Chicago Destination Lifestyle Wedding Photographer - Kenny Kim Photography

Going Back To The Basics & A New York City Wedding

kennykim — Wed, 09 May 2012 16:51:26 +0000

Part One: Going back to the basics – Why I chose to shoot an iPhone-only Wedding

(*Disclaimer – This blog post is actually two combined into one. So it’s going to be long. But there’s a reason behind it. If you choose to go all the way until the end, it will be well worth it.)

As a wedding photographer, I often get asked this one common question: “Kenny, do you ever get tired of shooting weddings?” My immediate response to that is “NO WAY!” It is a legitimate question to ask as an observer to someone like me, who has been fortunate to photograph about 200 weddings in the six years I have been in this business. But I want to share with you that every wedding is different. For a wedding to take place, many different elements need to come together harmoniously: people, culture, story, location, time, size, theme, purpose, style, etc. A good illustration is like looking at fingerprints. From just quickly glancing at them, they may all look the same. But when you have the time to observe them carefully, you’ll notice not one of them is ever alike. And I LOVE every single one of them because they give me the opportunity to capture the essence of what weddings are all about. As a photographer, the excitement is renewed with each wedding I photograph because it challenges me to tell a story and find details & moments that my couples will cherish for the rest of their lives.

Part of the reason why I decided to take on the project of capturing a wedding with only my iPhone last week was because it allowed me to strip away all the elements as a wedding photographer. Things such as: Latest technology & gear which forced a theory in my head that every single image has to be absolutely perfect and technically sound. Or a “business-only” mentality clouding my vision to see my clients only as a means to make a living for myself instead of two beautiful souls committing together to love each other for the rest of their lives. While all these elements are essential and necessary to run a successful wedding photography business, sometimes we need to pull back and retune our thoughts to remind us of what is most important. Shooting an iPhone wedding allowed me to do just that. Take a look at this image I captured with the iPhone at my friend Kenny Nakai’s wedding (not last week’s wedding but the first wedding of this year which I stood as one of the groomsmen):

iPhone-only wedding photography by Kenny Kim

What is the first impression that comes to your mind when you look at this image? For me, it was a nice moment of genuine love and happiness shared between a bride and groom who just finished their ceremony. It was a moment many people probably did not notice. I doubt even the subjects knew that this moment was being captured. Joe Buissink a highly sought after celebrity photographer whom I respect and can call as a friend said it best:

“There is no such thing as a perfect image, only a perfect moment.”

If you are looking at the image above and the first thought that comes to your mind is full of skepticism (bad exposure, poor lighting, too much grain, ‘why shoot with iPhone!?!’ mentality), then perhaps you might want to ask yourself if you have deviated from the passion for this craft. While there were many other reasons I photographed a wedding last week using just my iPhone, one main reason was because doing so brought me back to the basics – the heart of it all which made me fall in love with this profession in the first place six years ago. The timing was perfect for me because I have a busy wedding season ahead this year and I needed the reminder (shooting 25 weddings – going to places like Bermuda, Mexico, England, New York, California, Houston, Chicago and traveling to France & Italy). It restored in me the joy of photography and going back to the basics was what led me to this discovery.

Part Two: When Alex met Thalita – A New York City wedding
This wedding I am about to share with you is a special one because everything I talked about as a photographer above is exactly what my clients did as bride and groom. Meet Alex and Thalita. He’s a successful opthamologist (aka eye surgeon – I had no idea what that meant when I first heard it) in New York and she’s a highly sought after international fashion model. I do not want to toot their horns, but while they certainly had the means to have a big extravagant wedding, they also chose to go back to the basics and have a very small intimate wedding to commit their love to each other. So on a beautiful Wednesday afternoon in New York City, the five of us (bride, groom, best man, maid of honor and myself) took a quick trip to the City Hall where they had a short but beautiful ceremony followed by a photo shoot around the city where I had the freedom to exercise my creativity with them. When the night rolled around, they invited their closest family members & friends and had an intimate dinner together celebrating their wedding.

I LOVED this idea. Just to be clear, I am not saying that having a big extravagant wedding is not a good idea. As I mentioned before, every wedding is different and beautiful in their own way. The main thing is to decide, as a couple, how you want to celebrate it. Big or small, extravagant or not, the most important thing is that you celebrate your love in a way that is special to you. I loved their wedding because it reinforced what I was trying to share above. It is about going back to the basics to remind you what is important. So thank you Alex and Thalita for the reminder. You guys are beautiful people inside and out and your wedding was truly an unforgettable one filled with stories which I am sure we’ll talk about for a long time. Thank you for the privilege of allowing me to capture your wedding and to now call you friends.

Here are some images from their wedding day. In case you were wondering, no I did not use my iPhone for this wedding. I did keep this shoot very simple though. Just my one body (Mark 1DIV) and two lenses (16-35mm f2.8 & 70-200mm f2.8). I felt like it was an appropriate thing to do for this occasion.

