“I came to LA for acting, filled with dreams of instant discovery. But the harsh reality hit me hard,” recalls Jamaal Murray, a Baltimore native. His experience mirrors the struggles of many who venture to Hollywood only to find their expectations shattered. “I had to pivot,” he admits, demonstrating his resilience and adaptability.

Adaptability might be the most crucial skill for success in the entertainment industry's big leagues. Beyond the creativity needed for the job, actors, producers, writers, and performers in Tinseltown must use creative thinking to adapt to an ever-changing industry with its highs, lows, and countless rejections. Murray’s pivot involved a complete career shift.

“I had a camera laying around,” he says. “I thought, ‘Let me see if I can take headshots of actors, of all my friends that are actors.’ One thing led to another, and soon the actors I was photographing had their agents asking, ‘Who's the photographer?’” With that, Murray’s company, Photosbyjamaal, was born, propelling him into a new direction. Now, the occasional actor has a thriving business specializing in headshots––a crucial part of the Hollywood hustle that helps actors get booked for jobs.

Murray’s unique perspective as an actor and a Black man gives him a competitive edge and a specialized point of view that helps clients look their best. “It’s really about understanding skin tone,” says the self-taught lensman, who learned photography through YouTube lessons and lots of trial and error. “Cameras weren't even developed to register certain skin tones. As digital cameras evolved and calibrated different colors, we could better capture the various tones of our skin.”

By experimenting with yellows, browns, and oranges when lighting his subjects, Murray developed a specialized technique that brings out the best in clients of color––an issue that even the world’s top photographers still struggle with in fashion magazines. “The feedback I would get was, ‘Oh, you make Black people look so good.’ Once I figured that out, I took the time to understand our skin tones. We're not all light-skinned. All melanin can't take light the same way across the board.”

Murray also uses acting techniques in his photography––not only to capture a great shot but also as a strategy to stay relevant in a constantly changing field threatened by technological advancements. “I'm really trying to bring out a different emotion in the actor. We do a dance, like in a scene, as opposed to a traditional photography session. That’s my approach, which sets me apart. There are people uploading photos they took in their bathroom and letting AI create a headshot. But AI can't duplicate the soul.” It’s another way Murray has learned to pivot, stay ahead, and carve out a niche for himself in an unpredictable world. “The love for the art and acting is what brought me here,” he says. “So even when the business of Hollywood has its ebbs and flows, I can still put myself in a position to create.”

For more information about Jamaal, visit www.photosbyjamaal.com.