VIDEO: Andrea Flairty, The Closet Lady :: Bloomington, Illinois, Business Headshot Photographer

When you're always on the business end of a camera, it's important to remember that others don't always feel comfortable being photographed.

(Just had a thought: Maybe that's why I like being on the business end of the camera.)

When a portrait client comes into the studio, I have two goals:

1. Help them feel comfortable.
2. Make a great picture.

The key to the second is the first: if my client doesn't feel comfortable, the likelihood of getting a good photograph drops sharply. Conversely, if they feel comfortable with me and the environment, we can probably make a great picture together. I wrote about this in my "behind the session" blog with John McDonnell a couple years ago: a good portrait results from a collaboration between the subject and the photographer.

Andrea Flairty has been in business here in central Illinois for 25 years. She runs Storage Options & Solutions where she rescues people from their clutter. She says that not many people know her name but they do know her as "The Closet Lady."

Andrea contacted me via email to ask about getting a portrait done. She's sponsoring an upcoming women's business event and needed a headshot for the promoter. After Googling photographers in the area, she reached out to me.

She came down to the studio in Lincoln the other week and we spent about an hour-and-a-half chatting and making pictures. In the behind-the-scenes video, you'll see from the time-lapse that we spent a lot of time talking before we actually started making pictures. And before we walked into the camera room, we talked for 20 minutes about Andrea's business, her background, and what she wanted from the photos we were going to make. Again, I'm always looking for ways to connect so we can make good pictures.

BTS: Business Portraits with Andrea Flairty :: Michael Gowin Photography, Lincoln, IL from Michael Gowin on Vimeo.

As you'll see at the end of the video, Andrea had some kind words to share about her experience. She was a delight to photograph and I'm hoping to do some more work with her to promote S.O.S.

Andrea Flairty, SOS Rescue, Bloomington, IL :: Michael Gowin Photography, Lincoln, IL

Andrea Flairty, The Closet Lady - sosrescue.com :: Michael Gowin Photography, Lincoln, IL

Quick note on gear: I pulled out the Olympus OM-D E-M5 with the Olympus 45mm f/1.8 lens for this session. My Pan-L-Lites were set up to provide an soft, even, flattering quality of light. The GoPro Hero 3 Black captured the BTS footage, and the Panasonic GH3 was used with a Rode Video Mic Pro to get the "interview" footage.

Many thanks to Andrea for letting me make her pictures. If your home and life need some de-cluttering, be sure to visit her site.

Musician Portraits, Rob Maupin :: Champaign/Urbana, Illinois, Business Headshot Photographer

My buddy Rob Maupin plays guitar. Really well. I'm working on a personal project this year and needed to make some images of a musician, so I invited Rob down to the studio last week and we made some pictures.

We were aiming for something moody, evocative, and rough--a little "unfinished around the edges." The lighting was sparse and the background dark for this reason. For the first and third images, we used a single Paul Buff Einstein strobe with a 30 degree grid. This focused the light and give it a hard edge. The middle photo with the electric guitar was lit with an Einstein in a 60" Photek SoftLighter II umbrella. I also processed the images with some grain and the focus a little loose--again, to give them some texture and mood.

I set the Panasonic GH3 aside for this session and used the Olympus OM-D E-M5 camera instead. Both the Olympus 45mm and Panasonic 20mm lenses were pressed into service as well (the 20mm was used for the portrait with the Telecaster below).

My thanks to Rob for letting me make his pictures. He's started to put his music up on SoundCloud--click over to Rob's site to hear his first tracks.

If you're in central Illinois (Bloomington/Normal, Springfield, Peoria, Decatur, Champaign/Urbana) and need some album art, marketing images, or headshots for a project, please let me know.

Rob Maupin, guitarist portrait with Telecaster :: Michael Gowin Photography, Lincoln, IL

Rob Maupin, musician portrait with Taylor acoustic guitar :: Michael Gowin Photography, Lincoln, IL

Carol Kneedler, Internet Marketing Consultant :: Springfield, Illinois, Business Headshot Photographer

What's your photograph telling your prospects and clients about you and your business?

It should be telling them that you're the kind of person they'd like to work with: approachable, confident, professional.

Carol Kneedler, a marketing and Internet consultant in Springfield, Illinois, came by the studio a few weeks ago to update her business portrait. She wanted to improve her image and the message she's sending on her website and social media profiles like LinkedIn.

Carol wanted to have her hair and makeup done before the session, so I referred her to Diana Pickett at Hair Plus Salon here in Lincoln. Diana and I partnered with some local thrift stores last fall to do a "thrift store fashion shoot," and I knew she'd do a great job for Carol. 

Carol came to the studio with a few outfits including some with colors that Diana had recommended. We took a leisurely hour-plus to make Carol's pictures and then walked next door to the Arcade Cafe for lunch and conversation about business and marketing.

Many thanks to Carol for letting me make her pictures.

