 and now who really cared about this picture anyway- I didn’t. At that moment, I made the decision to find other ways to make a living and continue photographing for me. Over the years, I have done a number of different jobs for work. I eventually settled on teaching photography and did that for 15 years. This allowed me to do my own projects while not worrying about money.
I would tell anyone starting out to figure out what will work for them. Being an artist means that you will probably have to compromise to get by.
I can also say that persistence pays off. Years of working in your field will eventually bear fruit if you stay the course. Figure out ways that you can overcome your challenges and be true to yourself.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
My favorite place in Miami is the Bill Baggs State Park on Key Biscayne. We would go early and take a walk on the beach, followed by some swimming. I would be sure to bring my guests up to the top of the Lighthouse for a great workout (10 flights of stairs) and a magnificent view. Then lunch at the Lighthouse Cafe. After lunch back to the beach. Around 4 we can rent bicycles and ride along the bike path stopping at the outdoor bar for a cool drink.

I also love the Perez Art Museum, walking along the paths by the beach, visiting the Hampton House, the raw bar at Shuckers, the Vagabond Motel, Versailles Restaurant and anything mid century modern.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
There have been many influences in my life; my grandmother, Lulu Weiss and my partner, Charles Traub are the first two that come to mind.

Website: www.kathyshorr.com

List in order of the photos presented:

1. Latrice
2. Dorothy
3. Romania
4. Tawana
5. Sam
6. MJ
7, Meresa
8. Tangela