Charles Nettles was in a dark place after high school. He didn’t know what to do; didn’t knowwhat he wanted to do. He was working at the Southington Kmart and, spur of the moment, bought a Kodak from the store’s display – it was cheaper than the others.

“I didn’t really look at it as an artistic thing,” Nettles explained in a recent phone call. “I used it to try to understand my perspective on life. It felt like the right thing to do.”

With no experience or mentor, Nettles, known online as @exstnce_ , taught himself the art via YouTube and good, old trial and error, turning his lens on landscape, perfectly happy posting his images on Instagram for himself. Then came the DMs: people wanting portraits.

Initially unsure of focusing on people, Nettle’s now fully invested.

“I love taking pictures of landscapes and they’re gorgeous, but I can’t do anything to make it my own.” Plus, “I love interacting with people. I love being of service.”

Landscape or person, Nettles hopes his work closes gaps.

“I want people to be excited about learning about other people. That’s a big part of why I make art,” he said. “People divide themselves into sectors based off where they think they belong. They can’t intermingle with certain crowds or break bread or share thoughts with certain people or demographics, but time and time again we’ve seen art bring demographics together.”

What started as a fluke has become the pivot around which Nettles’ life turns. “Something that I didn’t really give much thought into the biggest part about me.”

Looking forward, Nettles is working on a short film, would love to leverage his barista skills at his own café, and, his biggest wish of all: Nettles wants to visit Iceland to photograph – what else? – landscapes.

There’s nothing like your first love.