We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Xavier Harrington. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Xavier below.

Hi Xavier, thanks for joining us today. We’d love to hear how you think where to draw the line in terms of asking friends and family to support your business – what’s okay and what’s over the line?

I can remember how scary it was starting off at the beginning of my photography journey. I had the vision, the hunger, and I invested in the time and tools I needed to help me but I felt like that was the easy part. The hard part was tryin to figure out how to market myself. Who would support me? Where’s the first place I need to go to get my name out there? Where am I going to get content from? That’s when I realized I have the best support system right in my face. It only took my friends and family believing in me to give me the confidence I needed. As a matter of fact, it was a friend who trusted me enough to let me shoot their wedding day when I was just starting out. That was so big to me and I’ll never forget that. The beautiful thing about it all is that I never have to ask for support because it just comes natural for people to support me. From booking with me to spreading the word about my work, my family and friends have been a pillar in helping further my career. I am forever grateful. My wife, who is my biggest supporter, has always advocated for me and mentions me in every photography conversation. My close friends always know some who knows someone that needs my services in some way and recommends me. I just have so much support and feel so blessed to have it along with family and friends that believe in me and what to see me succeed.

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?

I was always an artist who loved to create. Over the years as I attempted to enhance my skills I started to get into photography in 2014. That’s when I bought my very first camera and took it everywhere with me. I’m the type of person who is a creative and envisions art in almost anything. I started off taking shots of landscapes and portraits of friends and family. I became fascinated in what I created and decided to make what was once a hobby something even greater. I’m a believer of when you do what you enjoy, it never feels like working. With that in mind, the following year I turned my talent into a business and the rest was history.

I provide services for most, if not all, photography needs and some videography and design needs as well. Some examples are photography and film for commercial products, wedding photography, studio portraits, outdoor portraits, special event photography, short film shooting and editing, logo design and much more.

What I also love about what I do is having fun while doing it. I love coming up with creative concepts for my clients especially when they’re unsure about what they want. I love brainstorming with my client to achieve our goal. I love encouraging people to be themselves and let the camera do the rest. What sets me apart would have to be my love for all things art whether it be drawing/designing, photography, or film and editing. I see myself as more than just a photographer, I see myself as a creator. Hence why I call my company Harrington Imagery because I am providing more than just photography, I’m providing service for all imagery needs.

I’d say I’m most proud of the growth I’ve experienced and where I am today. I’m proud of what I’ve learned and excited for what’s to come. It wasn’t easy getting here, but I am definitely grateful for the journey. I want potential clients to know that they have someone who wants to make their vision a reality. Someone who takes their work seriously and will continue to put 100% in everything I do.

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

Something I had to unlearn was trying to be too perfect. Not necessarily with my work but with marketing myself. In the past before posting a photo to my website or social media pages, I used to spend so much time making sure it was perfect to the point I wouldn’t post anything. One day my wife told me I don’t post enough and it shouldn’t have to be too perfect to the point I don’t post anything. It took her saying that for me to realize that one perfect post may not reach everyone like 10 imperfect posts would. I had to remember art isn’t supposed to be perfect, but an interpretation of what your eye sees and your mind creates.

Where do you think you get most of your clients from?

I’d have to say the best source of new clients for me has to be the oldest source which happens to he word of mouth. To me that’s the most flattering because people talk and spread the word on how much they like your work to the point they would recommend you to someone else. In all honesty, I would say 90% of my clientele is through word of mouth.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.harringtonimagery.com
• Instagram: @harrington_imagery
• Facebook: Harrington Imagery LLC
• Youtube: Harrington Imagery

Image Credits
Colette Harrington