Nick Gregan has been doing photography for thirty years andis a headshot photographer. Nick thinks working in a niche works well and helps build your business. For twenty years, Nick specialised in actors starting in their careers, so he worked in a niche within a niche. He says that with the camera technology, lots of people are entering the headshot market without necessarily having the relevant skills.
Nick says headshots are something everyone can do, in terms of it’s a picture of the head and shoulders. But the subtle differences between taking headshots for different people with different roles make a big difference. Marcus asks howyou differentiate those images. Nick says initially he needs to get to know the client and needs to know how the client wants to be seen. Nick says the thing he also does is give people options, so he might take some images people don’texpect but might like.
Nick says acting headshots are really important; they can make the difference between getting auditions and good roles and not being noticed. He says he has helped many actors come to him when they are not getting auditions. He takes their headshot, and then they start to get auditions and roles.
Nick explains that the first image people see of you makes a big difference to the way people see you. They will form an impression of you based on that message.So your LinkedIn profile image will make a big difference in how people see you and what they think about you. Nick says the LinkedIn profile photography market is growing as people are becoming more aware of this.
Sam asks about his business model in terms of pricing and volume. Nick says he used to do ten or twelve people a week. However, he decided to put his prices up. So he photographs fewer people, but charges more for it. His ideal session isabout 2 hours with an actor or an hour for a corporate headshot. Nick uses a technique called rapid rapport to quickly build a rapport with the client. The conversation starts as a conversation between him and the client, but it moves on to what is effectively a conversation between the client and the person viewing the photograph. Sometimes he does photographs for celebrities, and he has to work on these very quickly and build rapport within a minute or two. He also usesscenarios with clients to help them get into the right move and pose.

Sam asks Nick how to convey his value. He says his imagesdo, his website does, and his blogs do. Nick works hard on SEO, keeping his website at the top of Google Search. He doesn’t have an online booking system, so people talk to him before booking. He uses this opportunity to show he is an expert. He pitched himself as an artisan and an expert who gives a luxuryservice. He sends these messages out on LinkedIn, Google My Business and on his website. On his website, he has a lot of location-specific pages that generate work for him. For example, “Headshot photographer Wimbledon”.
Nick is working on a book for photographers. Marcus asks if Nick can give us some tips for creating the perfect headshot.
1. Look at the light. Don’t just set it up as standard, look at it for subtle adjustments.

2. Get to know your client. Essentially, you need to let yourclient know that you are an expert and are confident.

3. Capture the person's personality. Make sure they are showing emotion.

You can reach out to Nick on ⁠⁠LinkedIn here⁠⁠

Or⁠ ⁠⁠find his website here⁠.⁠⁠

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