Meet Garrick Hoffman | Photographer & Actor

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

Hi Garrick, why did you pursue a creative career?
As hackneyed or clichè as it sounds, I truly feel like I’m the embodiment of “I didn’t choose this profession; the profession chose me.” I never had aspirations to become a photographer, although I’ve always been a creative. But my original dreams were more in music and writing – I was obsessed with playing guitar and I wrote for my student newspaper for three years in college, so I thought maybe I could pursue a career in something in that realm.

But I essentially “fell into” photography. I was a full-time reporter for a free newspaper in southern Maine, but after three months my editor sat me down in her office and told me things weren’t working out with me as a reporter, but she thought I was a decent photographer, so she phased me out as a reporter and phased me in as a freelance photographer. Thus began my journey as a professional photographer. The irony is I was shooting with a dinky little Nikon “point-and-shoot” camera at that point, so when she hired me to be a freelance photographer, I figured I should probably invest in a DSLR, a.k.a. a “real” camera. And from there, people just kept reaching out to me for photo work, and I was even unexpectedly offered a job in marketing at a brewery that I ended up taking for about 1.5 years. In 2021 I was hired to be a social media coordinator for a startup, but after my boss basically told me I had to discontinue my photography practice to focus on my job there, I quit. I lasted a month. And I’m so, so thankful I didn’t stay.

Photography was always a “side hustle,” so in the last couple years I’ve been able to finally take a risk and go full time. I now do weddings, events, portraits, behind-the-scenes, families, seniors, and even photojournalism still. I also sell canvas & framed prints of my landscapes, which was what originally got me into photography in the first place – outdoor adventures. I’ve now won two awards through the Appalachian Mountain Club, one through the Maine Press Association, and last year I had the opportunity to take photos of “Grey’s Anatomy” star Patrick Dempsey on a farm here in Maine!

In addition to photography, I’m a part time actor represented by a local talent agency here in Maine and one in Boston. I’ve been doing that for a year now, and I’ve since done work for L.L. Bean, Butcher Box, a Toyota dealership, and more.

I’m just so intrinsically a creative; the arts are embedded in my blood. It may come with a lot of uncertainty and unpredictability, but I truly love life in this career!

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
Even though I’ve often struggled quite often with “imposter syndrome” and perpetual feelings of inadequacy (quality of work, amount of work, and perhaps embarrassingly that I surmise is often difficult to admit, amount of Instagram followers compared to other photographers), I’m proud that I don’t exactly have a niche, and that I’m a fairly versatile photographer.

I’ve often wondered if not being particularly specialized in any one category of photography has worked against me commercially. I don’t just do weddings or portraits, and I don’t just do landscapes. I do just about everything (sans things that really don’t interest me like real estate, architecture, or products). I think this can be a competitive advantage for me, but I’ve speculated whether not being known for any one thing has actually worked against me. It might mean that when someone is looking for a wedding or portrait photographer, I may not be the first person to come to mind because I might be more associated with my landscapes. Nonetheless, I’m proud that I can create what I think are quality landscape photos (after all, it was rather validating for the Appalachian Mountain Club to select two of my photos as a 3rd and 1st place winner in their photo contest, two years in a row, against more than 400 submissions in those categories), but also take quality portraits and event photos. At the risk of sounding boastful, clients invariably seem to like my work because they essentially extol what I deliver to them, and people also seem to like my landscape photos because they order prints from me, which tells me people recognize value that I put into the world. I’m deeply, deeply grateful for that.

I also don’t suspect it’s very common for someone to have equal success in both photography and acting. November of last year, for example, was a huge month for me. That month alone, I was the lead actor in a well-paying commercial that really made its rounds here in Maine, and I was also the photographer on a shoot with “Grey’s Anatomy” star Patrick Dempsey, which was huge for me. I may not have a ton of followers on Instagram compared to other photographers or actors, but Dempsey – or whoever runs his account – followed me on Instagram! I thought that was cool.

