Is Your Marketing Winning (Or Costing) You Business?

Think the photographs and headshots you put on your web site, LinkedIn profile, Facebook, twitter, newsletter, and other advertising/marketing materials don't make a difference to your prospects and clients?

Consider this:

Katie Young, a State Farm Insurance agent in Springfield, IL, and one of my recent headshot clients, sent me this email today:

I have had several calls and emails this month from people who told us that they picked us because they looked at all the pictures of agents online and thought I looked *fill in the blank*  (nicest, trustworthy, etc.). That is because YOU took a great picture! Most agents don’t get that kind of traction until they have been in the business for a few months and had other layers of marketing on top of it…THANK YOU!!!

Everything in your marketing should have the goal of getting people to know, like, and trust you. If prospects don't choose you, they'll choose someone else. And it might simply be that the photographs they use tell a story that they're more likable, nice, or trustworthy.

Interested in chatting about how you could improve your marketing and your business with better imagery? Send me a note and I'd be happy to help you.

Nolan, Model Shoot :: Springfield, Illinois, Headshot Photographer

Nolan is the last of the models who I photographed on our studio model shoot a few weeks ago (here are Hannah and Paris).

Nolan was photographed with the Olympus 45mm f/1.8 lens on the Olympus OM-D E-M5 camera body, and lit with an Alzo Digital Pan-L-Lite. While Hannah and Paris were also lit with this same light, I had a diffusion screen over the front of the light. This makes the source larger and softer. In Nolan's case, though, I removed the diffusion and closed down the barn doors on the light. This creates a harder light, and you can see the harder edges on the shadows. This light works really well on Nolan.

Many thanks to Hannah, Paris, and Nolan for being our willing subjects that day.

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

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

Katie Young, who opened her new State Farm Insurance agency on November 1 in Springfield and whose photographs I made, sent her team up to the studio in Lincoln for their headshots a few weeks ago. We were able to get everyone comfortably photographed in about an hour, which included a generous amount of time for chatting as well.

Springfield, Illinois, headshot photographer :: Michael Gowin Photography, Lincoln, Illinois 

Once again, I pressed the Olympus OM-D E-M5 with the Olympus 45mm f/1.8 lens into service for this job. Lighting was simple and straightforward: a Paul Buff Einstein strobe in a 60" Photek Softliter II and a large silver reflector for fill.

Springfield, Illinois, headshot photographer :: Michael Gowin Photography, Lincoln, Illinois 

After the session, the proofs were posted to a private online gallery where they could make their selections. The selects were turned over to my retoucher, who turned the images around in a day, and then made available in another gallery so Katie could put them to use in her marketing.

If you're in a small (or big) business, remember that all of your marketing tells a story. When it's done well, that story leads people into your business. The images you use are an essential part of your story--do they help people get to know, like, and trust you?

Hannah, Model Shoot :: Peoria, Illinois, Headshot Photographer

In my other gig at Lincoln Christian University, I'm working with three students who are doing a photography independent study this semester. They're learning some of the basics of camera handling and photography, including studio lighting. 

We recently had three models at the studio so the students could practice lighting and directing people. I set up three lighting stations--two with continuous lights (Alzo Digital Pan-L-Lites) gave the students a WYSIWIG (what you see is what you get) approach and one station with a small hotshoe flash with a 43" umbrella. We kept it simple: one light and one modifier so the students could learn how the light placement and changes in exposure affected their photos.

Of course, I made a few pictures too. Hannah, pictured above, was one of our models. She's a delight to work with, cooperative and very easy to direct. This image was lit with one of the Pan-L-Lites, and it offers a lovely quality of light for a headshot. I used the Olympus OM-D E-M5 camera body with the Olympus 45mm f/1.8 lens, still my current favorite setup for photographing people.

I'll have a couple more images from the session to share soon.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.

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

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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