Rachel, Business Headshot :: Central Illinois Portrait Photographer

March 21, 2011

Business portrait professional headshot - Lincoln, Illinois - Michael Gowin Photography

My friend and neighbor Rachel Grunder recently started her own business, Onward!, an educational consultancy. She's been an educator, trainer, and project developer for years and is now seeking to expand her influence. As she's getting everything together--filing for her "DBA," setting up her books, designing a website, seeking clients, and all the other thousand details that go along with it--she contacted me to make some professional business portraits. She wanted images that revealed her warmth and friendliness but that also showed confidence and competence. This is just one of her photographs that she felt conveyed those qualities.

If you'd like to discuss how your business' image can be improved with better photography, contact me today.

Jetty - Lincoln, Illinois, portrait headshot photographer - Michael Gowin Photography

Jetty, Lifestyle Portraits :: Bloomington, Illinois, Headshot Photographer

March 18, 2011

Jetty and I have a working relationship that goes back several years. She's worked as a hair stylist for years here in Lincoln, most recently at Cape Landing Salon at the corner of Kickapoo and Broadway, and has been cutting my hair for, well, since I can't remember. I photographed her wedding in 2009 and she's worked as the hair stylist for a few brides I've photographed as well. She is friendly, fun, and always treats her clients with respect.

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.

Here are a few more images from Jetty's session--enjoy.

Jetty - Springfield, Illinois, portrait headshot photographer - Michael Gowin Photography

Jetty - Bloomington, Illinois, portrait headshot photographer - Michael Gowin Photography

Jetty - Peoria, Illinois, portrait headshot photographer - Michael Gowin Photography

Bethany Rea to Compete in Illinois State Pageant

January 13, 2011

Bethany Rea, a resident of Lincoln, Illinois, won the Logan County Fair Queen pageant this past August and will be competing at the state pageant this weekend. She is a delightful young lady and will represent our county well. I wish her the best in the competition this weekend.

Bethany Rea - Springfield, Illinois, pageant headshot photography by Michael Gowin

Image in Use: Dr. Keith Ray in "The Restorer" - Lincoln Christian University

December 15, 2010

I made the portrait below of Dr. Keith Ray, president of Lincoln Christian University, in his office late last spring. It's been used as the inside cover image for the president's regular column in the school's quarterly alumni magazine, The Restorer (available for download here via the "Publications" link).

Dr. Keith Ray - Lincoln Christian University - Illinois commercial photographer Michael Gowin

Bethany, 2010 Logan County Fair Queen - Illinois Portrait Photographer

September 16, 2010

Congratulations to Bethany Rea, 2010 Logan County Fair Queen. Bethany, a resident of Lincoln, participated in this year's pageant with seven other lovely and talented young ladies, making the judges' decision very difficult. In January, Bethany will take her place among the other county fair winners at the state pageant. We wish her the best and hope that she enjoys her year of service in Logan County and beyond.

Shannon, Lifestyle 2010 - Illinois Lifestyle Photographer

September 14, 2010

My friend Shannon recently came into the studio to help me with some lighting tests. Shannon is a natural in front of the camera and we had a lot of fun making these pictures. As we got started, she mentioned that she'd never had senior portraits done so we joked that this was like her senior session. But that set me to thinking: even if you had senior portraits done in the 80's (like I did) or 90's, they're probably looking pretty dated by now--especially if you had your picture made with the "big numbers" that showed the year of your graduation (you know what I'm talking about). Why not treat yourself to some new photographs? We'll do them in the studio and/or location and have a great time while we're at it. Think of it as senior portraits for grownups. Get some new prints to display around your home and a new profile photo for facebook. If you're interested, contact me and we'll get your session scheduled.

Four Seasons Health Club - Illinois Commercial Photographer

July 22, 2010

A few months ago, the Four Seasons Association, a private health club in Bloomington, Illinois, contacted me about providing photography for an updated website that they were developing. I spent a couple days in June on-site to showcase their facilities and amenities for their growing membership. The new site just went live this week, and you can see it at http://www.4seasons-club.com/. Many of the images displayed on the site were made during those two days in June; a few are stock photographs and images from the previous site. The new site also contains "virtual tours" of the facilities which feature the photographs made on the June dates. Below are a few of my favorite images. If you need photographs to help promote your organization or business, whether head shots or images of your facilities, please contact me--I'd be happy to discuss ways that I can help meet your needs.