Thalita & Alex - A New York City Wedding by Kenny Kim Photography

By the way, I am having a PhotoVenture Tour to Italy this Fall from November 6-12, 2012. If you have never been to Italy, you owe it to yourself to go. This trip will help you get back to the basics and fall in love with photography all over again. While many workshops out there will teach you “how” to become a photographer, this “unworkshop” will teach you to discover yourself by asking “why” and before you know it, you’ll be transformed into one. Interested? Visit the website and contact me for more information.

PhotoVenture Tour to Italy - Next stop: Tuscany & Umbria

iPhone Wedding Photography 101

kennykim — Mon, 07 May 2012 17:34:31 +0000

“The Best Camera Is The One That’s With You.” – Chase Jarvis

We, as photographers, knew it was coming. We knew it when we saw improvements being made in digital photo technology on a regular basis. We knew it when various online photo communities like Instagram began to emerge, which allowed people to share their images with the rest of the world and capture some pretty amazing photos from the palm of their hands. We knew it when we saw big companies like Apple shifting their business strategy/focus from personal computing to mobile technology. I began to realize it when I began to receive repeating comments from people when I shared my iPhone photos with them. Comments like: “Did you really take that with your iPhone?” or “How did you take such an amazing shot with just your phone?” We all have thought about it at one point or was a topic of our conversation with friends / colleagues. What am I talking about? Wedding iPhoneography.

I recently saw the movie “Letters to Juliet” (I know, I am a romantic sap. But it makes me become a better wedding photographer – at least that’s my excuse) and I loved this quote: ” ‘What’ and ‘if’ are two words as non-threatening as words can be, but put them together side by side and they have the power to haunt you for the rest of your life.” So I began to ask myself, “What if, I photographed an entire wedding using only my iPhone?” Then all these questions and doubt began creeping in my mind. Questions like: “Is my iPhone good enough?” “Will my battery last long enough?” “What if I fail?” “How will my phone handle under low-light situations?” “Will I look like a fool?”, etc. But I told myself that I will never get an answer to my main question “What if?” if I didn’t follow up with another question: “Why not?” With this came my first project which I want to share everyone out there who might be interested in this topic.

My First iPhone Wedding Gear Checklist

I spend most of my time photographing weddings professionally (www.kennykim.com). It’s rare that I get to attend one as a guest. But this year, I had the privilege of attending two weddings as a guest – which meant that I could put my theory to test. First one, was little bit more difficult because I was actually one of the groomsmen. So I practiced snapping some photos here and there throughout the day using my iPhone. The results that I got from that day gave me enough encouragement to challenge myself to see if photographing an entire wedding (from getting ready until the reception) using only your iPhone can be done. Last weekend, I got to attend another wedding as a guest. Few weeks prior to this wedding, I shared my idea by with the couple and they were more than happy to allow me to test out my theory. With their blessing, I photographed my first wedding using just my iPhone 4 (not 4s), a mini tripod, 20″ light reflector disc and the Mophie Juice Pack Air for battery backup. (I also brought a video light and my canon lens mug because I had so much room left in my gear bag I felt like I had to fill it with something else .

In total, I captured approximately 1000 photos, of which, I narrowed down to about 250 being usable. Out of those, I selected about 75 to share with you because that is about the same amount of photos I will use to make an album book to tell the story of their wedding day. iPhone 4 definitely has its limitations right now. I wish I had the iPhone4s to test out but I am still holding out for the iPhone5 before I make my next upgrade – by then, I think I can offer iPhone wedding packages to clients that are interested in hiring me for this service.

Thanks to Katherine Salvatori, the lead photographer, for capturing me in action.

Here are some collection of photos I captured from Michele & Joseph’s wedding: (Just to be clear, I was not the lead photographer for this wedding. Anyone interested in having iPhone photography for your wedding day, should still hire a main professional first. This is a great addition/compliment to your wedding day experience, but should not replace the main photographer – at least for now).

iPhone Wedding Photography Gallery

I hope you enjoyed perusing through these photos. Feel free to share this post or ask any questions. I would also love to hear your thoughts. Finally, if anyone out there is interested in commissioning me as an iPhone wedding photographer, I will take them on a limited basis, at a special introductory rate until iPhone 5 is released.

Promotional Video about Destination Wedding Photography

kennykim — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 03:54:15 +0000

When I started this journey as a wedding photographer, I have to admit that I did not have any specific goals. Nor did I know that in 5+ years that I would be coined by Destination Weddings & Honeymoons magazine as one of Top 20 A-List wedding photographer. I am so thankful for what I do and grateful for all my clients who entrusted me to capture their special day. I am blessed to be able to travel the world through my job. I finished my 2011 wedding in December by photographing an amazing wedding down in Aruba. With my seminar coming up at ImagingUSA in January 2012, I thought it would be a good idea to create another promotional video to showcase my destination wedding photography (the topic for my talk was going to be about destination wedding photography).

