Who's in the Crew? - Spotlight on Pete Coco

NAME: Pete Coco
WEBSITE https://petecocophoto.com
CREW PROFILE https://headshotcrew.com/petecoco
INSTAGRAM https://www.instagram.com/bassistpetecoco/?hl=en
FACEBOOK https://www.facebook.com/petecocophoto/
LINKEDIN https://www.linkedin.com/in/pete-coco-313112b/

WHERE ARE YOU FROM AND WHERE DO YOU LIVE NOW?

I live on Long Island and grew up here. I am currently residing in West Hempstead, just a stone’s throw from NYC.

HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN SHOOTING HEADSHOTS?

I started shooting headshots in 2016. I got into headshots after beginning a musical theatre program at my music school. At first, we had students in the program bring in their own headshots for our programs and bulletin board, but they were always terrible! They were iPhone photos, school photos, or worse! Since I had been into photography for a long time, I figured I could do better and began my headshot career by photographing our students.

WHAT IS YOUR LIGHTING SETUP FOR HEADSHOTS?

Flex Kit all the way! It is an amazing tool and I use it for portraiture and video shoots as well. I also have Alien Bees and Einsteins that I use for portrait work and use mixed lighting with all of the above.

TELL US ABOUT YOUR STUDIO. DO YOU OWN IT? RENT IT? OR LIVE IN IT?

I rent a space which houses my studio and music school. The back part of the building is set up as the photo studio and the front as the music school. It’s been working really well. My space is located in Garden City on Long Island, on a very busy strip, so I am very grateful for a good location.

WHAT ELSE DO YOU LIKE TO SHOOT?

I love shooting jazz musicians in concert. I love the intimacy of the small clubs and documenting my friends and heroes as they create art. There’s something magical about capturing these moments as they happen. The music, the people, and the vibe really translates strongly through the viewfinder.

WHEN DID YOU FIRST DISCOVER PH AND THE HSC?

I discovered Peter in 2016, soon after I started taking headshots of my students. I was searching YouTube for videos on headshot photography, and this video popped up called “It’s all about the Jaw!” I was totally hooked right away and watched every one of Peter’s videos I could find. I remember watching his B&H headshot discussion after that, and thinking to myself that this guy was the real deal.

HOW LONG DID IT TAKE YOU TO JOIN THE CREW ONCE YOU FOUND IT?

I joined the Crew immediately! When I stumbled upon the crew website, I was completely blown away and knew that it was exactly what I needed to get my chops together. It was a no brainer for me, as I was really motivated to hone my skills. I have been active on the site since then, with some longer and shorter pauses in between due to my other work, but in May of this year I decided to give my headshot biz 100% after having to temporarily shut down my music school because of the pandemic. One of my goals was to make Associate by the end of this year, and I am grateful that this happened in November.

WHAT IS ONE THING PEOPLE WOULD NEVER GUESS ABOUT YOU?

My formal training is in music. I hold a doctorate in classical music from Stony Brook University and my other training is in jazz (I play the big bass). I have also worked with many noted jazz musicians and released my debut album in 2018 called “Lined with a Groove.” I play bass and cello on the record.

WHAT IS ONE THING YOU WISH PEOPLE KNEW ABOUT YOU?

This has been a hell of a year for all of us in many ways. My music school was having our best year ever in March when we were forced to close due to the pandemic. We had over 400 students coming to our facility weekly, as well as a thriving musical theatre program, ensemble program, and multiple musicals, recitals, workshops, master classes, and events. I watched as a business I painstakingly built over fifteen years was forced to suddenly move to a virtual format, something that didn’t work for many of our clients for a variety of reasons. Like other businesses, I was forced to rethink my whole model and adapt to what quickly became the new normal. Although I lost a lot this year, including one of our locations, I have gained so much in many ways. Not only am I able to give my headshot business more time (something I was unable to do before), but this was the first year I was home for dinner with my family every night instead of working past 9 pm. My work/family life is actually way more balanced, and I am using this time to build my headshot biz and prepare for a full reopening of my music school by September. I am telling this story in the hopes that it will inspire my friends in the crew to never give up, no matter what. I had many dark days in 2020, but I chose to press on, and I am extremely grateful for where I am today, and I’m glad I didn’t give up. I am also extremely thankful for Peter and this community for inspiring me to be better every day, and for helping me to turn my hobby into a viable business by providing so much technical and business knowledge. There is no place like the Headshot Crew!