We recently connected with Richard Waine and have shared our conversation below.

Richard, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Have you been able to earn a full-time living from your creative work? If so, can you walk us through your journey and how you made it happen? Was it like that from day one? If not, what were some of the major steps and milestones and do you think you could have sped up the process somehow knowing what you know now?

In 2006, I bought my first camera, and began taking pictures of anything and everything. I wasn’t very good, and I had no idea why my pictures were as awful as they were. I accumulated plenty of equipment, and didn’t have a clue what I was doing. I turned to The University of YouTube for help.

I stumbled across a YouTube video where Peter Hurley, the foremost authority on headshot photography, was speaking. He had a magnetic personality, and a gift for teaching. On top of that, his images were beautiful! I was immediately inspired. I needed to find a way to learn more, and I needed to meet Peter.

I knew that if photography was like any other profession, there would be a conference at some point. I attended my first photography conference at the Javits Center in New York City, and made it a point to attend Peter’s talk, where he discussed his craft and did a live demonstration. He was hysterical and awe-inspiring. I didn’t understand how he did it, but he set the bar. Becoming a headshot photographer was my new goal.

I found my way to a party that Peter was co-hosting with the F-stoppers crew. Peter was so personable, and enjoyable to talk to. We discussed his antics on stage, and had a few laughs.

I hung out with him until he invited me to join his coaching platform, formerly known as PH2Pro. Today this platform is known as The Headshot Crew.

I began the coaching process with Peter. He helped me establish the foundation of my new career, both from a technical and a creative perspective.

In all honesty, everything I am as a headshot photographer is because Peter Hurley believed in me, showered me with knowledge, and motivated me.

It was at this point that I made one of the dumbest, but most ambitious decisions of my life. I stepped away from my Wall Street career as a bond analyst, and embarked on a life as headshot photographer. When Peter found out, he thought I had lost my mind.

An important element of Peter’s coaching system is to promote his students as they successfully assemble a portfolio of images which meets his standards. Through his signature review process, he studies each image, provides feedback, and if 15 images are accepted, Peter bestows the designation of “Associate Photographer.” This means that Peter believes the work is of the highest quality and consistency, and that he can confidently refer work to that photographer.

In 2016, The Headshot Crew had planned a cruise to Bermuda. The goal was to learn and shoot on- board, and also make a nice vacation of the trip. As plain as day, there was my opportunity.

For those who are unfamiliar with Peter, he uses the word SHA-BANG! as an enthusiastic response to… well, just about anything.

My review began. 20 images submitted, 15 needed to make Associate. He picked out a few things to talk about here and there. Then… SHA-BANG! … SHA-BANG! … SHA-BANG! … SHA-BANG!

In total, 19 out of 20 images were accepted, and I received 4 SHA-BANGs. With that, Peter made me an Associate photographer. My dear friends, whom I had known since the beginning of this journey, offered hugs and congratulations. My wife, beamed with pride. This was not an easy accomplishment.

That evening, my wife and I were seated at a hibachi table at a Japanese restaurant on board the cruise ship. We were seated with folks we didn’t know. Suddenly, Peter was behind us, with arms wrapped around both of us. He proudly announced to the table that they were sitting with “one of the best photographers in the world.” It was an amazing feeling, and one of the coolest moments of my life. I’ll forever cherish that memory!

My business has grown by leaps and bounds over the years, and I attribute that success to the knowledge I gained under Peter’s tutelage, my experience in the business world, and the incredible support of my family, friends, and colleagues.

I’d love to tell you that the journey towards success is a piece of cake, and that there is a much faster route. But, that would be a lie. There are no magic bullets here. Hard work, perseverance, and passion are essential.

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?

My formal education is in the field of finance. I have worked with major companies like Deutche Bank, GE Capital, Royal Bank of Canada, and a few boutique brokerage firms. My area of expertise was in the field of financial analysis, particularly related to structured financial products, such as bonds (Corporate Bonds, Treasuries, Municipal Bonds, Residential Mortgage Backed Securities, etc).

