Best HEADSHOT photographer in the WORLD | Peter Hurley on High Level with Axel Arzola

Check out Peter's channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/PeterHurleyphotography

Peter Hurley is a New York and Los Angeles based portrait photographer who is regarded as the industry leader in headshot photography. He’s best known for the genuine expressions he captures for his executive business portraits and actor’s headshots.

CHAPTERS

0:00 - Intro

0:29 – Peter as a Facial Conveying Strategist

07:11 - The Most Important Thing He Learned As A Photographer

10:16 – How Peter Handles Working with High-Profile Individuals

13:21 – Your Relationship with the Subject Influences the Entire Shoot

16:00 - Why Artists Need to Find the Personality that Works Best for Them

18:41 – How Peter Developed his Directorial Skills

20:28 – Working with Celebrities and Successful Individuals

24:36 – What would Peter Do if Time and Money were Not an Issue?

ABOUT PETER

I’m excited to tell you my story, but the truth is that I just feel like a guy lucky enough to pick up a camera. It’s been a wild ride and I am incredibly grateful for the opportunities that I’ve been given along the way.

It all started while I was training for the Olympic Games. I met then DKNY designer, Caggie Simonelli Bradford, who took me under her wing to help me generate sponsorship opportunities. She caught wind of the fact that Ralph Lauren was looking for real sailors for an upcoming Polo Sport ad campaign and the next thing I knew I was sailing in front of Bruce Weber’s lens. Little did I know that day would forever change the trajectory of my life.

After my Olympic dream came to an end, I moved to New York to try my hand at a modeling/acting/bartending career that seemed to become a pounding of the pavement experiment. It was at that time that Bruce encouraged me to pick up a camera. I started out by photographing portraits of my model friends and landed my first commercial job photographing sneakers for Reebok. I even had a little stint shooting for Levi’s on “The Apprentice.” I loved the portrait work I was getting, however, decided to focus all my efforts on my goal of becoming the best headshot photographer I could be. My signature style of simple clean backgrounds, beautiful lighting, and captivating expressions became all the rage. I was recognized numerous times year after year by Backstage magazine as the best headshot photographer in New York City.

I was in my own little world, running a bustling portrait studio when these two characters from Fstoppers, Lee and Patrick, walked in my door and turned my operation on its head. Their interview garnered a ton of attention from up and coming photographers, so with some reluctance at first I decided to begin sharing my “special sauce” if you will. This was one decision that instantly turned my life 90 degrees into another direction. My YouTube videos “It’s All About the Jaw” and “It’s All About the Squinch” went viral, leading to appearances on Good Morning America and Good Day NY. The New York Times featured my ideas in “6 Tips for Better Portraits” and “How to Pose for a Photograph.” Popular Photography went so far as to dub me “The Headshot King.”

Like I said earlier, I’m truly grateful for everything that has come my way. The best part is that I absolutely love what I do and none of it seems like work to me. I believe that everything I’ve worked to accomplish stems from this one thing:

That’s it in a nutshell and it is my life’s work. When you don’t find me with a camera in my hand then you will be sure to see me crusin around on a Laser somewhere in the world or spending as much time as I possibly can with my beautiful wife and precious twin daughters.

FOLLOW PETER

https://instagram.com/peter_hurley

WEB: https://peterhurley.com

FOLLOW AXEL

https://instagram.com/axelarzola