We were lucky to catch up with Matthew Hamilton recently and have shared our conversation below.

Matthew, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Let’s jump right into how you came up with the idea?

From a very young age I knew school wasn’t for me. It was just not the type of environment I learned best in. While in high school I began to do video editing for fun and over time people began to pay me to do it for them. Who would have thought I could make money doing something creative?! At that point I was also spending a lot of time in the music scene in Philadelphia. When I received my first camera as a present it was natural for me to begin shooting music videos for local artists. It really just snowballed from that point on. All of a sudden, something that I did as a hobby was (kind of) like a job.

Since I never expected to go to college I continued on and now with a lot more time on my hands since I didn’t have school obligations to deal with. I was then referred to new people from my past music video clients for photoshoots. At this point, I would shoot and work with any client that showed any interest in working with me. I had no focus or direction. I was making money with a camera and some editing software and that is all that mattered to me at that point.

I remember the first time I made what I deemed to be “a good amount of money” from a photoshoot. I was out to dinner with my family and received an email from a client I had shot with a few weeks prior. They were requesting to purchase some of the images I shot for them. At that point, I was shooting for free and then offering the subjects to purchase any images they wanted after the shoot. This client wanted 7 images from the shoot! Before that, the most someone had wanted was 2 (I think). I added up what their total came to for the 7 images they requested. I remember thinking “this is real money now.” I had a rush of excitement, happiness, and a tiny bit of anxiety all from that one email. It was at that point, I knew I could do this as a job.

After a few years of doing that, I stumbled upon a New York based photographer named Peter Hurley online. He was teaching about headshot photography and he just released a new book he wrote called The Headshot. It was the ‘end all be all’ guide to headshot photography. I digested everything, including that book that Peter had to offer on the subject and at that point, I knew that was what I wanted to do! I was so “in awe” with him, his personalty, his business, but most of all, his work. He made people look amazing in front of the camera and I wanted to do the same. Now I do just that everyday in my studio.

So what started with something fun to do in my spare time, slowly morphed over the years into an actual business that actually makes money and also provides me with extreme happiness working with my clients.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

At this point in my business, 90 percent of what I shoot are headshots for business people, actors/models, and really anyone who wants a great photo of themselves. I would say most of my clients are looking for a headshot to use on places like LinkedIn as their profile photo or even on their resume. The amount of different uses for a headshot has grown tremendously over the last few years and I am always surprised to learn of new ways my clients are using their photos. It could be anything from a profile photo online to the cover photo for their new book.

I like to start all of my shoots with a pre meeting/consultation. This allows me to learn about what my subject is looking for in their headshots specifically. Everyone is unique and because of that, they require a completely unique photo to represent themselves. Some people want something more moody while some people want a bright and inviting expression. I show both in my portfolio now since different people will gravitate towards one over the other while some will want a mixture of both. I want everyone who I shoot with to feel like they have a photo of themselves that actually shows their personality. This way they can feel confident in using it however they plan to.

Any resources you can share with us that might be helpful to other creatives?

Without a doubt earlier on, I wish I knew the importance of building friendships inside the creative world and finding mentors to work with. Over the years I have gained many headshot photographer friends from all over the world. I know that whether I have a problem with a piece of equipment or a business-related question, I am just a few minutes from a well thought out solution from one of my mentors. They have experience doing things with their business I haven’t done and vice versa. We help each other out every day and we are all better business owners because of it.

What’s worked well for you in terms of a source for new clients?

The best source of new clients for my business has always been old clients. The more clients I work with, the more new clients I get! Referrals are such a powerful network-building tool that I think a lot of business overlook or just sit by passively and wait for.

Most of my clients come into the studio knowing that they are working with a small business but I still make it a point to remind them. I tell my clients how my business pretty much runs on referrals from people like them and how it is by far my largest source of new clients. By the end of the shoot, they have sort of become ambassadors for my business. They can go about their lives spreading the word about my business to anyone who may need a new headshot.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://mhamiltonvisuals.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mhamiltonvisuals
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MHamiltonVisuals
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mhamiltonvisuals
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/hamiltonvisuals
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@mhamiltonvisuals