Who's in the Crew? - Spotlight on Izabela Mattson

NAME: Izabela Mattson - https://izabelamattson.com/

WHERE DO YOU LIVE? Albany, Oregon the last four years. I moved here from Denmark.

HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN SHOOTING HEADSHOTS? In the last 6 months, I have been getting some inquiries for headshots and I can see that this is much more profitable than the branding shoots I currently do. I believe I have photographed less than 20 heads so far. I want to follow in the footsteps of crew members like Jon Meadows to build a solid business. I will be applying the principles in Meadows' book and studying this group of extraordinary people. This is clearly a turning point in my life and I'm happy to be here!

WHAT ELSE DO YOU LIKE TO SHOOT? Humans, but just for business. When I fell in love with an American who owned more weapons than I had ever seen (7 - and no one in Denmark owns a weapon unless you are a criminal or a hunter), I wasn't very happy. Eventually, I learned that shooting is a part of this culture for many people. Just like carrying a pocket knife (?!). It took years to get used to.

WHAT IS YOUR LIGHTING SETUP FOR HEADSHOTS? LOL, great question! I still haven't decided between strobes or constant lights. I am looking into this right now. So far, I have used window light or 1 light and a reflector.

WHEN DID YOU FIRST DISCOVER PH AND THE HSC? I was at WPPI one year and someone said: "Sue Bryce is shaving off Peter Hurley's hair". I remember thinking "Who is Peter Hurley?" PH was not on my radar then and I didn't truly discover and appreciate him until this year when I was looking for solutions in marketing and lighting for headshots. I was about to book a corporate job photographing a team a few months out and I had to figure out how to do it really well in case I got the job. Somehow I stumbled upon Headshotmania 2 that offered exactly what I needed - marketing to save my tanking business and lighting for the upcoming job. I had noticed the Crew when I signed up for the workshop, however, I first learned of its value during HSM2.

HOW LONG DID IT TAKE YOU TO JOIN THE CREW AFTER YOU FOUND IT? During Headshotmania 2 on day one, I knew I would join the Crew. Everyone I met shared the same testimonial telling me "You need to join, there is so much education and a fantastic community that will push you forward. So I joined.

WHAT'S ONE THING ABOUT YOU PEOPLE WOULD NEVER GUESS? I have an irrational fear of frogs that means my husband has to carry me through compromised territory! One time I couldn't make it down this hill because it sounded like the frogs were in the tall grass all around me. I literally froze and Luke had to eventually toss me over this shoulder and carry me down the hill to "safety".

WHAT'S ONE THING YOU WISH PEOPLE KNEW ABOUT YOU? Because I am Danish I often want to get to cut to the chase and skip all the politeness that is part of the American culture. I can, therefore, sound very bossy - but underneath the direct orders is nothing but love and wanting to uplift the people around me. Once people get to know me, they know how much I care....and then I get to be very direct (and loving) with them.