Lauren Stanfield, an aspiring actress and soon-to-be Lincoln College graduate, came by the studio last month for some updated headshots. Lauren knows that, in this competitive industry, first impressions matter so she needed solid images that would help her find work.

Before the appointment, Lauren and I talked about what to expect during the session, best clothing choices, hair and makeup, and other details. Lauren arrived at the studio with some simple but appropriate tops and had her hair done that morning. She looked great for her shoot.

We started the session with some lighting tests to see what would look best. I set up my ALZO Digital Pan-L-Lites (the same system I used for the Thirty-One consultants in January) and we got started. After photographing Lauren in several different poses and lighting configurations, we sat down together to see what we felt was working best. We then headed back into the camera room to get some more images in her other outfits and with another couple lighting setups. Altogether, Lauren's session took about two-and-a-half hours.

I was impressed with Lauren's ability to "turn it on" for the camera. She had so many solid looks, it was difficult to whittle them down. In the end, Lauren chose the image below as her favorite and shared these kind words on her Facebook page:

I wish Lauren all the best as she enters this next chapter of her journey. Below are another couple of my favorite images from her session.

Lauren Stanfield, actress portfolio photograph :: Michael Gowin Photography, Lincoln, IL

If you're a theater major (Bradley University, Lincoln College, Illinois State University, University of Illinois Springfield) or aspiring actor/actress in central Illinois, I'd be happy to help you create some beautiful portfolio images. Let me know.