Headshots

Professional Outdoor Headshots—Crystal Lake

I love professional headshots in natural light. While studio lighted portraits have their place, I definitely feel that natural light portraits are more welcoming and true to the subject. For the viewer, perhaps they feel more of a connection to the person because of that.

In this case Carolyn is a practicing mental health professional and this kind of portrait gives a more approachable feel. And, what about that light! Yet another reason I love shooting in natural light!

SYNC Magazine Editorial Photoshoot | Crystal Lake

Sync Magazine, portrait by Ryan Klos

I was recently asked to shoot editorial portraits of Al Butler, the chief information officer at McHenry County College, for SYNC Magazine. The portraits were for an article highlighting the CIO and his work on the college’s ERP system.

I envisioned portraits with an edgy look and a little drama instead of run-of-the-mill business portraits (not that there’s anything wrong with corporate or business headshots). Since Al is a tech guy, we shot in the college’s server room, a Mac classroom, and a few other locations to match the content of the article.

You can see which photo the photo editor at SYNC Magazine chose, and here are some of the other options I shot which he didn’t. We made some very cool portraits that Al and I were very happy with.

Interested in your own creative headshots for professional uses? Get in touch with me!

Business headshots for Sync magazine, by Ryan Klos

Pageant Headshots | Allison Royer

Pageant Headshots by Ryan Klos

I first met Allison in 2014 when her mom contacted me about doing headshots for a pageant Allison was entering. We got together and had a lot of fun shooting two hours worth of headshots in ideally warm summer light.

The photos turned out great, but what stuck with me was how much fun we had. Allison was up for trying anything, even if we weren’t sure the end result would be quite what we expected. It always makes a session more fun when my clients are willing to experiment a little.

But here’s the most important part: As a result of my headshots, Allison took third place in the Ms. Photogenic portion of the pageant! How awesome is that? I’m honored to have been a part of that.

Fast forward one year and we’re doing headshots for the pageant again. This time we shot on the Woodstock square for an urban look and feel vs. the farm as with her 2014 headshot portrait session. And agin, the results were stunning thanks to Allison’s radiant smile and confidence in front of the camera. Best of luck this year, Allison!

Pageant Headshots by Ryan Klos