Corporate lifestyle business woman portrait Newport Beach Woman smiling in field of yellow flowers Canon 85mm f/1.2 lens photography Blond girls smiling created with Canon 85mm f/1.2 lens teenager photography Coronado Beach San Diego family photography by photographer Chris Keeney Hip-hop breakdancer standing on one hand on the sidewalk dancing in front of colorful graffiti art mural by graffiti artist Pose 2 Graffiti art portrait if Ashley at the Writers Blok in San Diego Culture Shock Hip-Hop Dancers in front of colorful mural Wide angle portrait of San Diego artist in his studio with Bianchi bike Wide angle portrait of blonde woman with sunglasses in front of colorful mural B-Boy hip hop break dancers on the streets of downtown San Diego California San Diego B-Boys Eddie+Saso Graffiti Portraits King-Saso and Eddie-Styles San Diego California street portrait Group photo of five hip-hop dancers in front of colorful graffiti art mural in Chicano Park in San Diego, California Unique natural light portrait photography playing with depth of field Fun San Diego engagement session photoshoot in Little Italy Grade school editorial portrait Bozeman Montana Shallow depth of field portrait of young girl smiling in downtown San Diego University of San Diego professor standing next to a beautiful colored stain glass window of the Virgin Mary Engagement session with couple at Torrey Pines State Park in La Jolla California Having some fun on the beach in Torrey Pines during an engagement session University of San Diego graduate portrait photography of black student leaning against railing with The Immaculata Church in the background University of San Diego graduate standing next to yellow flowers in her cap and gown A Bride enjoying some champagne at her reception - Lodge at Torrey Pines La Jolla Flat Rock Torrey Pines State Park Beach Close-up portrait of the bride and groom smiling after their wedding in La Jolla California Newport Breach headshot photography for company website Action photo of a young girl smiling and wearing a white dress and necklace as she runs a round a bronze statue of a child Close-up portrait of the bride smiling after her wedding in Julian California Woman in a field of yellow Spring flowers in San Diego California Headshot photography for Brazilian dancer San Diego College lifestyle photography Natural light portrait photograph of a teenager in Balboa Park San Diego Close up portrait of girl with soft lighting and bokeh balls in the background Black and white high contrast photo of teens having some fin at a birthday party Photo of teenage girls having fun at a sweet 16 birthday party High school girls doing a science experiment Young girl sitting on a wooden bench wearing a camouflage boonie hat with sparkling bokeh balls in the background Head and shoulders headshot of a short haired blonde woman blue eyes wearing a white blouse with green shimmering soft focus plants in the background Three bridesmaids wearing brown dresses and holding orange, red and yellow flowers standing on circular paved tile patio The bride having some fun dancing at her reception Hip hop dancer in front of colorful mural at Culture Shock dance school A unique portrait of a female hip hop dancer with her hand on a wall that is colorfully painted graffiti artist about to add some blue spray paint to a mural she’s painting in San Diego California A headshot portrait of a blonde woman with blue eyes with her hand on her head smiling at the camera Young blonde girl wearing a long flowing white dress sitting on the beach in front of the ocean at WindNsea La Jolla A girl wearing a long white sleeveless dress smiling and looking off camera on the beach with the ocean and waves behind her her Teenage girl wearing long flowing white dress on the beach in La Jolla California A beach portrait of a tall long haired blonde senior high school girl dressed in a flowing white sheer dress smiling at the camera with the ocean behind her Young blonde girl with blue eyes with jean jacket and fur collar holding a bundle of grass in her hand Young boy with brown hair and eyes holding his hands on his cheeks with a surprised look on his face Close up black and white portrait of a baby girl in a onesie lying on her belly looking at the camera Close up portrait of young girl with brown hair and eyes smiling Young brown haired boy lying on his belly on the grass smiling at the camera Head and shoulder headshot of a Asian woman with short brown hair and white blouse smiling and looking into the camera San Diego bikini portrait of hip hop dancer A close up of a newly married husband with his smiling wife nestled into his chest while he looks off at the setting sunset A boy and girl teenager embracing each other just before they’re about to kiss backlit with fairy lights San Diego lawyer in a suit with a red tie sitting on the edge of the office table with reflective glass window in the background A far away view of a groom holding his bride in his arms with pink flowers blurred in the foreground Topless woman lying on the sand with tattoos on her arm and her finger on her lip looking into the camera A colorful red and green band photo of a musician playing guitar A black and white grainy film photo a young baby boy with a bigger than life smile looking into the camera A San Diego female attorney with long brown hair and black dress sitting on an office table smiling at the camera A young engaged couple sitting in meadow while she has her arms around his shoulder while they both smile at the camera Low depth of field portrait of a short haired blonde woman wearing a white top standing in a garden in Balboa Park, San Diego Experimental high speed shutter and snooted flash portrait of Chris Keeney with green plants and palm trees behind him Shallow 85mm lens portrait of a couple next to each other smiling at The Lodge at Torrey Pines in La Jolla Portrait of a young girl wearing a hat and heart t-shirt in a rose garden holding flower pedals in Liberty Station Headshot of long brown haired woman with feather necklace smiling at the camera while holding a piece of her hair A couple embarrassing each other in a field of flowers Young girl wearing a colorful dress and silver sequin hat playing in a pink, white and blue toy car action shot of a dad throwing his son in the air at a wedding reception a young couple riding bikes next to each other laughing because the photographer is about to get hit by the bike tire A newly married couple walking down the aisle, which is the grass of park, which guests cheering them on seated on both sides of them Editorial portrait of a San Diego lawyer standing in her office with her arms crossed smiling at the camera brunette woman wearing white sleeveless top and green striped scarf standing in from of colorful mural of a man wearing glasses Head and should portrait of long haired brunette woman with brown eyes and hoop earrings looking into the camera Young Persian woman dressed in black wearing a large red flower in her long brown hair wearing different colored bangles bracelets on her arm Young girl with face paint and tiara wearing a fairy dress at her second birthday party An editorial portrait of a man wearing a blue suit, white shirt and light pink tie standing in his office Man sitting on the grass smiling next to a bay with his white and black dog Teenage girl with glasses and black scarf and jeans leaning against a purple painted wall Business man wearing blue button down shirt smiling and standing next to a dock Eight person family standing next to the ocean with the sun setting in the horizon behind them Teenage girl sitting on rocks next to the ocean getting splashed by a wave A girl with red hair wearing a black and grey dress standing in front of a wall with graffiti art Color photo of a hip-hop dancer in front of colorful street mural painted by artists Crol vs Werc in downtown San Diego A couple lying in some plants laughing as the act like they’re about to eat some fern leave A young blonde couple sitting on the grass with their newborn son smiling at the grass A woman with long blonde hair and wearing a black dress sitting on the sand smiling at Coronado beach in San Diego A family of four sitting and kneeling on the sand smiling at the camera with the sun setting behind them at Coronado beach in San Diego A hip hop dancer dressed in jean, a white t-shirt and a baseball cap standing on one leg in front of a colorful graffiti art mural in the background in San Diego California A group photo of a family of five black people dressed in wedding formal attire making a fun pose in front of a blue and turquoise tiled wall at a wedding in Point Loma California Head and shoulders company lifestyle portrait of a dark haired woman with large pearl like necklace wearing a black business suit A close-up head and shoulders portrait of a short haired blonde woman seated in a field of orange California poppies and green trees in the background Bride and groom standing together smiling with she holds a colorful bouquet of flowers with the mountains and setting sun behind them Head and shoulders portrait of a red haired woman with flowers in her hair and on her red leather bracelet High key light photo of Persian woman with large red flower in her long brown hair wearing black shawl and shorts Bride and groom cutting the wedding cake together in front of large fish tank at the Birch aquarium in La Jolla A bride with long brown hair and a white dress standing in the Japanese garden in Balboa Park close-up portrait of a short haired woman smiling and framed with soft green hues A close up of a young mother and father lying on the bed looking with love and admiration at their newborn son who is looking at the camera black and white photo of a mother holding the hand of her daughter while looking into her eyes knowing she is about to get married

