Michael Schacht

Photographer · Educator · Founder

I'm Michael Schacht — a headshot photographer in Chicago, and the founder of 312 Elements Headshot Photography. I run a studio in the West Loop where I photograph entrepreneurs, executives, actors, and people who take their personal branding seriously.

But that's only about 50% of what I actually do. The other 50% of my time is spent teaching, building, and figuring things out. I host portrait photography workshops around the country for photographers looking to expand into personal branding, run a marketing mastermind for headshot photographers called Headshot Hotsauce, and I'm a "Mentor" in Peter Hurley's Headshot Crew. When headshot photographers want to refine their skills, they tend to end up in my orbit.

I have a tendency to go down the rabbit hole on everything I touch — photography, web design, speaker building, you name it. That's how I ended up here. This site is where I think out loud about photography, business, and the craft of making people look like the best version of themselves in front of a camera.

Michael Schacht — Chicago headshot photographer

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Airbnb · Salesforce · Mastercard · Nvidia · LinkedIn · Uber · Morgan Stanley · United Airlines · Walgreens · Kellogg's · Kraft Heinz · Goodyear · Bosch · CDW · Zoom · Canva · DoorDash · Abbott · Asana · Cboe · Chime · Bain & Company

312 Elements

Founded and operates a headshot photography studio in Chicago's West Loop, specializing in headshots, portraits, and personal branding.

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Headshot Hotsauce

Runs a marketing mastermind for headshot photographers who are serious about growing their business.

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Photography Workshops

Hosts portrait photography workshops nationally, teaching photographers the craft of headshot and portrait work.

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Headshot Crew Mentor

Mentor in Peter Hurley's Headshot Crew — a global community of professional headshot photographers.

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312 AiSEO

Built an AI-powered SEO tool for photographers and small business owners.

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The Scoop

Editor in Chief at The Scoop — a photography industry publication.

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