Meet Patrick Heagney | Photographer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Patrick Heagney and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Patrick, have there been any changes in how you think about work-life balance?
As a small business owner / one man show I’ve found that as my business has grown and become more successful my work life balance has suffered a bit. When I started my business right after college I had lots of free time to work on personal projects, see friends, think about new ways to market myself, or just unplug and not do much of anything if that was the mood I was in. Now, almost 18 years later, my business is thriving, my calendar is full, and I’m finding that I can’t take personal time for granted anymore. Unlike before if I want personal time I have to schedule it, and I have to resist the urge to take on more work if I get offered a gig that would conflict with that personal time. It’s always tempting to just take on as much work as possible, especially as a freelancer whose work can be feast or famine at times, but I don’t think it would be sustainable or healthy to just never give myself time away from client demands. When I do manage to take some time off, even if that’s just an afternoon here or there, I notice that my stress levels go down and I’m inspired to create even better content when I get back to the grind.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I’m a lifestyle and portrait photographer. I shoot real people in real life doing real things. I like to make people look like the best versions of themselves, and I try to capture some of their energy and emotion in every project. My work can be seen in advertising campaigns and editorial stories for clients like Verizon, Truist, Georgia Pacific, Arby’s, Tom Ford, and Bentley.

Photography can be a fun career but it’s certainly not an easy one.
One of the hardest parts of doing photography professionally is just how much competition there is. It’s important to set yourself apart from the crowd and I think I do it with quality, consistency, lighting, and experience. Large brands have trusted my company to pull off national campaigns, and I show the same level of professionalism when I’m shooting portraits for a private client. My portfolio showcases a seamless mix of big and small jobs, personal and professional, and unless you were on set you likely wouldn’t know which was which by looking. So whether it’s a large job for a big client that involves a full crew or a little gig that’s just me with my camera and some lights, clients know what kind of final product I’ll deliver at the end of the shoot.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Atlanta is an interesting city to visit, unlike some other large cities I don’t think there are a ton of obvious touristy things to do once you’ve hit up the aquarium and the World of Coke. Both of those are fun but you’ll likely be able to knock them both out in an afternoon and once you’ve gotten over the stomach ache from trying 500 different flavors of soda you’ll be wondering what to do and I think the answer is to eat. Atlanta has an incredible food scene and it’s all worth trying from the high end – the eight course tasting menu at Lazy Betty is insanely good, to elevated junk food – Slutty Vegan have some of the best, and least healthy, vegan food going. I’d definitely advise spending some time snacking your way up and down Buford Highway, almost every nationality of food can be found on it, it’s a great place to discover something you haven’t tried before. In terms of nightlife, I love the south side of town. East Atlanta Village, Summerhill, Grant Park, and Little Five Points all have dive bars, gastropubs, and music venues, all of which are great places to spend an evening with locals.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
There are so many people that have helped me out along the way, supportive clients of course, mentors that helped me navigate the confusing world that is freelance photography like Jerry Siegel, Kieran Reynolds, and Steve Cole, but the one person I lean on for support more than anyone is my wife, Negar. Besides being smarter and better looking than me she is always there to listen to me gripe after a difficult day, encourages me when I’m feeling overwhelmed, and generally makes me feel like a fully functioning human being.

Website: www.patrickheagney.com

Instagram: @patrickheagney

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/patrickheagney/

Image Credits
All photos ©Patrick Heagney Photography