What can photographers learn from musicians with Pete Coco

Pete Coco is a New York headshot and portrait photographer — and a jazz musician who spent years working out bass lines by ear before he ever picked up a camera.Marcus and Sam talk to Pete about what studying the jazz masters taught him about developing his own photographic style, and why he thinks professionalism is the thing photography and music have most in common.How years of learning jazz bass lines by ear shaped Pete’s approach to photographyWhy studying the “masters” — in any creative field — isn’t optional if you want your own styleWhat mentorship taught Pete that formal training never couldWhy Pete avoids stock libraries for the same reason musicians avoid Spotify royaltiesThe unglamorous professionalism (returning calls, showing up on time) that actually wins repeat workWhy a photoshoot should feel as much like an experience as a concert doesA different lens on developing a style: borrow deliberately, absorb consciously, then make it your own.Creative cross-pollination doesn't stop at music — Beat Creative Block and Boost Your Productivity: A Guide for Professional Photographers is about beating creative block and staying productive as a working photographer.