Kimberly Hauer, Chief Human Resources Officer, Caterpillar Inc., Peoria, Illinois :: Michael Gowin Photography

Talent Management Magazine - Kimberly Hauer, Caterpillar VP :: Peoria, Illinois, Editorial Photographer

November 01, 2013

This summer I was hired by Talent Management magazine to photograph Kimberly Hauer, the chief human resources officer for Caterpillar Inc. in Peoria, Illinois. Here's an inside look at the project.

Travis Rothe, the art director for Talent Management, which is published in Chicago, contacted me in mid-June. He'd found me by searching the Professional Photographers of America website for photographers near Peoria, Illinois. After reviewing my portfolio, he emailed me with details for the project and I agreed to shoot it. He then put me in touch with the PR people at Caterpillar. We made plans to do the shoot at Caterpillar's new Visitors Center in Peoria at the end of July. The story would run in the October issue of Talent Management.

On the day of the shoot, I'd have an hour to work with Ms. Hauer. I arrived about two hours before our appointment to ensure I'd have time to unload gear and scout for good locations. The goal was to photograph Ms. Hauer in scenes that would feature Caterpillar's equipment and distinctive yellow and black branding.

Lindsey Shubert, one of Caterpillar's public relations representatives, met me and led me through the Visitors Center. She was wonderfully helpful at identifying good locations (I'd guessed she'd done this before) and patient as a stand-in to let me test the look and lighting in the possible scenes. This ensured that we'd use our time well and give the magazine lots of choices once Ms. Hauer joined us.

Ms. Hauer arrived with Heidi Epley, who'd been my main Caterpillar contact before the shoot, and we began the session. Here are a few of the images we made.

Kimberly Hauer, VP of Human Resources, Caterpillar Inc., Peoria, IL :: Michael Gowin Photography

Ms. Hauer was very pleasant, friendly, and easy to work with on the shoot. I'd researched a bit about her and the work she was developing at Cat. It's no small thing to be responsible for the human resource efforts at an organization that employs 132,000 people around the world. In addition to work, we also talked a little about our families and the books we were reading.

The Visitors Center features large expanses of glass walls, and some areas have great natural light. I lit many of the scenes, though, with a Nikon SB-26 hotshoe flash in a 60" umbrella. I'd also brought a more powerful Alien Bee studio strobe but, after doing the scouting with Lindsey, decided the SB-26 would get the job done. Most of the images were photographed with my Panasonic GH3 and the Lumix 35-100 f/2.8 lens. I had the Lumix 12-25 f/2.8 lens on my Olympus OM-D E-M5 body but only shot a few frames with it. We had plenty of space to use the longer lens and it performed admirably.

After the shoot, I quickly processed the proofs for Travis at Talent Management. He selected three images for the story; here's how they appeared in print (the story is also available in the online edition of the magazine here).

Kimberly Hauer, VP of Human Resources, Caterpillar Inc., Peoria, IL, in Talent Management Magazine, October 2013 :: Michael Gowin Photography

In the end, this was a fun assignment with great people to work with all around. Ms. Hauer and the Caterpillar staff I met were a delight, and Travis at Talent Management was a professional at every step of the process--before, during, and after the shoot.

Chris Graue, Graue Chevrolet, Lincoln, Illinois has been nominated as the Illinois delegate for the TIME Dealer of the Year :: Michael Gowin Photography

Chris Graue, TIME Dealer of the Year Nominee :: Illinois Headshot Photographer

October 29, 2013

Lincoln, Illinois, is a small town (population 14,504 according to the 2010 census) in central Illinois. But some good things happen here.

Chris Graue, general manager of Graue Chevrolet Buick Cadillac in Lincoln, was recently selected from a field of 17,000 auto dealers nationwide as one of 57 nominees for the prestigious TIME Dealer of the Year award. Lincoln Daily News tells the story:

The Time Dealer of the Year award is one of the automobile industry's most prestigious and highly coveted honors. Recipients are among the nation's most successful auto dealers who also demonstrate a long-standing commitment to community service.

The application process requires nominees to submit a headshot, and Chris contacted me to make his picture. Chris came by the studio one morning a few weeks ago and we took an hour or so to get some different looks. During the session we talked about the nomination, his work at the dealership, family, and his enthusiasm for BBQ competitions.

Congratulations to Chris Graue and his team at the dealership for the nomination. The winner will be announced at the NADA annual convention in January 2014. I wish Chris the best as the date nears.

