Building a Photographic Career: Creating Iconic, Timeless, and Relevant Portraits

It’s rare to get a behind-the-scenes view at the world of editorial and commercial portrait photography. For two evenings in April, renown portraitist Andrew Eccles reveals his insights to building a career in the ever-changing professional world he lives in every day. He shares all aspects of his career, offering practical takeaways, and importantly a greater understanding of the realities of working in the industry. 

Over the course of this four-hour program, Andrew starts by sharing the story of how he got started assisting legendary photographers in 1980s New York all the way to where he is now shooting the marketing for Indiana Jones 5 and everything in between. As Andrew displays his images, he shares the stories behind creating them revealing the simple formulas he’s developed over the years for making photographs that are both iconic and timeless while most importantly remaining relevant in a rapidly evolving and competitive industry. His personal approach and relatability offer photographers insight into aspects of his career and picture taking process that participants can draw from and apply to their own photographic trajectories.

Andrew shares his experience and perspectives on how he researches subjects, conceives ideas, then builds sophisticated presentations and mood boards to sell those concepts to clients. He explains how he executes these ideas with budgets both big and small. He discusses working with producers, art directors, set builders, prop stylists, and glam squads; then covers the important steps in editing and how he subtly influences his clients to run the images he likes the best. The importance of strong post-production and using retouchers that enhance pictures rather than suck the life out of them is another critical component covered.

The importance of personal work, editorial work that leads to commercial assignments, creating a healthy work/life balance, and how to keep the passion and creative spark alive in your photography are topics discussed as they help lead to a successful career. 

Andrew’s educational programs are known for the generosity of spirit in which he divulges absolutely everything he has learned from both his mistakes and his successes. With that in mind, there are Question & Answer sessions at the end of each 2-hour program where Andrew answers your questions with honesty and vulnerability making for a uniquely personal experience.

Whether you are just starting out with a career in photography or been at it for years, this valuable time with Andrew reminds you why you fell in love with photography. He guides you from where you are to where you want to go with your life as a portrait photographer.

Join our SFW community for this engaging, thought-provoking, informative, and fun program. In doing so, get ready to leap forward in your photo career or simply learn more about how to create compelling portraits at a high professional level.