A whole lot of us hate to get our photos taken, but sometimes you really need a professional shot, quick. Oh yea, and it helps if it doesn't require a second mortgage on the house, right?
The latest entrepreneur to hang her shingle downtown wants to help with that. Barb Schwartz of HeadshotsColumbus opened on Gay Street, and we sat down with her to learn more about this interesting service. While there, she offered to give one of our readers a complimentary photo session (and head shot).
Barb opened HeadshotsColumbus on June 1, and you can find her on the second floor of 35 E. Gay Street. Customers schedule appoints by phone email or from her website.
Tell us a little about yourself.
I am from New York, transferred to OSU, but left when my photography business started taking off. I started out shooting weddings and senior portraits, but I realized how much I enjoyed working with the business community when I was the staff photographer for Business First Newspaper. I've only done corporate work ever since.
Last year, I went back to OSU and completed a degree in Psychology and Art, because I wanted to study personalities. I think that being able to understand human emotion and what makes people react and behave the way they do is so important to the success of being able to capture their true personality with a camera.
How did you get interested in photography?
My father was a serious amateur, president of the camera club, etc. He bought my first Nikon, and I took it back to college. After a while I realized that I was falling in love with the ability to photograph people and depict their personalities in a documentary style, which carried me into professional photography.
Why did you want to be downtown?
Many of my clients are located downtown, and need professional photography services for their business and social media, so I wanted to make it more convenient (and affordable) for them. Also, it’s a time when Downtown Columbus is changing into a city with a lot of new urban energy that I find that very exciting, and I wanted to be part of it.
What were you doing before you opened your business?
I've been doing commercial photography for years, but have always worked on location, taking the show on the road, so to speak. I still have the same clients and will continue to work for them, but now it’s more convenient to expand my services to downtown clients.
What do you like to do in your spare time?
Ever since the business opened I haven’t had much spare time! But my two kids are top priority, and I love to get together with family and friends. When things slow down, I'm hoping to spend more time traveling to foreign lands.
Leave a comment about what you think is the most picturesque thing downtown, and you will be entered to win a photo session with Barb.