Artist of the Month - Kevin Lowery

ARTIST OF THE MONTH - KEVIN LOWERY

Have you ever thought back how your photography career begun? I guess, everyone of you has his own unique story how all of this started. Kevin Lowery - our Artist of the Month in October - is a pianist and musician, who turned into a photographer. Read about his journey into the world of photography and enjoy his beautiful work.

How old are you and where are you from?

I am 28 years old, and I live in Atlanta, GA (USA). I grew up in a small, rural town in south Georgia.

Tell us a little bit about your life in the moment?

Right this moment, I’m DROWNING in wedding season. Anyone else feel the same way? Haha. My life is crazy chaotic right now, but I wouldn’t have it another way. I’m a father to an incredible curious and expressive toddler boy. He’s 22 months now. I’m a husband to middle school band teacher. He likes to give the impression of being the strong, silent type but he’s really just a big teddy bear.

We live in the suburbs of Atlanta where we’re really active with friends and family. My biggest daily struggle is always finding a good work/home balance, but things are going well. :) 

How did you end up being a photographer?

I bought my first “real” camera - a Nikon D610 with the kit lens - because I wanted to take better pictures of my dogs, haha. This was back in 2013. That turned into a small pet photography business, but I got burned out shooting pets. It’s hard to keep making new, artistic images because mostly people who hire pet photographers aren’t looking for artistic portraits; they just want a beautiful image or two of their pet they can frame and put on the shelf. So, I started shooting people.

As I geared myself toward shooting weddings, I knew I would need a personal project to keep me from burning out. That’s when my Skin Like Dawn project was born. Skin Like Dawn is really what propelled my career in photography forward quite a bit quickly. Not many people shoot intimate male portraits like I do, so it was a quick way to get a lot of attention. 

It’s really benefited my wedding and couples shooting too because it’s given me so many opportunities to find myself around other amazing photographers, like Lukas Piatek for instance. 

Where do you see yourself in 20 years?

I have no idea where I see myself in 20 years, professionally at least. At that time, my husband and I will most likely be empty nesters and living somewhere amazing. I’m not sure what that will mean for my professional shooting career, but I do hope that it’ll still be going. 

What gear are you currently using?

I now shoot primarily with a Nikon D750 and 35mm 1.4 and 85mm 1.4 primes. I also shoot with a 50mm Lensbaby that I LOVE. 

What advice could you give out to a new starting photographer?

Shoot everything. Make whatever art you want to make. Don’t be bound by the box that the photography community as a whole will try to make you fit into. Be yourself, and never apologize for that.

Did the LLF community changed the way you see or shoot families/couples/weddings etc.?

Definitely. LOOKSLIKEFILM really changed everything for me when I went to the first Choo Choo Camp. That’s the first place I ever showed anyone my Skin Like Dawn Project, and it was the first time that anyone really gave me permission to make whatever I want to make. I think I found my voice as a photographer because of LLF.

What plans do you have for this year?

I have about a month left in crazy busy wedding season, but I have big plans for my Skin Like Dawn Project in the new year. I’m not going to reveal anything yet, but I think it’s going to break the mold for intimate portraits.

In 2018, I’m teaching at several workshops - Fight Together, UnRaveled, both Babetown (IDAHO and MAINE) Workshops, and hopefully a few more in the fall. I’m also going to be joining any buddy Anthony Thurston again to teach another UnCovered Boudoir Workshop. For 2018, we’re going to be bringing in several more teachers to include more topics and make it a full weekend gig. I’m really excited about it. :) 

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SEE MORE OF HIS WORK

Before & After with Matteo Lomonte

As we all know, often photography is more about problem-solving than anything else - transforming difficult, challenging circumstances and conditions into something compelling or beautiful or true. And this image is a perfect example of this process. Matteo took those proverbial lemons and made some delicious lemonade.

No doubt.

Matteo. You. Go!