Carol Kneedler, O3 Internet Consulting, Springfield, Illinois :: Michael Gowin Photography, Lincoln, IL

Dr. Todd Nobbe, O.D. :: Bloomington, Illinois, Business Portrait Photographer

I recently posted some portraits I'd made of Dr. Todd Nobbe at the studio last fall. A few weeks ago, I stopped by his office one morning to make some environmental portraits in their new space. It has a remarkable look and feel to it, and I'm sure it's the only doctor's office I've been in that was decorated with zebra stripes.

The photo above was made at the front desk, the one below near one of the eyeglass frame displays. In the first photo, Dr. Nobbe is lit with a small hotshoe flash inside a 28" Westcott Apollo soft box with just enough of the room and window light dialed in to keep the exposure from going too dark.

Since we were working in a small space in the second photo, I needed a way to separate Dr. Nobbe visually from the display that was just a few feet behind him. I decided to light the background with a purple gel. In another doctor's office, this might be a bit much. But in an office with zebra stripes? I think it works. Dr. Nobbe was lit with the soft box to his left and a silver reflector on the right to soften the shadows.

Many thanks to Dr. Nobbe and his accommodating staff for letting me make these pictures.

Dr. Todd Nobbe, optometrist/eye doctor :: Michael Gowin Photography, Lincoln, IL

Dr. Todd Nobbe, O.D. :: Springfield, Illinois, Business Headshot Photographer

Dr. Todd Nobbe has an optometry practice here in Lincoln and one of the coolest doctor's offices you'll find. He's been in practice for 20 years so he knows his stuff--but he's also a fun guy with a quick wit.

Todd contacted me last fall to make some new portraits for his marketing and promotional materials. After a busy few months, we've just finally gotten around to getting his images selected. These are two of the photos we made at the studio.

Todd and his staff recently moved into a new office, and I made a couple of images in the new space there. Look for those on the site soon. 

Dr. Todd Nobbe, optometrist/eye doctor :: Michael Gowin Photography, Lincoln, IL

Behind-the-Scenes Video: Business Portraits for Prairie Engineers :: Bloomington/Normal, IL, Headshot Photographer

Pictured above is Lisa Kramer, president of Prairie Engineers of Illinois, a boutique engineering consulting firm based here in Lincoln. Back in December, I photographed five of Lisa's team members for their marketing materials and web site. A few weeks ago, we finished the job when she sent over 10 more of her staff to the studio for their portraits. We ran a camera to catch the action as it happened, and you can see the process in the behind-the-scenes video below (click here if it doesn't load).

If you're in central Illinois (Springfield, Bloomington/Normal, Decatur, Peoria, Champaign/Urbana) and interested in learning about how I approach business portraits (AKA, headshots) in the studio, you'll find descriptions, videos, and testimonials on the Business Portraits page. 

BTS: Business Portraits with Prairie Engineers :: Michael Gowin Photography, Lincoln, IL from Michael Gowin on Vimeo.

Portraits of Jill Savage, who has cancer

Jill Savage is well known in central Illinois where I live.

Jill founded a ministry, Hearts at Home, 20 years ago to help women and families. She's written numerous books and spoken to countless audiences. Because of her visibility as an author and speaker, she's chosen to live more transparently than most, often sharing life's good and hard stories on her blog.

This past November, Jill was diagnosed with breast cancer and, true to form, has endeavored to share the grief and joy in her struggle publicly with a CaringBridge site.

Jill Savage, Hearts at Home :: Michael Gowin Photography, Lincoln, IL

My wife has attended the Hearts at Home National Conference in Bloomington/Normal for years and I've photographed the conference several times. We've spent time with Jill and her husband Mark. And I've made Jill's portraits for her books and marketing materials.

Jill came down to Lincoln today to chat with me and our friend Deanne about her talk at the upcoming Hearts at Home conference. Last night I asked Jill if she'd let me make her picture while she was here. I told her I wanted to make some portraits that represented visually what she's been sharing as a writer through her journey with cancer. She agreed.

Jill Savage, Hearts at Home :: Michael Gowin Photography, Lincoln, IL

Jill was generous with her time and attention, more than I expected. She had surgery in December, is currently undergoing chemotherapy, and will have 33 radiation treatments once she completes chemo. I would be grumpy, tired, and selfish; Jill was gracious.

Jill Savage, Hearts at Home :: Michael Gowin Photography, Lincoln, IL

We used a very simple lighting setup: a couple of Alzo Pan-L-Lites to the right for illumination and a silver reflector for some kick on a few of the images. Technically, it could hardly have been simpler. The challenge for me, though, came in editing the photographs.

After getting the pictures into the computer, I found myself confronted by the face of a friend who is walking a hard road. Choosing these pictures was difficult, and I'm still somewhat ambivalent about showing them. They reveal a woman in a place where no woman should be. But the reality is that other women are there, and Jill is choosing to walk alongside them by sharing her story.

To share her story--that's why I wanted to make these portraits. And my hope is that other women and families are encouraged by Jill's words and these pictures.

Thank you, Jill, for sharing your story and letting me help you tell it.

Jill Savage, Hearts at Home :: Michael Gowin Photography, Lincoln, IL