Photography
From brand stories and engagements to weddings, newborns, animals, and the natural world. Beyond traditional photography, Keena has spent long nights painting with light.
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Brand
One thing that sets me apart from many photographers is the range of my work experience. For brand photography, I am not just looking at the best way to tell a business's story. I am intentionally calculating how each shot will work with the website.
What part of the business belongs above the fold, the first thing a potential client sees when the website loads?
What emotion should the photograph convey?
Where should the subject sit within the layout?
Do the colors strategically match the page?
I am creating photographs to communicate and work within the website, not merely fill empty space.
Engagement
Engagement photography is all about anticipation. Sometimes the future bride has no idea what is about to happen. There are only so many factors I can control, and I have to work with the location, available lighting, and circumstances I am given.
Just like with website design, I set up as many variables as I can beforehand, so I am prepared to capture the most authentic, perfectly timed moment when it unfolds.
Wedding & Event
Weddings and events are all about the experience. The environment may be dark, too bright, or constantly changing. I work with the lighting that exists and bring my own when I need to even out what is missing, without losing the atmosphere of the space.
I capture the smiles, the love, the community, and, most importantly, the story. In essence, that is brand photography too: showing someone what an experience feels like before they are part of it.
Maternity
An expecting mother may feel uncomfortable about her belly.
How do I make her feel like a goddess?
How do I make her laugh?
How do I pose her and her partner so the space between their stomachs does not make them appear disconnected?
That is where I shine in every area of photography.
Many people feel uncomfortable and awkward when their picture is taken, so I set up the session to feel fun and exciting. When I do that, the worry goes away, smiles look natural, and people can finally exhale.
Newborn & Baby
Newborn photography carries one especially important factor: safety. When photographing a newborn who cannot support their own head, I cannot place them in a setting where they may hurt themselves. I cannot pose them a certain way merely because it looks pretty. They must remain properly supported.
Photographing older babies is similar to photographing pets: there is less directing and more capturing the moment. A baby cannot understand posing instructions. They may be impatient, wiggle around, or give me only a small window to get the photograph. I work within the time they give me and use props, movement, or sound to draw their attention toward the camera.
Pet Portraits
Photographing pets was the starting point of my photography career. Like babies, animals can become impatient. I prepare my focus, anticipate their next movement, and sometimes put my stomach on the ground to photograph them eye to eye.
I get on their level and see the world through their eyes. Overall, pet photography is about preparation and perspective, and that approach has shaped how I photograph every subject that came after it.
Equine
The deep relationship people have with their horses is undeniable. This massive animal trusts a rider enough to carry them around a course and over imposing fences.
A rider may complete the best round they have ever had, but if I did not intentionally anticipate where to position myself before the round began, I may miss that special moment. Even from the correct position, failing to understand how a camera focuses on and tracks fast movement can still cost me the perfect shot.
There are no second chances. Preparation, positioning, anticipation, and technical skill all have to meet the moment.
Nature & Wildlife
Something can look beautiful to the human eye and still fail to translate through a camera. A flowing waterfall is one example. Understanding shutter speed allows me to decide whether I want to freeze the water's movement or show it flowing through the frame.
The opposite is true with hummingbirds. Their wings move too quickly for the human eye to see clearly, but a camera can freeze the movement. I cannot predict exactly where these tiny creatures will go next, so I anticipate their movement and prepare my focus to follow them.
A beautiful field cannot be authentically captured by simply pulling out a camera and snapping a picture. I have to stop and ask:
What natural story can I capture here?
It may be the story of a spring flower rooting up from the ground, the direction of the light, or one perspective that makes the entire landscape feel different.
It is emotion, lighting, color, perspective, and knowing how my camera operates like the back of my hand. I am not only looking at the world through my own eyes. I have learned to see it through my camera's eyes.
Long Exposure & Creative
I am also an artist. Long-exposure photography, or light painting, is an incredible photographic skill to understand. I play with light, manipulate it, and add color.
How long do I hold a light over one particular area to create the exposure I want?
How long should I leave the shutter open?
How do I keep my subject still enough that they remain sharp instead of becoming blurry?
That is craftsmanship. That is creativity.
Steel-wool photography is a different animal.
Am I using safe techniques so I do not start a fire?
Do I understand how my chosen light source interacts with the natural environment?
Am I leaving any harmful trace behind?
In my opinion, you have to understand all of these concepts at an expert level to create the work responsibly.
If you want photographs like these of your business
Brand photography here comes with a website, or on its own for the business you already have. Tell us what you need photographed and we'll give you a straight answer about fit.
Ask About Brand Photography