Photographer, Kenneth Chen
The summer before my freshman year of college I had an opportunity to be a photographer’s assistant to Kenneth Chen a young, up and coming portrait photographer.
Back in the day (no, we’re not that old but 10 years in the world of media might as well be 100) being an assistant still involved actual labor i.e. schlepping.
I was the official schlepper of lights and tripods and multiple cameras and lots of film for Kenneth, as he zig zagged across the city, booking gigs out of his Hotel Chelsea office (which also housed allergy-friendly snacks for me).
At his feet, I learned more than just photography but how to make one's subject feel comfortable. Ken is so easy and light to be around and his shot-promptings included: “Great! Keep going! You’re lovely, gorgeous, beautiful”. Who doesn't love that? (He also used these pink-orange gels on his lights that made his subjects, whether doctors or golfers, look young, smooth, warm, content.)
Flash forward a few years and I needed a nice picture for my blog. Something better than the shots friend X took in the park outside of work. I turned to my old friend Kenneth Chen for help.
A lot of you have asked me who took that picture of me with the bowl of pistachios. It was Kenneth. And when he came to take that picture of me there was no light box, no gels, no extra rolls of film. Just a tripod and a digi cam and natural light. And me. And Ken.
His work is my bio pic.
And here: Delicious portraits of babies and children and adults.
Here's one of Pearl.
And he teaches groups. And he has private workshops in NJ and NYC. And he’s gone digital. And he teaches how you can too. (I really need that class Ken, my digi pix are all wrong; there's no F-stop so I'm lost!)
So here’s a rather shameless plug for an old friend, colleague, wonderful photographer and all around nice guy for all of you who have written in and asked who took that bio pic:
Kenneth Chen, photographer.
tel: 646.734.6552
http://kennethchenportraits.com
Back in the day (no, we’re not that old but 10 years in the world of media might as well be 100) being an assistant still involved actual labor i.e. schlepping.
I was the official schlepper of lights and tripods and multiple cameras and lots of film for Kenneth, as he zig zagged across the city, booking gigs out of his Hotel Chelsea office (which also housed allergy-friendly snacks for me).
At his feet, I learned more than just photography but how to make one's subject feel comfortable. Ken is so easy and light to be around and his shot-promptings included: “Great! Keep going! You’re lovely, gorgeous, beautiful”. Who doesn't love that? (He also used these pink-orange gels on his lights that made his subjects, whether doctors or golfers, look young, smooth, warm, content.)
Flash forward a few years and I needed a nice picture for my blog. Something better than the shots friend X took in the park outside of work. I turned to my old friend Kenneth Chen for help.
A lot of you have asked me who took that picture of me with the bowl of pistachios. It was Kenneth. And when he came to take that picture of me there was no light box, no gels, no extra rolls of film. Just a tripod and a digi cam and natural light. And me. And Ken.
His work is my bio pic.
And here: Delicious portraits of babies and children and adults.
Here's one of Pearl.
And he teaches groups. And he has private workshops in NJ and NYC. And he’s gone digital. And he teaches how you can too. (I really need that class Ken, my digi pix are all wrong; there's no F-stop so I'm lost!)
So here’s a rather shameless plug for an old friend, colleague, wonderful photographer and all around nice guy for all of you who have written in and asked who took that bio pic:
Kenneth Chen, photographer.
tel: 646.734.6552
http://kennethchenportraits.com
Comments
I like your blog
simple and cool
and I like painting
Cheers - Leet
loves
elisa
Cheers
Photography is a skill (and art) that I've always wanted to learn, but not sure I have the natural eye.
PS - was in New York on the Georgia Washington for the first time last week passing on the way to Mass.
I am hoping that somebody will one day find the root cause of food and other allergies. The more I read about genetically modified seeds and hormones being injected into our food, the more I want to just stop eating. I wonder what is good for us and what isn't. I have been reading for a few months now and I cringe each time my child asks for milk. I will be growing more and more of our foods, but will I find seeds to plant that are not genetically modified? I worry about the future of our food!