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

Hilary, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Can you tell us the backstory behind how you came up with the idea?

The first time I translated photography to business was as early as high school. They had started a trial class with 50 students that challenged us to create a business plan over the semester. I’dalready been shooting senior portraits and family holiday cards, so I thought, why not? I’m not sure if that class exists anymore, but I’ll be forever grateful for it. It gave me a broader overview of what being a functional creative could look like, and I referred back to that experience when I started freelancing at 24. It gave me the confidence to ask the right questions and approach people honestly.

What gave me the confidence to pull the trigger on freelancing was a couple of things. No. 1: It was 2014, and I was safely under my parent’s insurance for another two years. No. 2: Working in print journalism at the Chicago Redeye from 2012-14, I’d been living through a rapid industry collapse and saw the writing on the wall.

The Sun Times had just fired ALL of their photographers in one day. Creative titans whom I had learnedfrom and come to respect were being tossed aside for third-generation iPhones. I knew that, one way or another, I was going to have to make it on my own. I might as well do it on my own terms.

After my Tribune contract ended, there was a three-month period where I couldn’t freelance for them until the new year, so I temped in the marketing department of a bank from 9 to5 to make ends meet. I took every gig I could photographing events, bars and restaurants on nights and weekends. Those three months were insane and exhausting and I was madly in love with it. I was in love with the city, the people I was meeting, and the possibilities of what we could create together. That creative energy was what I needed to feel to turn down an offer from the bank to work with them full time. It was what I needed to do to take that chance on myself. That bank was Wintrust, and they later became my first major freelance client.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

I first started showing up in bylines for Redeye Chicago in 2012. We were a daily commuter newspaper owned by the Chicago Tribune that was geared toward twenty- and thirty-somethings in search of cool shit to do around the city. There was also a very easy crossword in the back.

In terms of problem solving, I typically get brought in when there will likely be fear of and/or discomfort with the camera. I feel most useful when I can give people the space and energy to look and feel like themselves. I also love to glam up the everyday. I believe that you are a stone fox when you step in front of my camera, and I can’t wait for you to see you how I see you. That part will always be fun for me.

Something I’m particularly proud of in 2023 is that I finally have a studio, in the Avondale neighborhood of Chicago. I’ve learned that even for a major metropolis, Chicago is a city of neighborhoods. Avondale is one that I’ve come to love and watch grow throughout my 11 years here. It feels good to hold a creative space somewhere so personal to me, and I’d like to think that my 16-year-old self would be pretty stoked.

At the end of the day, what it comes down to for me is energy. Sometimes that’s two families in a day. Sometimes that’s 200 doctors in four hours. Sometimes that’s sitting on my ass and reading a book, because I’ve had to learn the hard way that self-care and balance are essential to maintaining a creative life. You are your business, and you needs to watered just as often as those spreadsheets do.

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

I think that a lot of us photographers are natural observers. It’s something that initially drew me toward this work: finding beauty in the everyday. While working at a newspaper, there were also strict rules about changing elements of the environment. As I moved into different types of photography, I had to unlearn how to stay out of the way and start learning how to direct. Being photographed is a very vulnerable experience. I had to learn that my job is to confidently guide people toward what will serve them best.

I also had to learn to pace myself — and learn to keep learning. I am still learning that one, but I think it’s the most important thing. Thinking you have it all figured out is a trap.

What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?

My ultimate goal in this work is to promote self acceptance and self love. It’s important to me to leave people with photos of themselves that they can put out confidently into the world. The more people that I get the opportunity to work with, create with, and learn from, the more I recognize that as the driving force and the more creatively fulfilled I feel.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.hilaryhiggins.com/
• Instagram: @hilaryhiggins
• Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/hilaryhiggins

Image Credits
All images © Hilary Higgins 2023