My Style of Photography | Kendra Martin Photography

When looking for a photographer there are two things that I think are super important!! The first is… do you get along with them/are you comfortable with them (and this is a completely different blog post for another day… but especially if you’re looking for a wedding photographer know that you want to feel comfortable with them because you’ll be spending a good chunk of the day with them!!!) and the second is… do you love their style? And by style I mean a few different things… Do you like the overall look of their images…. do you like the way they capture people (whether that be candid or more posed or a a little bit of both)… do you like the way the images make you feel and can you see yourself displaying those images 50 years from now?

There are lots of different “styles” of photography out there. There are styles that are considered classic & timeless and then there are a lot that are very much fads and won’t last forever (a fad that has come and gone is when something like just the flowers are in color and the rest of the image is black and white… I can’t think of the name of this but you get the picture!!). Some of the different styles out there right this second are: light & airy, natural/true to life, muted, hipster, dark & moody, etc… So as a client you need to decide what you want & what you like. What kind of images do you want to share with your kids & grand-kids in the years to come? I know when I am personally looking for a photographer I am looking for certain things but that doesn’t mean what I am looking for is for everyone. Everyone has their own tastes… you just have to decide what you want and what is important to you when it comes to having your memories documented!!

I’ve been asked over the years to define my “style” and so I thought why not blog about what my photography style is!! I’ll start off by talking about my images as a whole/editing style and then the way I interact with my clients!! If I was only allowed to use a few words to describe my photography they would be: Classic, real & timeless. I have always been a photographer that wants to deliver images that show a family, wedding, senior, etc… as close to the way they looked in real life as possible. I want brides to remember what color their flowers or dresses were on their wedding day. I want people to remember the color of the year they are having their photos taken (because if you’re living here in the south you know that with each season comes a different look and I want you to remember that!!).

I want people to look at an image I deliver and be transported back to that moment because it was captured & delivered the way it looked when the image was taken. I want my darks to be dark and my colors to look true to life. I want the green of the grass in spring to be fresh and green, in the summer darker and in the fall more yellow as the grass starts to change for the winter.  I want the black & white images that I deliver (because I LOVE black & white images and deliver a lot of them) to be not too dark and not too light… I really want them to grab the viewer and transport them to the emotion of that moment)  Since day one almost 11 years ago when I first started this business, I have wanted to make sure I did as little as possible editing wise and keep things as real as I see them. I want my clients to be able to display their images for a lifetime because they are timeless & classic!! My style & my images are natural & true to life and I love it!!!

I know what it feels like to be on the other side of the camera and told “just go stand over there and be you” and because I know what that feels like I’ve made it a point over the last 10 years to grow & learn and get better and better at “posing” my clients in a way that’s super natural but also doesn’t leave them guessing at what to do!!  I mix both candid with traditional so that my clients get those images that moms & dads want to put in frames on their mantels, but also that get the images that show off exactly who they are as a person in the here and now.  For me my style of “posing” is walking my clients through everything.  Whether it be for the formal portraits and telling them where to stand and where to place their hands and where to look… to the more candid where I give them actions and prompts that bring out their silly side and even sometimes their emotional side.  What I do with one client isn’t always what I’ll do with another because not everything works with everyone and that’s what I love about photography… I get to capture my clients as they are (granted it usually takes prompting and maybe bribery 😉 to get them as they are in real life) but gosh when it happens…. well it’s soo fun to capture and then even more fun to deliver!!!

In a nutshell my editing/photo/posing style all the way around is timeless, natural/real, joyful and classic.  If that’s the style of photography/images that you’re interested in… let’s talk.  If it’s not and you’re stumped on what you’re looking for or can’t seem to find who you’re looking for to capture your memories.. let’s talk!!!  One of the great things about the photography world is that there is a photographer out there for you that will tell your story and capture your memories in a way that you will always cherish!!

I am so glad that you stopped by my online home!!  One of my favorite things to do is share my clients’ images!! It gives you a look at the kind of images you will receive if you hire me to be your photographer.  If you would like to see what a full session or wedding looks like, please feel free to ask!