People

One of the most challenging types of photography is photographing people. Not everyone likes to have their photo taken, so creating a genuine portrait that both the photographer and the subject can agree on can be a difficult process. I have found that in order to be a “good” portrait photographer, you first have to be able to communicate and work with people. I feel that by having this sensibility, it allows the photographer to be more compassionate towards the people he or she is about to photograph. I also find that including the subject in the creative process also helps build this trust. Working calm but quickly and not fussing with camera gear and settings, helps put the subject as ease.

When people ask me what kind of photography I like best, I always say, photos of people or portrait photography. I think a lot of photographers shy away from portrait photography because it can be difficult to work with people at times. A lot of times people don’t want to have their picture taken, so the process can be uncomfortable. As I mentioned above, in order to be a good portrait photographer, you need to be a good people person. Is it your job to make people feel relaxed and comfortable in front of the lens? Maybe. Probably. Do you need to know how to arrange and coordinate large groups of people and speak up to let them know what to do? Absolutely. And when I first started at as professional photographer, I had a hard time with that. You really need to take charge and let people know what to do. You need to make quick decisions if problems arise and move on as if nothing happened so people don’t get nervous thinking that things are out of control. knowing that, I always try and have a back-up plan. Extra cameras, lights, batteries, memory cards… don’t be caught empty handed and miss the shot.

In the end, I tell people to relax. I feel it’s when people are relaxed and having fun during a shoot is when I get great portraits.

This creative process has taken me years to perfect and I’m still learning. I’ve learned that keeping your camera and lighting kit small and simple allows you to be nimble and able to moves and adjust to your surroundings. The best portrait, is the photo that both photographer and subject are pleased with.

Date

September 14, 2020

Category

Headshots, People, Portraits, Street

Tags

Action, Adult, Candids, Children, Company, Corporate, Cousin, Coworker, Daughter, Editorial, Family, Father, Friends, Headshots, Husband, Life, Lifestyle, Men, Mother, Natural-Light, People, Photography, Portraits, Professional, Smile, Son, Sports, Studio, Sun, Sunset, Women