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Pursuing the Passion: Insights from Portrait Photographer Ivan Weiss
Emily Maguire- May 30, 2024
- 5 min read
Updated: Apr 25
I had the pleasure of speaking with headshot photographer Ivan Weiss in episode 6 of the Inside Entertainment Industry Podcast. Discover Ivan Weiss' journey from a corporate career to becoming a successful photographer. Learn about the importance of networking, community, and finding your own path in photography.
In this conversation, Ivan Weiss shares his journey of becoming a photographer and the pivotal moments that led him to pursue it as a career. Ivan emphasises the value of experience and networking in the photography industry and the need for a supportive community.
He also highlights the challenges of balancing creative fulfilment with the economic viability and responsibility of being a photographer and encourages aspiring photographers to explore different disciplines and find what truly resonates with them. Taking responsibility for your work and decisions is the key to success in photography.
Listen to Podcast: Episode 6 with Ivan Weiss
Introduction and Background
Ivan Weiss shares his journey of becoming a photographer and the pivotal moments that led him to pursue it as a career. He discusses the importance of following your passion and finding your own path, even if it means deviating from traditional academic routes.
"I grew up with the house having a dark room in it, and there were cameras, piles of prints, bulk film, and all that stuff. So I think I just assumed maybe I would be a photographer rather than decided."
"At the age of 16, I just assumed that they knew what they were talking about. I took the advice and some academic subjects, then dropped out of school with no qualifications because I wasn't really interested in them."
"I lived in Italy and India for a while. Then, I think it was in my early thirties when I realized that I was doing photography in a way that was different from how everybody else around me was doing it."
"I remember somebody once describing my photography as my work, which rang a bell for me. I was like, oh yeah, there is something here, this is something creative."
Finding Your Path in Photography
Ivan emphasises the value of experience and networking in the photography industry and the need for a supportive community. He also highlights the challenges of balancing creative fulfilment with the economic viability and responsibility of being a photographer.
"I worked out fairly quickly that portraiture was the part that really interested me, most specifically, being in a studio rather than being out in the elements."
"At a certain point, it became, you know, it took so much of my time that either the hobby or the job had to go. So it was the job that went, and I went full-time."
"If I'd gone into photography much earlier on, you know, from being a teenager, who knows what would have happened? The world of photography back then was very different."
The Importance of Experience and Networking
Ivan encourages aspiring photographers to explore different disciplines and find what truly resonates with them. Taking responsibility for your work and decisions is the key to success in photography.
"When you decide to go and train for something specific when you're in your thirties, you can move so much faster than when you're in your teens." "I went and did a three-day course in New York. It was intensive, but it was three days."
"You can move so much faster when you're that bit older." "Peter Hurley, a headshot photographer in New York, runs this three-day workshop. It's just basically an information dump. He's been doing it for 20 years or so, and he tells you absolutely everything about how he built his career and how he does what he does."
"Me being ready to receive that information and being mature enough to do something with it meant that I took what was useful to me from those three days, discarded what wasn't and put it into action almost straight away."
Life as a Teacher in Photography
Ivan discusses how life experiences have shaped his approach to photography and the importance of mentorship and community.
"You bring to whatever you do; whatever your chosen fields, you're going to bring to it your experience, your previous experience, whatever that is."
"I have lived the life that I have lived. So I might as well use it to my benefit."
"If I'd gone into it when I was very young, I probably wouldn't have considered portraiture the right field for me."
Building a Community in Photography
Ivan stresses the importance of having a community of photographers to share experiences and support each other.
"Photography, as with many creative professions, is fundamentally a solo activity. You spend a lot of time working by yourself."
"Being in contact with people doing something similar to you, maybe in a different country, a different city, a different market, or a different discipline within photography or a different stage within the same discipline. All of those things are really useful."
"It's about community. You may consider those people to be mentors. You may formalize that; some people offer paid mentorships or training programs, which is great."
Taking Responsibility as a Photographer
Ivan talks about the balance between creative fulfilment and economic viability in photography.
"Creative professionals should always aim to get paid for the work they love because it has the most value."
"It's a balancing act; bills need to be paid on a certain schedule and working out when you're going to find the client who really appreciates the thing that you do and pays you for it adequately might not be on the same schedule as your rent or your mortgage."
"If I take a picture and say, this thing wasn't lined up nicely, and the light here wasn't great. Peter would say to me, why did you push the button? If that wasn't the picture you wanted to make, why did you make that picture?"
Film vs. Digital Photography
Ivan shares his thoughts on the differences between film and digital photography and why he prefers digital.
"I really love digital, so I know there are a lot of photographers who kind of almost fetishize the analogue film process."
"For me, it's about the immediacy. I don't have the patience. I don't want to be taking pictures and then finding out three weeks later what they look like or even a day later what they look like. I want to see them now, and I can, so why wouldn't I?"
"If you enjoy shooting film photography and spending time in a dark room, then you absolutely should because that's what will produce the best work for you, the process you enjoy most."
Final Words and Advice
Ivan offers final words of wisdom for aspiring photographers.
"If you can work out what it is you want to do and why you want to do it, that gives you the ability to set your direction and stick to it."
"Ultimately, it comes down to me. It's my decision, and I accept the consequences, good or bad."
"It's important to understand if you do like shooting on film, why? If you do like shooting on digital, why? For me, it's about the immediacy."
"You should go out and get experience in as many different photography disciplines as possible and then be honest with yourself about which results you like the most."
Short Biography
Ivan Weiss is a portrait photographer based in London. Born with a camera pointed at him, he grew up surrounded by photography. His interest in portraiture was influenced by 12 years of living in Florence, Italy. He creates images that reflect a fascination with classical composition, a delight in the technical possibilities afforded by modern equipment and techniques, and a sensitivity for human emotion.
Want to know more about Ivan Weiss
Ivan's website
IG: @ivanweiss.london/
Twitter: @IvanWeissLondon
