Stuck in your career? Learn from Peter Hurley’s shift from modeling to photography and discover how to pivot organically in your own journey.
The word “pivot” became the business buzzword of 2020, with companies scrambling to adapt their way of doing things during the global pandemic. But the truth is, we’ve all been pivoting long before it became trendy.
Career transitions and strategic shifts have always been part of professional growth—we just didn’t always call them pivots.
I recently caught up with my old friend Peter Hurley, one of the world’s best headshot photographers, about his own remarkable pivot that happened two decades before the term became ubiquitous. His story offers valuable insights into how natural and organic career transitions can be, even when they’re not meticulously planned.
At age 30, Peter made a transition that would completely reshape his life. As a successful model who had been working in the industry since age 25, he didn’t wake up one morning with a master plan to become a photographer. Instead, his pivot grew from curiosity and circumstance.
“I never had a plan to pick up the camera,” Peter told me during our chat. “I was just encouraged by a photographer, Bruce Weber, who was a friend of mine and had helped me get started modeling.” This simple nudge from a real pro became the catalyst for a transformative career change.
What makes Peter’s story particularly fascinating is how his transition emerged from his existing environment. While working as a model, he became increasingly interested in what was happening on the other side of the camera. In fact, he admits to becoming “the most annoying model” photographers had ever worked with, constantly asking questions about technique and approach instead of just posing.
But this wasn’t just about photography—it was about finding a sustainable path forward. As Peter candidly puts it, “I wasn’t getting any better looking, and I was a terrible actor.” He was juggling modeling, unsuccessful acting gigs, and late-night bartending shifts in New York City clubs until 4 AM. Something had to give.
The beauty of Peter’s pivot lies in its organic nature. He didn’t make a dramatic leap from one industry to another; instead, he utilized his existing network, knowledge, and exposure to the photography world to gradually build something new. Today, he’s not just a photographer—he’s become an influencer who has developed what’s known as the “Hurley standard” in headshot photography, characterized by its clean, simple aesthetic that focuses entirely on capturing authentic expressions.
His distinctive style—typically shooting against a white background with minimal distractions—has become so renowned that photographers worldwide either trained under him or emulated his approach. “I still haven’t discovered a better way to do it,” he notes, though he continues to make small tweaks to keep evolving as an artist.
The lesson here isn’t about making radical changes or completely reinventing yourself. Rather, it’s about recognizing opportunities within your existing sphere and being open to gradual evolution. Sometimes the most successful pivots aren’t the most dramatic ones—they’re the ones that build upon your current knowledge, network, and circumstances.
This is super relevant today, as many of us feel pressure to make dramatic career changes. Your next pivot doesn’t need to be as extreme as going from being a CPA to an MD. Sometimes, the most sustainable and successful transitions are the ones that leverage your existing skills and experiences in new ways.
Peter’s journey from model to photographer to industry influencer didn’t happen overnight, nor was it meticulously planned. It grew from curiosity, necessity, and opportunity. His story reminds us that career pivots don’t need to be radical departures; they can be natural evolutions that build upon our existing foundations.
In a world that often celebrates dramatic transformations, sometimes the most powerful pivots are the ones that feel almost obvious in retrospect. They’re the ones that take what you already know and redirect it toward something new, something that might just become your life’s work.
