Houston headshot photographer Chris Gillett has just gone from successful lawyer to full time headshot photographer… a big and bold move but not an uncalculated one. Chris ranks on the first page of Google for a significant search term, learnt his skills from the best headshot photographer in the business, Peter Hurley, and is very good at what he does, his images are spot on!
What started out with the idea of exploring how Chris was able to recently get published on the Scott Kelby blog and what opportunities, traffic and benefits have opened as a result. After kicking off the interview though, it was evident there was so much more to Chris, his story and his photography business. So instead, we recored a full episode.
Here’s some of what we cover:
What’s on Offer for Premium Members
If you’re a premium member, you should have received an email with links to your version of this episode where you can hear lots more content from where we dive deeper into some of the earlier topics plus some new ones that I pushed hard for that include:
If you’re on the fence about becoming a premium member, join with the $1 trial today and get access to the FULL interview with Chris Gillett, get access to an amazing back catalogue of interviews and ALL future interviews delivered automatically to your phone or tablet.
When money crosses the palm, all of a sudden the game's a little bit different – Chris Gillett
Plus, access to a members only Facebook group where you'll connect with other members and interview guests to help, support and motivate you to take what you hear in each episode and put it into action. You will not find cooler, more motivated and caring photographers online.
What is your big takeaway?
Following this interview, I’d love to know what your biggest takeaway is – what is the one thing that you’d like to implement or learnt from what was shared? Let me know by leaving your thoughts in the comments below.
You've got to define who your client is – Chris Gillett
If you have any questions that I missed, a specific question you’d like to ask Chris or if you just want to say thanks for coming on the show, feel free to add them below.
iTunes Reviews and Shout-outs
Each week I check for any new iTunes reviews and it's always a buzz to receive these… for a couple of reasons.
Firstly, it's confirmation that I'm on the right track with the interviews and that they really are helping you improve your photography business. That's awesome!
Get that experience. Fail. Try to get better – Chris Gillett
Secondly, iTunes is the biggest search engine when it comes to podcasts and it's your reviews and ratings that help other photographers find PhotoBizX. More listeners means more interviews and ultimately a better show.
If you have left a review in the past, thank you!
If you haven't and you'd like to, head to https://photobizx.com/itunes and you can leave some honest feedback and a rating which will help both me and the show and I'll be sure to thank you on the show and add a link to your website or blog if you let me know the URL and your name.
Spencer Lum's Momentum Sales Course is closing tonight
I'm a big fan of Spencer's approach to sales, marketing and branding, it's no surprise he's been on the show a couple times. If you're not already reading his blog, you absolutely should be – he has a knack of simplifying the complicated and making the whole wedding photography thing makes more sense.
If it's sales you're struggling with, I can't recommend this sales course more highly. The new release has been refined, updated and is ready to go.
What is the course exactly? In Spencer's words…
It’s a multi-unit online course covering the whole sales process from inquiry to booking, including pricing strategies, negotiations, closing, and way, way more. But it’s really a way to turn the sales process into a value-generation machine.
And here's a testimonial from podcast listener, Brett Ginsberg:
Spencer's big claim is he can help you 1.5x your revenue in 12 months – no matter where you're at right now with your business.
If you prefer to read about the course, do that here: Momentum Sales Course for Wedding Photographers
Registration closes tonight.
Links to people, places and things mentioned in this episode:
Episode 145: Peter Hurley – How To Survive and Thrive as a Headshot Photographer
Episode 135: Delane Rouse – How To Build a Successful Headshot Photography Business
Episode 092: Kristen Kalp – How To Brand Your Photography Business the Right Way
Episode 123: Kristen Kalp – How To Get The Best Portrait Photography Sales
Episode 089: Pei Ketron – How To Use Instagram for Photography Business Owners
Scott Kelby Featuring Chris Gillett blog post
Equipment
Thank you!
Thank you again for listening to the show and thanks to Chris for coming on and sharing so much.
I think of what I do is it's like I'm taking a portrait of their personality. That's what I think what a headshot is – Chris Gillett
If you have any suggestions, comments or questions about this episode, please be sure to leave them below in the comment section of this post, and if you liked the episode, please share it using the social media buttons you see at the bottom of the post!
That’s it for me this week, hope everything is going well for you in life and business!
Thanks and speak soon
Andrew
Pretty nice work Chris is doing in Houston! Nice interview Andrew.
Thanks Delane – hope you enjoyed Chris reminding me oh so subtly that it was he in fact that told me I absolutely had to get you n the show! 🙂
Hope you’re well and business is thriving!
Speak soon
Andrew
Why do you always seem to chop the tops of heads off? It would limit the usage of the portrait in my mind. don’t get me wrong the shots are great!
Good question. I don’t do it specifically to cut the top of the head off. It is the result of a couple of things that I do want to happen. First, I want the eyes to be above mid line of the frame. Typically, I have them butting up against but not exceeding the top third of the frame. I can certainly keep the eyes in that position and keep the entire head in the frame, but to do so means that the head will be smaller in the frame than I want. That means that the face isn’t as large and the expression as powerful, so I push in a bit, cropping off a bit of the head. Some clients need the top of the head, so I crop looser for them.
Great answer!
After a bit of a break from listening to podcasts because of other commitments I’m playing catch-uo at the moment and gravitated towards this one… Having seen your amazing work on Instagram for some time now it’s great to hear more about your journey to where you are now….
It’s so noice (you know what I mean Chris & Andrew 😉 )to hear your story & it’s an inspiration to hear how you’ve been able to switch careers – keep up the great work guys!
Haha, love it Ian… noice one! 🙂
Love that you enjoyed the interview and totally agree, Chris is doing amazing things and has gorgeous work.
Good to see you back here too.
Many thanks Andrew – it’s great to be back and catching up on my listening!
To be honest, my total lack of spare time has been down to the fact that I’ve been so busy with photography work since Christmas & fitting that in around my ‘other’ job has been difficult. Not that I’m complaining about being busy though! Onwards and upwards driven by PhotoBizXposed!
Keep up on your inspirational work!
Fantastic Ian – good to hear you’re so busy with your photography work!
Ian, wow that is so nice of you to take the time to say that. Things have been crazy the last couple of months, but I am very optimistic about the future. Interacting with pros like you is another huge benefit of the work Andrew does here. I am now working on a few marketing ideas and will share the results with everyone.
No need to thank me Chris – you thoroughly deserve it & you’ve got very good reason to be optimistic!
I love your style and even though it is ‘Hurleyesque’ I think that there are noticeable differences and you’ve definitely got your own recognizable style which is fantastic… it’s got a real solid, quality feel to it!.
Although I do consider myself a professional (in the way that I approach my work in the level of service & images that I produce) I’m a little behind you in that I’ve still yet to make the leap to full time photographer. Things have definitely been on the up in the last few months and hopefully we’re not far away from being able to make the brave step to full-time.
Keep up the great work and very best wishes for the future – I look forward to following your progress on Instagram!