Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Herman Williams. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Hi Herman, thanks for joining us today. Can you share a story about the kindest thing someone has done for you and why it mattered so much or was so meaningful to you?

The kindest thing that anyone has ever done for me was to give me the tools to tap into potential that I had deep down inside that I did not know existed, much less knew how to get to.

Herman, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

My name is Herman Williams, most people call me Herm for short.

I am “a real one”.
I am from Jacksonville FL where we scream “Duuuval”, and the Westside is the best side!

I am also a foodie, I grew up watching shows like Chopped and Andrew Zimmern’s Bizarre Foods, so I can’t help it. Anytime I travel one of my goals is to always find a local dish or restaurant and try it. On the flip side, anytime I’m home and don’t feel like going grocery shopping I’ll “chop” up a meal. Making the best of the ingredients that are already in the kitchen. I like to tell myself that it’s not being lazy, rather it is an exercise in flexing my creativity muscles.
Education has been a tool I have used to change my life for the better; I have a bachelor’s degree in business management from the University of North Florida and a master’s degree in business administration from the University of West Florida.

I unconsciously got into photography during high school. I went to high school from 2007 to 2011, this was the prime-time introduction of camera phones, and I really embraced it! I took a ton of pictures on my various camera phones, many of which I still have to this day.
Concurrently with my camera phone craze, I had the opportunity to take a couple of classes on digital design. I was even able to get certified in adobe photoshop.
During my senior year, I became the Chief Editor for the yearbook. That gave me a passion for shooting pictures and curating themes.

Fast forward to 2019, my wife and I were traveling more, so I wanted a dedicated camera to take pictures of buildings, landscapes, and monuments. So as a birthday gift to myself, I bought a Canon M50. It came just in time for an upcoming trip to Las Vegas. I was so happy, one of my first photos was of the “Welcome to Las Vegas” sign (looking at it now, it’s trash, so please don’t ask to see it lol)

Then, one day a good friend asked me if I ever considered taking pictures of people, as they needed a photographer. Deep down inside, my heart jumped at the opportunity, however my negative self-talk got in the way and made me say no because of how much better some other photographers were than me. After that, I decided to reframe my thoughts and I told myself I just had to put the work in. Now, after several years of practice, better lenses, better camera bodies, and a much better grasp of the art, I’m ready to take on any session that anyone could think to throw at me!

I provide outdoor portraits for birthdays, proms, graduations, pregnancies, just because shoots, and more! I also provide professional headshots and branding photos.

As a photographer it is my responsibility to create a collaborative environment in which the client and I can truly bring their vision to fruition. I provide location recommendations, color theory ideas, reference photos, props, you name it!

One of the biggest concerns I hear from my clients is “I’m not photogenic”.
I’ve learned that the essence of a great photo isn’t clothes, hair, makeup, etc, it is how much of the subject’s personality is able to shine through. To this point, I use music as a gateway to help my clients feel comfortable being themselves in front of my camera.
A photo session with me is low key a party and a karaoke session mixed in.

I think I’m a lot more curious than other photographers. I’m always asking myself “what can take this from a great shoot to an unforgettable shoot”.
Also, I’m not chasing an algorithm! Let’s take photos how you want, to best help you make memories, not what social media dictates will help my personal platforms grow. Oh, we’re going to get some shots in landscape orientation!

I am most proud of the fact that I was able to see the worth in myself to follow through with my passion.

Let’s have fun! I want my clients to only be able to think about happiness whenever we work together, so that whenever they look at their photos, they can relive that happiness all over again.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

A lesson that I had to unlearn is that “if you want something done right, then do it yourself”.

After I created my business Instagram page, I got to working on my logo for my business. I knew every element that I wanted to be included in it! The best part was that I had been using photoshop for the past 12 years, so I figured that I could just create the logo myself to cut back on costs.

I spent 2 to 3 weeks trying to create a logo that would represent me and what I wanted my business to stand for. Unfortunately, what I ended up creating could not have been further from that! I absolutely hated the logo I made and ended up deleting all the files pertaining to it so I could pretend that it never happened.
I hung my head low for a microsecond; then I reminded myself that no Fortune 500 company has one person doing everything, so neither should I. I found an amazing designer on Etsy, paid their $17 fee, and within 8 hours I had a logo that I loved.

Moral of the story… the “one man band” mentality that a lot of us single member business owners have can be crippling and the opportunity costs are high. There’s nothing wrong with getting help in order to propel your business forward.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

By far the most rewarding aspect of being a photographer is the light you see in your clients’ eyes when they fall in love with a photo you’ve taken of them. It’s an honor to be able to reintroduce a client to a part of themselves that they had forgotten or help them discover something in themselves that they had been overlooking.
A strong number two to that is seeing my client use one of my pictures as their profile picture on a social platform! It just hits you right in the feels, in all the right ways.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.hermbehobbying.com
• Instagram: @HermBeHobbying