Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Michael Tari. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Michael, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Let’s start with the story of your mission. What should we know?
Our mission behind our company is to not only just capture photos of people but to capture people in the ‘moment’ because we can tell an amazing story in that way.. We like to be specific with each shoot and each individual so we can capture the right photos for the right purpose. The more specific we are in our consultations, the more the client will get out of the shoot in the long run. The mission is to know what we both want so that we have a clear path of what will be captured. We focus on headshots, editorial, and lifestyle photography for actors, models, artists, and creatives that will lead to more work and job opportunities in the entertainment industry. A meaningful mission behind our business is to create brand purpose for the client, brand values, and brand goals. Once we can answer these specific ideas, then we are able to get the best results in our session and give the most confidence to each individual.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
My name is Michael Tari and I’m a California native from Orange County. I took my first headshots over 10 years ago and pursued my acting career back in 2012. I graduated in 2014 from California State University, Long Beach with a BA in communication studies while pursuing my acting career. When I first got into the industry, I worked as an extra on sets to get the feel of what it was like to be on a movie set. I learned so much from just watching and observing the cast and crew. I then started taking acting classes, improv classes, and commercial classes. When I started to train and work on my craft, things started happening. I began creating my own short films, got an agent, and started to audition. In 2017 I booked my first national commercial for Realtor.com and that was my first big booking that said “Keep going and don’t give up.”
In 2020, Covid hit us and the industry fell apart for the time being. I got burnt out with acting and was struggling hard. I was trying to still figure out my life and wanted to try new things. After shooting with several photographers throughout my career, I always had a fascination with a camera and taking photos. I then bought my first camera and told myself “try this out, give it your all, and see what happens.” Once I dedicated my time into photography learning on my own, watching YouTube, and practicing on my friends I saw a hobby turn into a career quickly. It was practice, practice, practice and a lot of trial and error.
I then went full force into photography in 2021 and started my business Michael Tari Photography aka MT Photographs. We provide headshot, editorial, and lifestyle services for actors, artists, models and creatives in Los Angeles. I always had a fascination in what a ‘good’ photo was to get called in for an audition. I started researching what casting directors look for in a headshot and started to reach out to agents and managers in the industry.
What sets us apart from others is that I shoot out of my home studio in Highland Park and have a big spacious backyard with a cross combination of natural and studio lighting. I am very specific on each look we do with the right backgrounds, lighting, and wardrobe. There is always a consultation before each shoot so that we get the best results for the clients needs. I talk to you through out the whole shoot and catch you off guard, so we capture the photos in the ‘moment.’ I am not a fan of just ‘posing.’ We have several backgrounds to choose from and I shoot until we are all satisfied. All of the photos are always color corrected upon arrival and come in a downloadable online gallery. I don’t focus on the time, I focus on the goals for each shoot. I’m also a 5 star rated photographer on Google with over 85 reviews.
I always ask each client “What are your goals? Which characters do you go out for? What results do you want?” The more specific we are, the more opportunities will occur. I’m the most proud when I hear a client booking a role with a photo I took of them or getting a job opportunity. One of my friends last year booked 6 TV shows with the headshot I took of him and that made me so proud. I want everyone to know that we shoot until everyone is happy and I don’t only do headshots. I do lifestyle and editorial photography as well which gets my creative side out for not just actors but for your social media or portfolio purposes. I shoot corporate photos as well for job opportunities and just had a business shot that I captured in the middle of Times Square on a 22 story screen. I think that’s the gist of it for now but if you want to know more feel free to send me a message!
Can you talk to us about how your side-hustle turned into something more.
My side hustle and hobby turned into my career in a short span of time. Once I dedicated my time and energy into 1 thing, I saw something unravel quickly and fell in love with my new passion. If it wasn’t for Covid, I’m not sure if I would have fell in love with photography. I tell people all the time, try something you’ve never tried before, learn a new skill because all of us are capable of doing anything we desire to and we have many hidden talents that have not yet been discovered.
I bought a camera in 2020 and haven’t put it down since. I was an actor that was struggling and just got burnt out with all the rejections and discouragement especially when Covid hit. I simply wanted to take a break and try something new. It was the best decision I’ve ever made.
I kept practicing and practicing and learning through trial and error and did everything in my power to keep growing from it. Everyday was a challenge but I love a good challenge because that’s what betters us. I started small with my equipment and gradually over time, I started to buy and add more equipment to my collection which gave me the opportunity to start expanding my portfolio.
I’m still challenging myself to this day and still learning new techniques. I’m nowhere near where I want to be yet but I’m getting there. As years progressed, I got better and better. That’s when I discovered I can actually do this on my own and start a new career that I’m passionate about.
Moral of this story is, try something you’ve never done before no matter how difficult it is because we are capable of doing so much more then what we already know!
We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?
Social media is the biggest factor in all businesses today! It is being seen worldwide and viewers are finding you through it. Especially Instagram and the entertainment industry. I get a lot of work through social media and it’s all about the perseverance and posting. I try to show my best work possible but I learned that you need to just keep posting as much as possible because that will lead to more work and opportunity.
I’m still growing my audience to this day and nowhere near where I want to be. Social media is time consuming but once you find your niche and have solid content, the work will come. You can be the best photographer in the world but your marketing needs to be even better so clients can find you. I’m always finding new ways to get more cliental through social media and I have learned that IG reels are the new thing. The engagement with Instagram has fallen drastically over the past year and photos just don’t get as much engagement. The reels are the new trendy source to reach your audience in an impactful way.
Keep doing your job everyday and build as much content as possible in whatever you do. Be creative, stand outside the box, and create 15-30 second reels that pull the viewer in. Once you figure out your niche, you will start to see results that you’ve never seen. I also recommend doing IG and Facebook ads for targeted audiences so people can find you that way as well. Remember, social media is an investment but will take your career to a whole new level once you get the ball rolling!
Contact Info:
- Website: www.mtphotographs.com
- Instagram: @mtphotographs1
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/michaeltariphotography