Thankfully I had the pleasure of teaming up with Chris & Oliver Cinema for this wedding and take advantage of this opportunity to create another promotional video this time focusing on destination wedding photography. I am so thankful for their talent and their hard work to put together this amazing video in such short period of time. So without further adieu, here is the video that was showcased at ImagingUSA.

coconuts. big dogs. good times | kenny kim from Chris & Oliver on Vimeo.

Here are few photos from Ary & Marco’s wedding at the Radisson Aruba & Spa Resort.

Are you going to WPPI this year? Ray Santana and I are hosting our sixth Portfolio + Workshop in Vegas on 21st from 12:30pm to 5:30pm. It will be an intensive half-day workshop with a short classroom time followed by shooting models at the Red Rock Canyon dessert. It will be a great opportunity to learn more about wedding photography while building a great portfolio for your business. Hope you can make it. For more information, visit: http://www.portfolioplusworkshop.com

Chicago Indian Wedding Published on Chicago Social Bride 2012

kennykim — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 06:21:21 +0000

Back in June of this year, I had the privilege of photographing a big Three Day indian wedding for Purvi & Pratik. It was a big reunion for me as I had photographed Purvi’s sister, Nicki’s wedding back in 2009. Indian weddings are filled with numerous tradition/festivities and I was privileged to spend the entire three day with the Baman family again.

It was exciting news to find out that their wedding had been featured on Chicago Social Bride’s big 5th anniversary issue. What a perfect way to remember their wedding again. Big thanks to all the staff at Modern Luxury for publishing my work in this such big issue! Here’s a photo of the cover and the spread. For bigger image, click on the photo below.

The wedding took place on June 18, 2011 at the Marriott Oak Brook Hills Resort in Oak Brook, IL. Big thanks Rikita Shah, groom’s sister that I got to meet at this wedding. She is the Marketing Manager at the Elysian Hotel in Chicago and I’m excited to be working with her next May for a wedding there. Shout out to Collin Pierson & Shane Rodimel for teaming up with me on this event. And last but not least, thank you Purvi & Pratik for being such amazing clients!

PhotoVenture IV Preview – Venice & Veneto Region

kennykim — Tue, 13 Sep 2011 07:08:02 +0000

When people talk about traveling the world, the city of Venice often gets mentioned. I have been engaged in numerous conversations regarding this city and have heard different opinions about it. Some think it’s too dirty and crowded. Some will come and go on a short day trip and treat it like it’s another pit stop for typical tourists traveling to Italy. Some even thought it’s a city in front of the Venetian Hotel in Las Vegas (no joke). Then there are people that absolutely LOVE Venice. The most romantic city in the world. The ones that never been daydream of going there one day while those that have cannot wait to go back again. Regardless of one’s opinion, you cannot help but to ignore Venice. It is one of the most unique city in the world and I hope everyone will get a chance to visit her at least once in their lifetime.

The minute you walk outside the Santa Lucia train station in Venice, you get immersed into the venetian culture. It can be visually overwhelming but take a moment to enjoy the surroundings. It’s beautiful. It truly is a unique city and there’s none like it. Then imagine that you are standing on a city built on water more than 1500 years ago by people that dared to defy sea and build themselves a magnificent dwelling place on top of mud banks in a swampy and treacherous lagoon. Venice has triumphed over all these years commercially, economically, and artistically as one of the most dominant society in perhaps all of western europe. Breath-taking venetian gothic, byzantine as well as other form of architecture will visually thrill you as you ride a boat across their water canal. For most people, Venice will be a short visit as most tourists will flood in the morning and dry out by late afternoon. But to truly experience Venice, you need to stay for several days and get lost in the streets were the locals live. There are approximately 270,000 Venetians dwelling in the island and it’s surroundings and to see them in their day to day life will help you understand and appreciate Venice. Smell the fresh catch at the daily morning fish market. Sip some porsecco during their happy hour as you chat with the locals. Take a coffee break as you enjoy the sunset and music playing in the streets. Sit back, slow down and let Venice soak you in.

I have had the privilege of visiting this city over 3 times in the past couple of years and even had the privilege of photographing a celebrity wedding with Bob Davis in April of 2009. Each time I go back, I fall in love with her more and more. There is something about this city that is magical and it will grab you and not let you go. I cannot wait to go back this November – this time with a group of my photographer friends. I’m privileged to have Bob Davis accompanying me on this adventure as a special guest/speaker. Whether you are a novice or a professional photographer, you will walk away from this trip a different person. Do yourself a favor and visit Venice. She may not be around much longer. Meet her before she is gone. This will be a trip of a life time and I hope you can join us in the fall. A presto!

For more photos from my past trips to Venice, visit my Facebook Gallery: http://on.fb.me/mYELEX

For more information, visit: http://photoventure.kennykim.com/
Dates: November 14-20, 2011
Registration deadline: September 30, 2011