Photographing Business Portrait Of Police Chief Mike Koval
I’m sitting in a small room with two doors. I entered the room via the one on the right. The one on the left one has sign. Sign says had “Restricted access”.
I’ve been staring at the “Restricted access” sign latter for about 10-15 minutes now. Suddenly, the door opens and a woman in police officer’s uniform invites me inside. “Come on in” she says. “He’s is ready for you”. I stand up up, picked up my lighting equipment, and walk through the door.
As soon I open email about the business portrait photography assignment for Madison police chief Mike Koval for Madison Magazine I get mixed feelings. First, I’m excited. Excited, because it would be first police officer I would photograph.
On the other hand, I’m nervous. After all, law enforcement people were never my favorite.
On the other hand, meeting Madison police chief Mike Koval turns out to be quite an interesting event. After 40 minute conversation while working on his business portrait , I’m get to know him better.
He’s polite an calm. Yet I could clearly see pretty straightforward, tough and no BS kind-of-guy. His voice is calm. And he has this sad smile. Usually, when photographing a business headshot, smile like that would need some work. But it’s business portrait for magazine.
I like that smile.
I think the guy is OK too.
At one point chief’s assistant walks in holding an envelope in her hand. ”Chief, you have you have this letter from <…> asking for <…>.” “Ahhh, that idiot again!” sad smile returs to Mike’s face. “Put it in the bullcrap folder. I’ll deal with that nonsense later” he laughs.
I smile.
Chief has this realness and honesty that I normally don’t see in someone I just met.
Before my departure, I see the sign on his desk. “Be who you are and say what you feel. Because those who mind don’t matter and those who matter don’t mind”. The quote seems to explain chief’s life view perfectly.
Moreover, the quote gets stuck in my head for the rest of the day. And week.
Right around the time I photograph Mike Koval’s business portrait, I am also working on my wedding photography business re-branding.
I am putting a new website together, doing lots of research, sending questionnaires to my past client’s, etc. And it happens that chief’s quote becomes this key point to how I approached whole re-branding process.
And as a result, I feel my wedding photography website is very different from what you’d expect from wedding industry professional.
I feel like I partially owe it to police chief.
Read the article “The real Mike Koval” on Madison Magazine website.
Tar sheets of business portraits from the shoot for Madison Magazine’s print issue below.
Below are few additional business portrait photography examples that didn’t make it to the magazine publication.
