I recently went one on one with Michael Grecco. Michael is a leading celebrity photographer, with clients including Steven Spielberg, Patrick Dempsey, Will Smith, Johnny Depp, Robert Duvall, Martin Scorsese, Janet Jackson, Mel Brooks, Lucy Liu, Ben Stiller, Penélope Cruz, Morgan Freeman, Jet Li, Will Ferrell, Joaquin Phoenix and many more. Michael is also the Executive Producer of and appears in the television show Punk. Michael’s work can be found at https://michaelgrecco.com.

We spoke about Michael’s journey, lessons learned, advice and thoughts on leadership and success:

Adam: Thanks again for taking the time to share your thoughts and advice. First things first, though, I’m sure readers would love to learn more about you. ​How did you get here? ​What steps were instrumental to becoming a photographer to the stars?  

Michael: When I was a kid in summer camp, I developed my first print in the darkroom. From that moment on, I knew what I wanted to do. But the road has been interesting. Once I got the bug for photography, I would study its history by “borrowing” (under my shirt because I did not want to have a deadline to return them) the Time Life series on the History of Photography. I would look at all these classic and famous photographers in my bed before I went to sleep and dream of being one of them. 

I then went to Boston University and transferred to the School of Communications, which put me on a photojournalism and filmmaking track. I was lucky enough to get an internship at the Associated Press. I would shoot the Massachusetts Governor during the day and then hit the clubs and shoot punk bands at night. 

Eventually, I took a staff position for the Boston Herald shooting a little bit of everything. My fortune there came from out-shooting two People Magazine photographers at the Caroline Kennedy and Maria Shiver Weddings. People Magazine invited me to join their “staff.” So I packed up the car and moved to Beverly, as they say. I actually moved to the Venice/Santa Monica area, where I spent time transitioning from cover events and photojournalism to doing sessions and covers with celebrities.

Part of that transition though, was creating artistic work in order to separate me from photojournalism itself. I worked at creating a distinctive lighting look to create a mood and an emotional reaction. I also took my photojournalism roots – the idea of storytelling in a photograph –  and created concepts that elevated my images beyond just simple portraits. They were very much influenced by Annie Liebowitz. But I wanted to create them with my own signature lighting style.

Adam: What are the best lessons you’ve learned from your career in photography? 

Michael: The business of photography might look really tough to a newcomer now. But to a certain extent, it always has been. There’s a certain glamour to it that draws people to do it, even if it doesn’t make economic sense. I’ve always said, if you put as much energy into any other career as a professional photographer has to, you’d be making far more money and be far more successful.

So, in a tough business, what you learn is everything. You can’t fall short in one aspect of the process. You can be the greatest photographer in the world but if you piss people off, no one wants to work with you. You can be the greatest photographer in the world and not good at business and put yourself out of business. Everything needs to be firing on all levels.

This means you have to be open to learning and open to figuring out how to succeed. You have to handle clients and your subjects while shooting. You have to develop multiple revenue streams like licensing and directing video on your shoots. And you have to always be aware of how much your overhead is so you’re cash positive. I kid you not, some of the most famous photographers in this country have had financial issues.

So back to your question, this environment creates a huge challenge. You have to accept that you will literally change every aspect of your being and soul if you want to succeed in the business. You have to be open to learning. You have to be open to changing yourself and the way you do things. And you have to listen to others. I have done the Landmark Forum and they say there, that you don’t know, what you don’t know. To survive as a top-notch photographer, you have to find out what you don’t know and fix that too!.

Adam: What advice do you have on the topic of storytelling that is applicable to a broad audience of entrepreneurs and leaders? 

Michael: The ability to tell a story in a creative and sophisticated way was a big part of my transition from newspapers to magazine photography. The obvious is not sophisticated, which is the way stories are told in a daily newspaper or anywhere where people consume information quickly. Magazine or web content is savored. Hence, people need to be inspired and entertained.

This venue shift, changed the way I told stories in my portraits. Instead of posing Joe –  of Joe’s Shoes – in front of his store holding a shoe, I might have built a lyrical shoe set. The set would have been an artist statement in and of itself. Hopefully, the reader is inspired by what they see. The great musician David Byrne wrote that music is created in part for its venue. Drumming in the jungle needed to carry far and symphonies needed a space where the subtly of the music could be heard. All the while, rock bands make music for arenas.

My career transition had to change for the medium I was working in. And it continues to evolve as we evolve.

Adam: In your experience, what are the defining qualities of an effective leader? How can leaders and aspiring leaders take their leadership skills to the next level?  

Michael: A leader has to get people in their camp, doing what you need them to do. Those are people from the outside and your own team. It sounds draconian but it’s true. As a photographer, you have to sell your client on the idea. Then you have to get the talents manager or publicist to buy in. Then you have to get the talent to dig it and be creative with you. Then you have your own team – your assistants, makeup artist, stylist, set builder – they all have to share your vision and be excited about the project. You are only as good as the people around you in some respects.

It’s the same in every business. I like to start with respectful clear communication with everyone. You have to take the time and explain your vision. But you also have to listen carefully to any opposition or issues and figure out how to deal with them. When I was describing the difficulties of the photography business above, it comes down to a photographer having to be a massive problem solver both creatively and logistically. 

It doesn’t have to be done in a vacuum. You should have good help. But you’re the one that will know if all the solutions will work together for the same goal. You really are the captain of the ship. And you have to make sure it’s sailing in the direction of success, both visually in making a great images and also leaving everyone feeling good so they want to work with you in the future.

I think the best way to take your leadership to the next level is understanding yourself – your strengths, what influences you, why you react to things the way you do. Whether that’s through therapy, meditation or couching, you want to do some self-discovery to be a better leader. You want to set your ego aside and listen to others around you. You need to hire people smarter than you in their specific fields and then you have to listen to them. Even if you don’t like the answer. Using an expert and then not taking their advice is foolish. If you put your ego aside and understand that a team works better than an individual, you will create a stronger structure to work within and you’ll end up with a stronger result. And that’s what the photography business is all about.