I was born in 1983 in a wonderful town in South East Italy. Puglia. I took my first picture in 2011, at the beginning to escape from reality. Later, when I turned my camera to people, I've felt the necessity because it was like talk about me, through their emotions. Straightaway I decided to tell and talk about people on their most important day, and so I moved myself to the Wedding Photography. 

I love to travel, to discover, and say something new in every occasion, that's why I do weddings, not only in my region, but also in Italy and Europe, and soon in other continents, I hope.

By what artists/creatives are you influenced? What inspires you?

I don't know if  "inspire" is the right verb, I like a lots of photographer, but I think that taken a bit from everyone is my way to learn, even those who have a totally different way of working compared with me.

Do you have a vision in mind before going out and shooting? Tell us about about what gear you uses and your workflow, how you crafted the image, both on set and in post.

Almost never do I have an image before working. I like to feel energies and emotions and myself fully inhabit the place where I'm going to take pictures. But, if I already know some details, I start to visualize images in my mind.

My workflow has nothing special. I realize the pictures while I'm shooting, knowing what I want for later. I use lightroom for a post production - very simple and I use personalized preset films.

Now tell us how this amazing image came together, from conception to completion.

This image has shown up for necessity. We were in front of the Colosseum at 5 o'clock pm, full of tourists, full of advertising stands and other disturbing objects. I only wanted a photo with the couple and the Colosseum. Soon I  thought of a kind of reflection to eliminate the part below and to be honest I did a great job, but it wasn't enough. I was looking for more, and after that the photo popped up in my mind. As you can see from the RAW files that I've sent, at the end I only did a colour correction, contrast, and a light crop.

The final picture was what I wanted, without knowing it.

Mouse over the image for that sweet B&A magic!

Follow Matteo!

Blogged by Seth Langner, Jacksonville, FL wedding and portrait photographer. http://www.karmathartic.com/

Before & After with Mircea Brânda

Several weeks back, our friend and colleague Mircea Branda had us scraping our collective jaws off the pavement with these gorgeous images. So, yeah, we had to learn more about how he crafts these rich and intimate wedding portraits. Check ‘em out, guys!

Mircea. You. GO!

Hi there. I am a photographer from Romania. More recently I've been shooting weddings, but it all started as a hobby seven years ago when I bought my first camera. For a long time my artistic focus was macro and street photography. Then, a good friend of mine and a great photographer as well, Lucian Borza, asked me to join him and shoot a wedding together. That is how it all started.

By what artists/creatives are you influenced? What inspires you?

I'm inspired by the work of some great wedding photographers such as: Ed Peers, Jonas Peterson, Dylan Howell & Sarah Byrne, Gabe Mcclintock, Gianluca Adovasio and many others. Also, the fact that I did macro and street photography for many years has trained my eye to focus on the little details that matter.

Do you have a vision in mind before going out and shooting? Tell us about about your workflow and how the vision comes to life before shooting and in post.

Before a photo session, I like to meet with my clients first and find out a little bit about them. What are their interests or passions?  I also observe them as a couple. Are they adventurous or reserved? These bits of information can really set the mood to a session and even inspire a location. Then during the session my main concern is to keep it all natural. The first thing I tell my clients before a wedding is to try to forget that I am even there.

I like to keep my workflow as simple as I can. At a wedding I shoot somewhere around 3,000 photos. The first step, which I consider most difficult, is selecting the photos that I give to my clients. Then I import all my photos to Lightroom, choose an action and start working.

Now tell us how this amazing image came together, from conception to completion.

I had this location in mind after finding out that the groom is an architect and that the couple also loves nature, just like me. The place itself is a complex of traditional houses in a village near my hometown. We woke up very early in the morning and started shooting. Long after the sun rose, as we were heading back, I accidentally saw this wonderful place behind a hill where the sun hadn’t shown up yet. That is where I took this photo. Back home, I selected Kodak Gold 200 and started to get to work.

SOOC

Final Edit

Bonus Eye Candy!

Follow Mircea 

Post by LOOKSLIKEFILM contributing editor, Seth Langner | www.karmarthartic.com Jacksonville, Seattle wedding photographer