Paul Harpartsoumian’s tips/advice
Paul’s love for music is what helped him kick start his career in photography, which to his pleasure gave him the chance to visit music clubs for free and meet celebs he admired.
Music and photography contrast together quite nicely. Both forms of artistic expression that appeals to the large audience and how equally intriguing to find out the creator’s thoughts or mood towards the piece they’ve created.
Which connects to Paul’s childhood love of the music, where the music gave strong messages and voices to people who didn’t have one; given an open view from different perspectives.
The advice Paul had given to kick start newly photographers was that becoming a professional and/or getting regular work won’t happen overnight. Now that there are easier ways for people to present their photography, it feels much harder to be seen and get work in the industry.
What you really need to do to succeed is to be fully committed to your creative work, and to love the art that you create. Make them want you; be you. Trust yourself.
Believe that you can make beautiful art and that you are willing to learn to get into an industry that lets you create art that represents yourself, because that is what they are looking for!
Winners have plans - Losers have excuses
Being a professional just means that you are a person who doesn’t give excuses when things don’t go your way.
To be a part of this industry not only does your work carry you, but also your reliability. Who or whatever company you work for, time is money. And they want discipline when it comes to deadlines and knowing they can trust that you won’t waste any time.
It’s your opportunity to prove yourself, and if you do your job well. They will likely remember you and could make you a regular.
Paul was able to give us a lot of juicy details when it came to the celebrities he’d photographed, and a lot of questions were: were there any bad eggs?
I’d like to think it’s how some celebrities are portrayed that we believe that they can get a bit rude and uptight.
But Paul informed us it wasn’t like that. Celebrities, when it comes to photos, always want to look good and you have the power to show that.
But celebrities if they are a bit rude, it’s only because they have been under a lot of stress. Despite being in the limelight, they can be stressed from a busy day; just like you or I. So when they are becoming difficult, just don’t hold it against them. It’s best to stay respectful and not to take it personally.
If you ever want to take photos of people, such as street photography, it’s best to make yourself known. By making sure the subject of your camera can clearly see you taking a photo. You can always tell by the body language, if they are open to having you take photos of them or not. But it’s also better to ask their permission.
Lastly top tip: If you are ever taking photos at events or gigs, and you are informed there will be videographers, make sure to wear black!
