We were lucky to catch up with Paul Hanon recently and have shared our conversation below.

Paul, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Can you talk to us about how you learned to do what you do?

I originally became interested in photography when I found my dad’s 35mm film camera; a Konica. I eventually found a dslr camera and started teaching myself how to use it by asking friends and searching on YouTube. It wasn’t long before I found a video by Peter Hurley and learned of his success with headshots. I found out he created an education platform called the Headshot Crew. I immediately joined and started learning from Peter and the community. WOW! That really shortened my learning curve with headshots, but also a lot of the principles of photography too. One of the biggest things I learned was the inverse square law. I’ve used that formula with all types of photography.

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.

My name is Paul Hanon. I run PREMIER HEADSHOTS and primarily capture headshots for my clients. The biggest thing I tell my clients is I’m here to coach and direct you. We rarely know what our face looks like, unless we’re looking in a mirror. My job is to be your mirror and prompt you, (with either silly or serious), commentary that evokes a facial expression that people love to look at. It’s what I love to do. But what is even more satisfying is when clients are surprised at how easy it was to get such a good image that they actually love. That moment is so gratifying.

We’d love to hear the story of how you turned a side-hustle into a something much bigger.

I started my business on the side, just doing two weeknights and one weekend opening. My schedule was pretty steady and then the pandemic hit and my business shot through the roof. I was furloughed from my day job, as I believe a lot of people in my area were too. People would come to me because they needed to find a new job, or dust off their LinkedIn and find a better solution than to wait until they were brought back to work. Since the pandemic, my business has continued to grow and grow, and it keeps growing.

What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?

Word of mouth has been a big part of my reputation here. My clients have a great experience — it’s easier than they suspect — and then they walk away with some of their favorite images of themselves. Once they start using their headshot, their network sees and is impressed, and I almost always get another booking out of it. And the cycle goes on and on.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://premierheadshots.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/premierheadshots/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paulhanon/