We recently connected with Harrison Hurwitz and have shared our conversation below.
Alright, Harrison thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. What were some of the most unexpected problems you’ve faced in your career and how did you resolve those issues?
I started my photography career in Philadelphia, but then moved to NYC for the next 15 years, where clients wanted work that looks edgy. I took that mindset with me to Phoenix when I moved there, but the percentage of clients that wanted that kind of work has been much smaller. It took me several years of being in Phoenix to realize that, so I removed my most edgy work from my portfolio, although my work still looks quite different from other photographers, and now I have no problem getting hired here.
Harrison, 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?
I was originally a school psychologist, since I find people fascinating, and I genuinely like almost everyone I meet. However, although I loved the students and teachers, dealing with the bureaucracy of school districts was difficult, and I needed an outlet for my creativity. When I interviewed for the final district worked in, I negotiated starting a basketball program, so that all the students and their parents knew me as the basketball coach, rather than the ‘shrink” whose office was way at the end of the hallway. There was no stigma for students who came to see me. That was a creative solution to a potential problem, but after a few more years I really wanted to pursue photography full time.
What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?
For me, as a photographer of people, my creative energy has an outlet while I work. When I ask someone I am photographing to do something, they do it 100% of the time. When I was a psychologist, patients would do what I suggested around 30% of the time, which I found out wasn’t considered too bad, lol. As a psychologist, what excited me was the chance to move people towards their potential. As a people photographer, my goal is the same, but it’s usually for only 1 to 2 hours.
I try my best to make every image a work of art. It’s very rewarding when clients order large prints of my photos. It’s also rewarding when a family “adopts” me as their family’s photographer, using me several times over the years.
What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?
I used to be very focused on what gear I used. Then I got rheumatoid arthritis at the age of 33, and suddenly my joint pain only allowed me to carry one light to most of my shoots. I had to learn to work less methodically and more spontaneously with less equipment. This led to me doing more dramatic and more directional lighting.
Contact Info:
- Website: Harrisonhurwitz.com and Hurwitzphotography.com
- Instagram: harrisonhurwitz
- Facebook: Harrison Hurwitz
Image Credits
Harrison Hurwitz