Getting to where I am today in my career took years of really building a social network, building my reputation, and building my skill set. Not to mention, it was years of uncertainty for me – “How far do I want to take this?” I’d frequently ask myself. I knew I liked photography, and people recognized the value in my work, but I was never sure if that’s what I really wanted to do, especially since I wasn’t particularly drawn to any kinds of commercial photography, and probably because I’ve always been a bit insecure and hard on myself. I just liked taking photos on my outdoor adventures, and taking photos of friends, or really whatever caught my eye. Not only did I not know what direction I wanted to go for years, but eventually when I did start attracting more clientele, I didn’t know how to value myself monetarily. To be honest I still struggle with that – “What is my value? How much should I charge for this, for that?” That’s probably the most difficult part of my job – wrestling with pricing, especially since I deal with many different types of clients with myriad needs and budgets.

Even though I won my first big award in 2021, I remember so many times going to bed wondering whether I’m even sufficiently skilled enough in photography to continue. The self-doubt was truly paralyzing. That entire year I spent applying to creative-oriented jobs that I thought I was more than qualified for, but no one would hire me. I’m now deeply thankful for every rejection I got, because 2022 was a radically different year for me professionally. It cemented that I’m meant to be in this profession as both a photographer and actor. Because of all the work I got as both in both professions, it told me I’m meant to be in this industry. It told me I’m designed to be a creative, and to be a small business owner, and to hold fast to the skill sets that I’ve developed over years. I’ve invested in this profession so significantly – my time, my money – that I need to have the resolve to work through any doubts and persevere.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I live in a state that actually offers a lot to do, especially if you’re someone who enjoys outdoor adventures, craft beer, and good food. I’m fortunate in that respect!

I’ve lived near Portland, Maine for my entire life, and Portland not only has a monolithic food & beer scene, but it’s only 1-2 hours away from a wide variety of outdoor adventures.

I actually have a friend from Arizona coming to visit in June, so I think we’ll stick around Portland for one of the days, and this will likely be our itinerary:

1. Take the ferry out to Peak’s Island in Casco Bay for a fun bike ride around the island. It doesn’t take long, so we’ll probably do a few laps and visit Battery Steele – an old military fort there. (It’s also the name of a brewery in Portland that offers great craft beer, especially if you enjoy New England IPAs.)

2. Return to Portland and get dinner at Terlingua on the East End, which has some of the best Texas-style BBQ food in the city, and has a killer, almost fairy-tale like outdoor section.

3. Drinks on the Bayside Bowl rooftop! This is easily the best rooftop bar in Portland. It’s actually a bowling alley, but it’s also a three-story building with amazing views of the city, including Baxter Boulevard, a nearly four-mile trail that goes around Back Bay. They have a great beer selection and also make some great mixed drinks. The vibes, the aesthetics, the atmosphere, are simply unmatched there.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I’m actually tempted to credit my pastors Adam & Tanya Herald at The Refuge Church here in Maine, or my talent agents David Timm and Christine Marshall at Dirigo Talent Agency, because all of those people have profoundly impacted my life through the creation of their church and agency, respectively. But I think the person whom I most need to credit is my best friend Angie Dubois.

Angie and I met in college about four years ago, but our friendship was really kindled after graduating (in 2020, during the pandemic, ironically enough). We were both in the Media Studies program at the University of Southern Maine. She’s now a professional videographer and I’m a professional photographer and actor. We support each other with both our professional endeavors, and we talk every single day.

She’s been there during some of my biggest moments as an actor, doing behind-the-scenes videos of the shoots. She’s my go-to for advice for a lot of my social media content. We bounce ideas off each other. We give each other advice when we’re struggling with certain clients, emails, pricing, etc. We go to every networking event together. She’s actually lead me to some great clients that I still have today, and I’ve helped her with some as well. Plus, we just have so much fun together. She’s almost 10 years younger than me, but she truly has become my best friend and confidant.

I’m really proud of her too because she has ascended to quite staggering success in just a few years out of college, and she deserves it. She’s on the board of a local creative organization, and as I write this, she has a shoot with National Geographic in a few weeks!

I’m so thankful to have someone who has supported me through this new chapter of my career and who pours so much love and encouragement into my life. I truly cannot imagine what my life would be like without her on both a personal and professional level.

Website: https://www.garrickhoffman.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/garrickhoffmanphotography/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/garrick-hoffman-46703693/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GarrickHoffmanPhotography/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCy4kdtHbBm5sZgheTn7nC_A

Image Credits
Matt Levesque (wintery photo of me on mountain with Nikon camera in hand)