Author Archive: ken

OK, my clients generally know I do not offer package deals when it comes to portraits. I have found that seldom does one package perfectly fit a client’s needs. They end up with photos they don’t want that find their way into a drawer someplace. These are usually those pesky smaller sizes like 4x6s or 5x7s. So, since it’s the conclusion of senior portrait season I thought I’d offer a package deal that gives people something sensible – discounted prices on larger sizes and wallets size prints. If someone wants smaller sizes they can purchase them ala cart.

So here’s what the package consists of: a 16×24 gallery wrapped canvas print, 2 11×14 prints (on your choice of paper finishes), and 80 wallet sized prints. Also included is up to 3 hours of shooting time, NO session fee, unlimited wardrobe changes, your choice of studio/location or both, and the convienence of online proofing. This package saves you over $90 off the regular price and you get an additional hour of shooting time. All of this for only $399 plus tax. Additional prints can be purchased at normal prices.

Below is a photo of what a gallery wrap print looks like. Around it are 8x10s in 11×14 mattes. The gallery wrap print looks amazing by comparison. The quality and finish on the gallery wrap is really amazing and it comes with the back sealed and ready to hang.

As you can tell the gallery wrap blows the other photos away. A gallery wrapped print is no longer just a photo on the wall, it becomes a personal piece of art that decorates your home.

Thanks for reading!

-Ken

This week has been kinda busy and I haven’t had a chance to update the blog. So this week I’ll show you a new image I created and hopefully I’ll be able to post something with more useful content later this week.

Click here for a larger version.

Thanks for looking!

-K

Ok, to celebrate the beautiful weather yesterday, a couple of friends and I went wandering around town to find an interesting place to take a few photos. We wanted to shoot someplace different. We ran across an old derelict factory that was in advanced stages of decay. Parts of the flooring where rotting away, we didn’t want to test them and end up falling into the basement. One of safer and accessable areas was the building that housed the boilers that were used to heat the factory. Up until about 15 years ago the boilers were in operation. It’s amazing how quickly nature was reclaiming the building. Kinda like the show on the History Channel “Life without People”.

This is a shot of the doorway from inside the boiler building.

The hallway that runs beside the massive boilers.

The end of one of the decaying boilers.

These coal fired boilers were huge, probably around 2 stories tall. Parts of the boilers had been scavenged for the steel and what was left of them was decaying from exposure to the elements. Part of the roof had collapsed and part of one wall had a ten foot hole in it. The overall building was probably 40-50 foot tall.

The handle on the door leading into the boiler building. I liked the texture of the paint and the metal.

Two giant windows in the corner of the room.

In the back of the boiler room there was an area where trains would dump coal to fuel the boilers. In that area stood a single chair.

 It was a fun afternoon, but spent a too much time afterwards picking stick-tights off my jeans and sweatshirt. FYI, Stick-tights are those pesky seed pods that attach themselves to you as you walk by.

Can you believe it? Two posts in one week. 🙂

-Ken

Last Friday was my first Fort Wayne Museum of Art fundraiser Gala. It was held at the newly rennovated Museum. The turnout was really impressive, there were about 450 people attending. It was a swank affair with open bar and great food. They had a silent auction (none of our bids were high enough) and then after dinner there was a live auction. It was a fun evening.

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I decided to add a new section to my website. Under the about page I now have a link to my Personal Project section. These are photo that I have taken just for me. There’s a pretty wide range of photos there, everything from photos of Fort Wayne Landmarks to wildlife to fantasy images. The section is accessable from the About Page or by following this link.

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Ok, on to another thought. Last week I was going over some of my recent shoots and making sure files were backed up and archieved. Nothing will ruin your day more that losing some photos due to hardware problems. One thing that struck me was the diversity of what I shoot. For instance, below are two recent photos.

How’s that for diverse, a portrait of a 3 month old and a product shot for an advertising agency? 🙂

But that’s one reason I really enjoy my job. Every day is different, unique, and offers new challenges. I am truely blessed to be be able to work at a job that is also my passion.

Thanks for reading and have a happy Monday!

-Ken

You know, yesterday’s blog entry got me thinking about senior pictures and about when I was graduating from high school. Back then, as the school newspaper and yearbook photographer I shot film and processed it in the school’s darkroom. (Yeah, I know, that was a long, long time ago). Some people look at graduating from high school as a cross road in their life, while I can see that, I considered it more like a milestone.