Katie Young, Springfield, Illinois, State Farm Insurance Agent :: Michael Gowin Photography, Lincoln, IL

Katie Young, State Farm Agent :: Springfield, Illinois, Business Headshot Photographer

September 25, 2013

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.

And make sure you're on the studio email list to get content updates and access to exclusive promotions.

Hannah, Springfield, Illinois, fashion and hair model :: Michael Gowin Photography, Lincoln, IL

Hannah, model shoot :: Bloomington/Normal, IL, Fashion Headshot Photographer

September 24, 2013

Since opening the studio this summer, I've had the good fortune to cross paths with some creative and interesting people. One of those folks is Diana Pickett.

Diana owns Hair Plus salon here in Lincoln, and she's been cutting, styling, and coloring hair for decades. She's a pro who knows her stuff and she's continually learning and growing.

Diana and I have a couple of projects in the works; here are a couple images from one of them. We had Hannah in the studio recently to make some photographs showcasing Diana's coloring work.

Two different approaches were used to light these images. In the photo above, I used a three-light Alzo Digital Pan-L-Lite setup. These are continuous fluorescent lights (AKA "flos") and the key advantage is that you can see the light. It's very easy, then, to make adjustments to get exactly what you want. One downside of the flos, however, is that they don't have the same "oomph" as strobes, so there's less depth of field. Sometimes this works OK but, in the future, I think I'll want deeper focus for the fashion images.

The second photograph (below) was lit with my typical portrait setup: a single Paul Buff Einstein in a 60" Photek Softlighter II umbrella positioned directly above the subject. This large light source provides a lovely, flattering light on Hannah.

Diana and I were very pleased with the images we made from this session, the result of real collaboration between the model, stylist, and photographer. More to come...

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.

30 Minutes to Better Photos -- a presentation by Michael Gowin, Lincoln, IL

Speaking of Photos... :: Central Illinois Portrait Photographer

September 19, 2013

In our home, we have portraits of the children on the walls and collections of prints in little books. My kids love looking through the photo books, seeing how they looked as babies and how they've changed through the years. I love looking at those, too, because the images bring back memories that I know I wouldn't recall without having the photos to prompt me.

Yesterday I had the chance to speak about photography with a group of moms at Atlanta Christian Church in Atlanta, IL. We talked about some photography basics including composition, how to find and photograph good light, and how to photograph holidays and special family events like birthday parties. It was a real treat talking with and learning from these parents, most with young children.

If you're interested in having me speak to your group about how to better photograph your family, just drop me a note.

Joel, Business Headshot :: Peoria, Illinois, Headshot Portrait Photographer

September 09, 2013

Last week I received an email inquiry from Joel, who works for a software company in Peoria, IL. He needed a headshot for an upcoming speaking assignment at a conference and wanted to know if I could accommodate him for a session with a fast turnaround. I assured him we could get it done so he came to Lincoln last Thursday.

We spent an hour or so chatting and making pictures with a few different background and lighting set ups. After we finished shooting, we took a quick look at the images on the computer and he was pleased. I posted the proofs for Joel (and his wife) to review online. Two days later, he had his “select” chosen from the session—he liked the image at the top of the post. I sent it off to my retoucher and had it back in about 12 hours.

I prepared the final images in both rectangular and square crops (since many online sites use square crops for their profile photos) as well as in both color and black & white versions. The images were then posted to a private online gallery where Joel could download them and send his photo to the conference organizer.

Deadline met with days to spare.

When I emailed Joel with the link to his gallery, he responded:

Thanks Michael! That’s a pretty quick turnaround.

The pictures look great. I really appreciate it.

You’ll definitely get my recommendation!

-Joel

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

Crystal Quint, 2013 Miss Logan County Fair Queen :: Michael Gowin Photography, Lincoln, Illinois

Crystal Quint, 2013 Miss Logan County Fair Queen, Portrait Session :: Springfield, Illinois, Pageant Photographer

September 03, 2013

A couple weeks ago Crystal Quint, Logan County's new fair queen, came by the studio for her competition portraits. We made a behind-the-scenes video of the session. As you'll hear in the video, Crystal had this to say about her time at the studio:

“I had a great time today—it was a lot of fun... I love how my pictures turned out. It was one of the first times that I’ve been 100% happy with the photos that I’ve taken.”

It was my pleasure, Crystal. And you did a terrific job.

Here are a few of Crystal's images from the session.