Shooting His Best Shot
Name
Séan Alonzo Harris
Age
52
Location
Waterville, Maine
Occupation
Photographer
Education
College of Art & Design at Lesley University
The Art Institute of Boston
When did you go solo and why?
About 28 years ago. Choosing to be a photographer pretty much guarantees you’ll be working solo.
Describe a typical day.
My days never go as planned. I’ll start my day with one set of priorities and by the end I have an entirely new set of tasks in front of me. Last Friday, I started the day with the full intent of getting some work done on my website, but by day’s end, I was pulling together images for an ad agency to help them with a client pitch, and then creating an estimate.
What’s the best project you’ve ever had?
Traveling to Nepal for three weeks for The Atlantic. I had the privilege and opportunity to document an organization called Possible, a nonprofit that has operations in Achham, a district in the far western region of Nepal, and Dolakha, in the eastern part of the country that was hit by a devastating earthquake in 2015.
What’s the hardest conversation you’ve ever had with a client?
I was working with a startup catalog company. My contract stated that I would shoot product shots and modeling shots for four days. The client sent me a shot list that I signed off on.
I realized on the first day how disorganized this group was going to be. The client kept adding new items that weren’t on the list. The first couple of times I let it go. But soon I had to explain that we were not going to finish the shoot in four days because of the additions and changes. I asked about adding to the budget for an additional day or two. The client agreed — they had wiggle room in their budget. But by the end of the fourth day, I told them that we’d need to renegotiate the contract before I could continue the job. My client suddenly got amnesia and demanded that I stay until the job was finished.
I was in the uncomfortable position of refusing to continue. I explained that if I went over the allotted time, I’d have to charge them hourly, based on my day rate. We couldn’t possibly finish the remaining work on time. So I started packing up my equipment and planned to bill them for what I had completed. As I began to pack my gear, we had a very heated exchange. But when the client saw that I was serious about leaving, he relented and committed to increasing the fee to cover the extra days. Not fun.
A series of Harris’ photos from a job in Nepal.
“One of your best negotiating tools is the ability to say ‘no.’ You’ve got to establish your moral/ethical code.”
Is there a psychology to soloing well?
I try to meditate at least 25 minutes every day. I practice qigong, listen to vinyl records, and I look through and read biographies of musicians, poets, painters, writers, filmmakers, and photographers.
How do you know when to say ‘no’ to a project?
One of the greatest lessons I’ve learned is to know my value and what I’m willing to do for it. It takes awhile to figure that out. That being said, one of the best negotiating tools is the ability to say ‘no.’ You’ve got to establish your moral/ethical code.
Your solo life wouldn’t run without these three tools:
Audible, Photoshop, and my iPad Pro.
Best work habit?
I wake up at 4am every day.
Worst work habit?
I’ve been known to procrastinate.
Is your family supportive of your solo life?
Yes. 100%.
Who are your mentors?
Deceased: Irving Penn and Roy DeCarava. Living: John Huet. John has been a mentor to me for many years.
What aspect of running a business have you never warmed up to?
Bookkeeping and accounting.
What do you do for health insurance?
I get my health insurance through my wife’s employer.
What’s the single best piece of advice you’ve received about bookkeeping/pricing/marketing?
If you don’t know you’d better ask somebody.
Selections from Harris’ portfolio
Where do you do your best work?
In my studio. In there, I surround myself with the things that inspire me.
What do you do on your break time?
I like to listen to audiobooks or music while I hang out in my studio.
What’s the one thing about your life today that you most treasure that you wouldn’t have if you weren’t soloing?
My dyslexia. It’s my superpower. Dyslexia gives me the ability to see and figure out the world in a different way.
How do you think about time off?
I do not have a vacation routine. I just started taking real vacations about five years ago. I do know that it is very important to shut the machine down so that you can rest and not burn out. My vacation time is linked to my wife’s schedule.
Ever miss the stability of a staff job?
No. Not at all.
What keeps you up at night?
The thought of showing up to an assignment and my cameras crap out on me. It’s a recurring nightmare.
What advice would you give your 22-year-old self?
Figure out what your worth is. Don’t take anything for granted. Study and learn the history of your craft. Search for your own voice. And don’t take it so seriously.
► For more information, visit Séan Alonzo Harris’ website.
