We have a treat this week for our Featured Photographer of the week! This week, you are being introduced to Peter Hurley! I hope you guys enjoy this week, like I did!
Hey I’m Peter. Portrait and headshot shabangin photographer from NYC with twin daughters and a lovely wife. When you don’t find me behind my camera I’ll be off racing sailboats somewhere and dreamin’ about the next shoot.
When did you first realize you wanted to be a photographer?
I was modeling a bunch and hanging out with a bunch of photographers from 1996-1999, just thought it must be the coolest job in the world and would be fun to do. In 2000 I decided to give it a shot.
When and how did you start out in photography?
I picked up a camera in 2000 after Bruce Weber suggested I get one. I didn’t have a clue as to what I was doing, but I was determined to learn. It was all trial and error and I began shooting my friends in NY that were modeling with me at the time.
How would you describe your style?
I’d say it’s straightforward, clean and all about expression.
What’s in your gear bag?
I travel a lot so I have a Kata Flyby77. In it I have a Hasselblad H5D50, Bunch of lenses: 28mm, 50mm, 80mm, 120mm macro and 210mm. I’ve got an extension tube, 3 battery grips, a charger. I take my ALM iPhone grip and wide angle lens for shooting little videos I do. Have a Rode mic with that too. I’ve got my Arca Swiss P0 bullhead and a Feisol CT3442 with me as well. Also, I travel with a iPad and Macbook pro.
One lens you can’t live without?
120mm macro, won’t go anywhere without it. I use it about 90% of the time I’d say.
How did know when the right time to start charging was?
When I was broke in NYC and had to figure out how to pay rent without going back to bartending. I was determined not to do that, so I was going to make this work no matter what.
How much did you charge for your first session and how much are you charging for the same type of session now?
I started back then just charging for each roll of film. I was shooting 120, so it wasn’t cheap to process it all. I had to charge something, think I first charged $25 per roll. I’d shoot 3 rolls in a session maybe, so $75 total. Now my sessions cost $1000.
How did you market yourself when you started out?
I pounded pavement trying to get actors in my door. The actors headshot market is strong in New York and I was acting at the time a bit too, so I had access and a way to get into it. I decided to run an ad in a weekly newspaper called Backstage. At the time the ad cost me $315 per week, I think by the time I ran the ad I was charging $250 per session. Some weeks it got me people and some it didn’t, but I ran that ad for years. Really was the way I built my business.
Name the first person that comes to mind when you think of:
Wedding photographer: Lee Morris, he produced my DVD with me, so he popped in my mind first, but I don’t know many of these guys either.
Lifestyle photographer: David Kaptein, Lifestyle makes me think of the commercial print modeling I did in the 90’s. David and I picked up a camera at the same time and he focused a bit more on testing models for the commercial print agencies. That’s why he’s the first one that popped into my brain.
Most inspiration person: Bruce Weber, hands down. He’s really my inspiration because I got to spend so much time with him and I admire his work so much. Not to mention he’s the reason I picked up a camera in the first place. If he hadn’t pushed me I don’t think it would’ve ever happened. His photographs continue to inspire me everyday.
Did you go to school for photography or were you self- taught? All self-taught. I did take a class in high school, but I found my report card and it said that I lacked enthusiasm! Go figure. I guess the most helpful thing really was that I was in front of the camera for years. Moving to the other side wasn’t an easy transition, but I instantly had people to shoot. I just shot my friends that were modeling with me at the time. Having that access and shooting a ton was really what helped me most.
What has been some of the hardest things to overcome in your business? I think as a photographer you have to take whatever comes your way when you are starting out until you get your groove. I was fortunate enough that photographers before me that made the headshot industry in New York solid as a rock. Photographers were already charging $1000 when I got into it, so I always had that goal to shoot for. At the beginning I wasn’t making enough to live in NY strictly off my photography, so I had to keep my foot in the door modeling and rely on my girlfriend/ now wife at the time to help pay the bills. Getting past that was the toughest and I was always trying to figure out any other way to milk cash out of that camera.
Do you have any tips for photographers just starting out?. I think the best tip I could have is twofold: Keep your finger on the shutter(shoot your butt off) and be picky as hell. Only show your best work. A lot of photographers put filler in their portfolio because they think they need more shots. 1 bad shot can kill you with a client, so only show your best stuff. I’d rather see a portfolio with 5 solid shots in it than 20 where 15 are mediocre. I know you are out there, so stop doing that!!!
If for some reason you couldn’t be a photographer what do you think you would be? Good question. I feel lucky to have picked up a camera. I might have gone into finance or become a professional sailor. A bunch of my buddies that were training with me for the Olympics went pro, so maybe I would’ve done that.
What’s the best lesson in photography that you’ve learned so far?
Having a style that is all your own is priceless. Getting to the point where people see an image and know you took it is pretty powerful. I feel fortunate that people know my headshot work in that way. I can spot a Bruce Weber image a mile away. I think developing that your style and sticking with it is the most important thing you can do.
What are your thoughts on price?
Most important thing about pricing your work to me is that you are comfortable with it and you are giving that value to your clients. If someone gave me $1000 and told me to shoot them when I started I would have probably run straight to the bathroom and thrown up. I wouldn’t have been able to handle that kind of responsibility. Now if they pay me any less than that I’m easily frustrated. I give deals here and there and it never feels as good as when I’m getting my normal rate. That said, your normal rate should be around where you feel your clients are getting their money’s worth. I feel my work is worth every bit of $1000. Obviously not everyone is going to be able to afford it, so I have a select clientele. When you are starting out you have to feel out your market and see what it can handle. If you charge too little, people will take that as a sign that you suck. If you charge too much you won’t get enough clients through your door. You have to find a happy medium. When I was moving up the ranks in headshotlandI distinctly remember charging around $600 when the ones that were considered the best in NY were charging between 800-1000. I had a casting director tell me that I was better than those photographers because she was sending me people to fix the shots that these photographers were taking. She told me to increase my pricing to match their’s because actors didn’t think I was as good due to the price. I increased my pricing $50 every month I was busy until it got to $1000.