My friend Katie is opening a new State Farm Insurance agency in Springfield, Illinois, and she knew she'd need professional headshots for her business cards, marketing materials, and advertising pieces. She contacted me several weeks ago and we set a date to meet at the studio in mid-September. 

Before the session, we talked about the kinds of pictures she wanted, how they'd be used, and the image and personality she wanted them to portray. Katie brought a couple different outfits along and we spent about an hour photographing her with different lighting and background setups so she'd have some good choices.

Although a vertical (traditionally known as "portrait") format is the most common look for headshots, I like to offer clients horizontal and square frames as well. Why? In part because I prefer the look of horizontals and squares, but also because they look different. And when you're trying to set yourself apart from your competitors, "different" makes people notice.

After the session, I posted Katie's proofs to a private online gallery where she selected the poses she wanted for her final selects. We had these retouched and a couple days later her choices were ready. 

Katie recently updated her Facebook profile with the image at the top of this post and then shared these kind words:

Just had new headshots taken by Michael Gowin at Michael Gowin Photography and I was super happy with how they turned out! I have several poses to choose from and he did a fantastic job making me feel at ease and took time to understand my business and how I will be using the pictures. If you're looking for a photographer, I highly recommend him! Thanks, Michael!

Katie's new office will open at the beginning of November. If you're in the Springfield market, you'll find her State Farm profile at www.sfagentkatie.com. She can also be reached by email at katie@sfagentkatie.com or her office phone: 217-679-6585.

Technical notes: I'm still favoring the Olympus OM-D E-M5 body and the excellent Olympus 45mm f/1.8 lens for my headshot work. This combination is being used on every portrait session at the studio these days.

Lighting is also simple: a Paul Buff Einstein in a 60" Photek Softlighter II umbrella for the main light with a large silver reflector for fill.

Feel free to contact me if you're in central Illinois and need some professional headshots made. 

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