Rangefinder Magazine
April 2006

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Kenneth Morgan: Lynne Eodice
The Art of the Engagement Portrait

Kenneth Morgan—who lives on California’s beautiful central coast—is very much in demand for his wedding and engagement portraiture. So much so, in fact, that he’s even turning down some jobs these days.

His work is popular because he is clearly passionate about his craft. He also encourages his subjects to “play,” to express their natural affection, rather than posing for the camera. This results in unique captured moments that can’t be duplicated. Kenneth counts photographer Bambi Cantrell among his influences, as well as Yervant and Joe Buissink. He quips, “I think my mom had a lot to do with it too; she was always pointing a camera at me.”

Photography Revisited

Kenneth’s interest in photography dates back to the 1970s: “I remember using my dad’s old Kodak camera in high school. I took my first photography class then.” Soon afterward, Kenneth worked for the local newspaper and a photo lab. He also assisted a professional photographer. He shot a few weddings and portraits in those days but recalls, “Wedding photography was much more static and formal back then.” He felt that photography wasn’t for him, and sold all of his photo gear in 1983. “As recently as five years ago, I didn’t even own a camera,” Kenneth says.

Then he bought his daughter a $30 Polaroid camera and began experimenting with it himself. He entered some of his Polaroid images in a New Times newspaper photography contest and won. Kenneth uploaded some of his images to a photosharing website, and a couple asked him to shoot their wedding after seeing the pictures. “I borrowed a broken camera from my girlfriend at the time and shot about 45 rolls of film because I was afraid of missing any great shots,” he says, adding that this was a tough time in his life. “I believe that God just said, ‘Here, this is something you will love doing.’” In spite of his challenges with this first wedding shoot, the images were quite successful. “I photographed about five weddings the rest of that year,” he states.

Kenneth eventually enlisted the services of BIG Folio (www.bigfolio.com), an organization that designs and maintains websites for professional photographers (see article on page 174). “They built my first site, and I shot 27 weddings in 2002,” he says. Today, he also uses this website’s “BIG Show” service to create engagement portrait slide shows set to music.

Kenneth has also started to include the Apple video iPod in his top wedding packages. “I load all the images from the engagement session and wedding onto the iPod, set the images to music, and create a slide show. It’s a great way for brides to carry their whole wedding in their purse to show to all their friends and family.” As for additional marketing, he maintains, “Word of mouth is by far the best.

My website is where people go after others have referred them to me.” Kenneth is also on the board of Central Coast Wedding Professionals, an organization that comprises about 150 local wedding professionals in his area.

Engagement Portraits

About 90% of Kenneth’s wedding clients also book engagement portrait sessions. “I’m already halfway booked for the upcoming year,” he says. Kenneth charges about $400 for a standalone portrait session (booked independently of a wedding photo package), but an engagement photo shoot is included in many of his wedding package prices. He emphasizes the importance of engagement portraits with his clients. “This is my time to bond with the couple and build trust,” he explains, adding that this is especially helpful in cases where the couple may be a little camera-shy. He uses an assistant when photographing weddings, but shoots his engagement portraits alone.

“Casual portrait-journalism” is how Kenneth describes his photographic style. “I use poses, but only loosely,” he elaborates. “I prefer putting a couple in good lighting, then letting them play and just be. To me, it’s like a dance in which I move in and out of interacting with the subjects—playing, teasing, then being silent and waiting for the people to let their personalities come out.

“I believe everyone was created with passion in him or her. Some people are more in touch with it, and it comes naturally. Others have it, but aren’t in touch with it. But as they begin to relax and trust me, it comes out, and I think, ‘Wow, where did that come from?’”

Kenneth usually edits the engagement shoot down to 30–50 images, which he then shows to the couple. Months later, at the wedding, Kenneth often finds several of these engagement portraits on display. “Sometimes, they’ll put an image on each table at the reception,” he says proudly.

Revealing Their Spirit

So what sets Kenneth’s photography apart from the pack? “I know this sounds cliché, but I shoot from my heart,” he states. “I try to approach every event with fresh eyes and force myself to break away from any cookie-cutter formulas. To me, photography is a discovery process in which I let the subjects unfold before me. I move around my subjects and shoot a lot of images. I rarely have people looking at the camera, but seek to capture the intimacy and passion they share with each other, looking for nuances that reveal the spirit of the couple or subject. It’s always the little things—the subtle glance, the almost-kiss and the slight touch. All these little things move the image from something static to something very much alive. “I like to use the illustration of a combination lock,” Kenneth continues. “You have the first two numbers, your equipment and light but the third number is the couple in front of you. I find myself moving and playing with them, and letting them play until that final number clicks into place—then voilà! The lock is opened, and I shoot, shoot, shoot. To me, this is art and the key to the amazing thing I get to do called wedding and engagement portrait photography.”

Kenneth’s Photo Gear.

During his first year as a wedding photographer, Kenneth purchased a used Minolta camera and lenses. “I learned early on that your camera gear is secondary,” he says. “It’s better to connect with the people you’re photographing. I prefer to use the camera as an instrument to portray what’s in my mind.” Today, Kenneth uses several Canon 20D SLRs and Canon’s L-series lenses, mostly the EF 16–35mm f/2.8L USM and EF 70–200mm f/2.8L USM. He shoots all of his events in RAW. He also uses Photoshop CS2, but only to enhance images in a subtle way. He says, “It’s like seasonings—to flavor too much is overpowering.”

Helping Others

In the future, Kenneth says he’d like to do more destination weddings. “My dream would be to produce a T.V. show that would highlight photographers all over the world.” He currently enjoys helping other photographers get started in the wedding and portrait business, especially those with passion. “I love teaching, but want to always remain a student myself,” he concludes. To learn more about Kenneth Morgan’s photography, visit his web site: www.kennethmorganphoto.com.