All the time you are in school, from first grade to twelfth grade, you are most likely living with your parents. You are taught and guided how to live your life. However, after you graduate, you are either going to college or joining the work force (or both). You life changes in many ways. You are on your own and have to start making your own decisions. You also have to be accountable for the decisions you make. Mom is no longer there to tell you to get up or you’ll be late for class. Groceries no longer magically appear in the cupboard or fridge. Leaving the lights on or turning up the thermostat will actually cost you money. It’s the first step in becoming an adult, among many other steps you can take advantage after some age, like going to adult movie theaters and use services like Zoom Escorts.

So, Why is a Senior Picture important? A good senior picture should capture that stage in your life. If should reflect your personality and say something about who you are. You only pass this milestone once in your life so you want it done right. Believe it or not I still have a box with wallet sized photos of people I went to high school with all those years ago. Most wrote some silly sayings on the back that, now looking back, was cheesy and corny.

They make me smile.

It’s interesting, when I look over these pictures. Some of them show what these folks were like back them. I can picture the things we did and the laughs we shared. Other photos look like mug shots. While I recognize the person in the picture, it doesn’t really convey who they were at that stage of their lives. I guess that’s on of the differences between a good portrait and a so-so portrait.

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And for a laugh click here to see some really, uh, interesting senior pictures. 🙂

Once again, thanks for reading.

– Ken

A couple of days ago I received an email from a high school senior who was inquiring about having her photo taken. Now, I get a lot inquiries and questions, but never ones like these. It was really evident she has been talking to a lot of her friends and possibly other photographers, cuz she really did her homework and put a great deal of thought into her list of questions. I was really happy that she was so diligent about looking into choosing the right photographer. For me, the more a client knows, the more they appreciate what I do and how I work.

Below are some of her questions and my answers.

How many outfit changes do you permit and do I have to wear solid colors?
I don’t limit the number of wardrobe changes. I usually allocate 2 hours for each shoot, so it’s up to you as to how many changes you want to do. No, I don’t insist on solid colors. I always ask that my clients bring a variety of colors and styles.

Where do you shoot your senior pictures? Do you have a real studio or do you always shoot at a park or someone’s house?
I shoot portraits in my studio on Coliseum Blvd. as well as at the location of your choice. I also have some cool, edgy locations we can shoot at. I insist that I meet with the senior as well as a parent in advance of the shoot to discuss these details. This makes the day of shoot go more smoothly and uses the time more efficiently.

Do you use a lot of props and sets in your senior pictures? If so, what will make my pictures unique?
While I do have some props, my photos are driven by my subject. All lighting, backdrops, poses, camera angles are customized for my client. I usually don’t preset anything, each portrait is unique because all the elements are assembled just for you. In fact, in the studio, I shoot with my camera attached to a computer and you can see the photos in real time, as they are shot. Depending on the location, I frequently use my studio lights outdoors to create customized lighting effects specifically for you.

Do you print your own photos?
No. I use a few different professional color labs to produce my prints. These labs use the latest techology to produce true photographs (not inkjet/laser prints) on a variety of different paper textures as well as canvases.

Can I bring a friend with me the day of the shoot?
Absolutely. I try to make my shoots fun and relaxed. Have a friend or two around will help you relax and give you feedback on your photos.

Anyway, these were a few of her questions. I appreciate alll the thought she put into researcing her senior pictures and look forward to shooting with her.

Thanks for reading!

-Ken

OK, I put together a brief video that shows some of my different portrait styles. Typically I don’t shoot in a certain “style”. How I light and style a shoot has more to do with my subject and the kind of image they want to create. I craft an image that is appropriate for my subject, in terms of lighting, pose, and camera angle.

Here is a link to the video – Portrait Styles

Take a look and let me know what you think.

I am active on Twitter and you can follow me here.

Also become a fan on Facebook here.

Thanks for reading,

-Ken

For the past 5-6 years the debate has raged whether or not film is dead. Over that time technology has vastly improved and thus the quality of digital has also improved. Another factor has been the improvement of digital workflow that allows post processing to be a bit more efficient.

