May 1, 2017

Meet Michelle Kaffko of Organic Headshots in West Bucktown

Local Stories

Today we’d like to introduce you to Michelle Kaffko.

Michelle, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I’ve always been into photography, and built a darkroom in the basement of my apartment building when I first moved to Chicago in 2003. I spent my 9-to-5 hours at a 9-to-5 job in marketing and then nights and weekends developing and printing photos in my darkroom. One day in 2003, a friend of mine asked me to take her headshot to audition for “Tony ‘n Tina’s Wedding,” so I took a roll of film, loaded my camera, printed a photo, wrote her name in marker at the bottom of the photo, and she ended up with the part of Tina in the show. I started to learn more about what makes a good headshot, built a website, and spent my free time taking headshots for actors and entertainers. As LinkedIn rose in popularity, the actors started to be replaced by lawyers, CPAs, consultants, and entrepreneurs. After my nights and weekends filled up (and I of course switched from film to digital), I quit my 9-to-5 job and used my marketing skills to market my own business. Organic Headshots officially turns 12 this Spring and we’ve grown so much since those early days in the darkroom: our photo studio has 2 photographers who take studio headshots for individuals needing an updated LinkedIn profile photo, bio pictures for their website, etc., and then we also take the studio on the road and set up lights and backgrounds in offices downtown and around the city and suburbs, taking matching photos of staff members for law offices, dental offices, financial firms, and more.

Has it been a smooth road?
It’s been a remarkably smooth road to get Organic Headshots to where it is today; and I think I can credit that to my gut instinct… and some good ‘ol healthy frugality. For example, I never buy a lens until there’s something I want to do but can’t with my current lenses; then I rent it a few times first to make sure I use it enough to justify buying it. And since most of our clients are off site, I ran my photo studio out of a live/work loft to avoid paying rent for a separate location. I waited until just the right moment of growth for each big step and didn’t make any moves until it felt right. As a result, I added a part time studio manager for booking, then a freelance photographer to pick up slack when I was double-booked, then a new studio space for both of us to work out of so we’re both full time at one location.

So, as you know, we’re impressed with Organic Headshots – tell our readers more, for example what you’re most proud of as a company and what sets you apart from others.
Organic Headshots is a photography studio specializing in corporate portraits, staff headshots, and corporate events. Half of our clients are individuals who need a new profile photo for LinkedIn or photos for their website for their own business, and the other half are larger companies needing matching photos of their staff. We’ll take lights and backgrounds to their office, set up, and take each person’s photo. Then new people they add or anyone who misses picture day can swing by the studio for their matching photo. What I’m most proud of is how happy our clients are with their photos after they see them. Nearly all of us have had a bad experience with having our photo taken in the past, so every session we start we’re up against that previous nightmare of a bad photo or a photographer who didn’t care to take the time to make it right. We’ve developed ways to get our clients comfortable in front of the camera and to pose them into several different angles and smiles, so we’re the ones doing the work, not them. Especially in a situation where we’re taking headshots for 50+ people in a day and only have 2 minutes with each person, a lot of photographers can phone it in and not help people pose. But we work hard to take the absolute best photo of each person that they can have for themselves: making sure ties are straight, hair is in place, shoulders look relaxed, and that their smile is natural and confident and they’re not just saying “cheese.”

Let’s touch on your thoughts about our city – what do you like the most and least?
What I like best about Chicago is its people. I meet so many people in my profession and love hearing about what they do for a living, how they spend their free time, what kind of life change they’re going through that makes them need a new headshot… Sometimes an hour long session can turn into a 2 hour session because we’re just talking and talking. I’ve met so many interesting people while taking headshots and can’t get enough of the stories we all have to tell each other! I guess my biggest dislike about Chicago is completely unrelated… I think our recycling program could be more robust. We’re the third largest city in the country and rank much lower on the “green” spectrum. I would love to see a new recycling program that better informs residents what and how to recycle, composting programs, and better renewable energy resources.

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