I am the first to admit that I don’t have an artistic bone in my body. However, I do make creative decisions. I fully understand and am committed to the notion that the work I produce for clients will be used to generate a positive ROI (return on investment) for them. In other words, they will use my headshot images to further their own businesses, reputations, and hopefully generate income from it.

During my tenure in finance, I picked up my first camera. I only knew how to press a button and pray for good results. After throwing money at the problem in the form of purchasing equipment, I invested time into my photographic education by way of Youtube videos and conferences.

Watching videos and attending conferences were transformative for me, as I was suddenly immersed in photographic education, and surrounded by likeminded individuals who were passionate about sharing their knowledge and creating amazing work.

As mentioned earlier, after having met Peter Hurley and walking away from that encounter with a new goal, I set out to be the best headshot photographer in my area.

At the time, no one knew who I was. I was a transplant (NYC to Lancaster, PA).

Over the years, I have built my reputation, and continue to build it, by genuinely caring about and for each and every client I have the privilege of working with. I have a vested interest in their success.

In addition, the majority of people I meet loath the idea of having their headshot made. Some people just aren’t comfortable standing in front of a camera, even if they understand it can help them. With this in mind, I go out of my way to ensure that every client has an incredible experience. I want them to feel as if the camera isn’t in the room.

When a headshot session turns into two friends having a few laughs, great results are inevitable!

There have been many victories since I first picked up a camera. Chief among them, however, is that I am able to support my family by doing something that I am quite passionate about.

I have built business relationships and friendships with people from all around the world. Photography has taken me places and introduced me to people that I would never have had the opportunity to see and meet.

I am a perpetual student. I am always learning and refining my skills so that I can produce high quality images for my clients.

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

Building my reputation in my market was like ice skating uphill.

Having relocated from New York City to Lancaster, Pennsylvania, I was starting from the absolute bottom.

No one knew who I was, what I did, what I offered, how I could help them. In fact, it might be safe to say that no one cared. I was the outsider.

Folks in Lancaster have grown up together, went to school together, attended local sporting events together, etc. I was the new guy in town. Introducing myself to these circles proved to be somewhat of a challenge.

Locals didn’t know me. And, when faced with a choice of a headshot specialist who happens to be the new guy in town, or the general photographer who everyone has known for years, the business would ultimately go to the photographer who was more familiar. I think this is relatively normal.

As part of my effort to change things, I increased my social media presence, optimized my Google My Business profile, re-developed my website, and attended in-person networking events. Of course, during Covid lockdown, I also attended online networking events.

I seized any opportunity to meet other people. I wanted to become a more familiar face, but with one caveat: my goal has always been, and continues to be, the first name people think of when they need an incredible headshot image of themselves, or headshots of their colleagues / team.

Tenacity, perseverance, passion, high quality work, and genuinely caring for my clients have yielded me a strong reputation; one that I am always mindful of.

Can you tell us about what’s worked well for you in terms of growing your clientele?

When I first started in photography, I only knew that I needed a website. Most of the photographers I had spoken with were using Squarespace. So, I jumped on the bandwagon.

Over time, I wanted to customize things to a greater degree. This led me down a rabbit hole. I taught myself how to code my own website. In doing so, I also learned the ins and outs of on-page and off-page search engine optimization.

While re-crafting a website isn’t an easy task, this process allowed me to capture more of my audience. It also opened the door to learning about other ways to market.

If I don’t have to spend money on something, I don’t want to. As such, I have never spent money on advertising my business. Instead, I find and exhaust as many of the other methods (ie. google my business, website optimization, networking, social media, etc.) as I can.

More than this, however, is my own ability to connect with human beings once they are standing in front of me. After working with a client in my studio, we aren’t just client and service provider. We have built a great rapport and likely a friendship. This usually causes my clients to refer their friends, family, and/or colleagues.

I always recommend finding clients where they “live.”

LinkedIn is where my clients spend time. They “live” on this platform. As a headshot photographer, this is low hanging fruit. Of course, spamming every person on the platform with some form of sales pitch isn’t helpful. However, posting, engaging, connecting judiciously has yielded some incredible relationships and business.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://richardwaine.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/richardwaine/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RichardWainePhotography
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/richardwaine/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/Richard_Waine