Lincoln realtor Seth Goodman, whose headshots I made last fall, entered REALTOR Magazine's "30 Under 30" contest at that same time. This contest identifies the top realtors under 30 years old across the country and Seth has made the finals--a remarkable feat given that Lincoln is town of only 15,000. He'd appreciate your vote--it'll just take a minute.
Last week I photographed the Hearts at Home National Conference in Normal, IL, a premier conference for moms. Today Jill Savage featured a couple of those images in her blog post.
This semester I'm working with a student on a photography independent study course at Lincoln Christian University. He's been working on headshot technique and we took time this week to make some photographs for Sopha, also a student at LCU. She was terrific to work with--patient, accommodating, and made our work easy. Here are a few of the images I made of Sopha.
Incidentally, for the curious, I approached this assignment differently than I normally would. All of these were made with the Olympus PEN E-P3 with the Olympus 45mm f/1.8 lens, which turned out to be a great little combination for portrait work. And while I almost always bring studio lighting, even when shooting outdoors, we used only available light. The results were quite lovely.
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.
How important is your online profile headshot on for your image, branding, and business?
"It's a hugely powerful branding tool—and you have to be very strategic about building it," says Nicole Williams, connection director for LinkedIn, interviewed by Cheryl Lu-Lien Tan in The Wall Street Journal this weekend. The article continues:
A key component is the profile picture. The New York City-based Ms. Williams, who primarily splits her time among three social-media sites—Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn—says it is crucial to strike the right tone.
First, you should have a profile picture. LinkedIn research shows that a page with a profile picture is seven times as likely to be viewed as a page without one, she says.
Think of these pictures as the modern-day version of the oil paintings that estate owners once commissioned. The smallest details in them will convey volumes. It's best, Ms. Williams says, to have your profile picture feature you alone, not your pet or significant other. "Being so strongly identified with your dog or your husband might not be appropriate unless you're a vet or a marriage counselor and that's part of your professional image."
Click through to see the rest of the article.
Need a professional business headshot for your social media profiles or marketing materials?
Contact me for a consultation today.
This past August, Kelsi Ubbenga was crowned Miss Logan County Fair Queen at the county fair. Kelsi is a warm, friendly young lady with an infectious smile. Within a few short months, she will be competing at the Illinois state fair queen pageant. We wish her the best as she represents the people of Logan County.
Linda Storm, an accomplished piano and organ performer and teacher, will be playing a "farewell concert" on the pipe organ at Lincoln Christian University on Sunday, May 29, at 2:00 PM in Lincoln, IL. During our session for her promotional photographs, she explained to me that the auditorium at LCU was built specifically for the pipe organ that was installed there. Anyone who's heard Linda perform on that organ will attest to its phenomenal sound--as well as Linda's outstanding playing.
Linda plans to play some "serious" pieces as well as some fun ones, including (at her husband's request) a song by The Beatles. If you're in the Lincoln area, make plans to attend this special event. You won't likely have the opportunity to share in this kind of experience for a long time.
2010 Logan County Fair Queen Bethany Rea and Little Miss Dani were recently in the studio for some promotional images for the upcoming Fair publicity materials. As always, they looked stately and regal--well-suited for their roles.
Both Queen Bethany and Little Miss Dani will be hosting a "Cookies at the Castle" event tomorrow (Saturday, May 21) for young girls in Logan County at the Lincoln Women's Club from 10-11 AM.
Thanks once again to Queen Bethany and Little Miss Dani for letting me make your photographs.