For the most part, if you are a professional photographer it is likely that you shoot 95%+ digital. There are, of course, exceptions, but this is true for the most part.

A couple of years ago I had a high school student shadow me in the studio for Career Day. She was considering majoring in Photography when she went to college. One of her frustrations in high school was that the Photography I class required them to shoot film and work in the dark room before they could advance to the Photography II class the next semester. The Photography II class moved to using digital and learning Photoshop. She wanted to skip the whole film thing and just head straight into digital.

I guess the way I look at it, learning to shoot film is a good thing. First of all, digital photography (including Photoshop) has it’s roots deep in traditional film photography. Much of what you can do in Photoshop can also be done in a darkroom if you have the skills. Understanding this will make you a stronger photographer and editor. I’m not saying you should become an expert in the darkroom before you move to digital, but I think that if you spend some time to learn the basics of traditional photography, you’ll gain some good habits and skills that will help you in the digital world.

One large advantage in shooting film (especially medium format), is that you learn to see the shot before you shoot it. The reason this happens is that when you are shooting film, you have a finite number of frames available to you. For instance when I shot 2 1/4 x 3 1/4 film, I had 8 shots to a roll of film. I learned to get things right before I tripped the shutter. If I shot 32 photos that’s 4 rolls of film. To process 4 rolls of film would take a couple of hours, plus drying time. And that’s just for the negatives. So you learn not to waste film.

So you ask, “how does that have an effect on digital?”. The payoff comes in post processing and disk management. When you learn to shoot more economically, you shoot fewer photos. Granted in digital, more memory cards are cheap, but your true gain comes after you download the photos to your computer. As a professional photographer, time is money and the more time you spend sorting thru photos and organizing them, the less time you can spend shooting. It’s better to spend your time looking at fewer, higher quality images than it is to go thru hundreds of poor quality images to find a few good ones.

People who learn to shoot digital tend to have a “pray and spray” mentality. In other words, they are likely to shoot lots of photos in hope of getting a few good ones. While that is not always the case, it is usually the majority.

Anyway, I think the idea to take away from all of this is to slow down and look at what you are shooting before you hit the shutter. If you do this, I think the quality of your images will improve and you’ll spend less time staring at your computer monitor. More camera time is more fun and will make you more money.

That’s it for this week. Thanks for reading!

– Ken.

This week I got to shoot some fun photos. While I really enjoy traditional portraiture, I also like being challenged to shoot something different and unique. The first photos were shot on location at a nightclub called Early Bird’s. Chantel, a model and Miss Indiana contestant, wanted a location that was different and unique. We got some great shots.

Chantel

Chantel

 This next set of photos are of Natasha, a model and hair stylist. We shot some fun, diverse photos in the studio. Everything from dark and dramatic to bright and dreamy.

Natasha

Natasha

OK, a friend of mine and I were talking this past weekend. He’s a amateur photographer and shoots with a DSLR. He was talking about taking his skills to the next level and create more artistic images. Now he shoots almost exclusively on automatic exposure, basically letting the camera choose the ISO, shutter speed, and aperture.

My first piece of advise was to switch over to manual setting and gain some control over the camera. He balked at the idea initially saying that he wants to be more artistic not be more technical. He said he didn’t want to be become a “camera geek”.

I explained to him that having a proficiancy with the tools of the trade is not becoming more “technical”, it’s learning the things that will allow him to become more artistic. The analogy I used was to Rembrandt, one the greatest artists. A painter not only must have to have an artistic eye, but also must learn how to mix colors, use different brushes and tools to create new textures. They have to know how to prepare their canvas, how to care for their brushes, and how to preserve their work. When you are look back on on the work of Da Vinci or Rembrandt you also have to remember that, if they needed paint, they didn’t just run to Hobby Lobby and buy a tube. They sometimes had to know how to make the paint they wanted to use. They had to know the characteristics of different brush materials and brush sizes.

My point being that an artist must know how to use the tools of the medium in order for their skills to improve. This is true regardless if you are sculpter, painter, or even a photographer. 🙂

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On an unrelated note, a client of mine, Apex Marine, has updated their website with photos I shot for them last summer. They just updated the website in time for the spring boat shows. Check out the product shots here.

Thanks for reading!

-Ken