david keyes photography

Welcome to my blog!

I am a photographer in Saint Paul, MN, that has finally gotten around to making my passion for photography more than just a hobby! This blog is my outlet as I venture down the road of professional photography.

I’ve always had a strong creative energy flowing through me, but it is countered by a very logical, almost scientific, approach to life. So, over the years I have been drawn to outlets that exercised both sides of my brain. For a long time, it was music- songwriting and performance. Then, I had a brief fling with computer programming. But, when my family got me my first SLR, it was all over! I had finally discovered the perfect medium to fully tap my seemingly opposing strengths.

The first few years were entirely about experimenting with different photographic methods, learning the camera, and discovering the wonders of Fuji Velvia film. But, as film faded to a somewhat token medium, I jumped on the digital bandwagon and haven’t looked back! As a result, I’ve been able to more easily explore various photographic methods and further hone my art.

As I start this blog, I am building a portfolio towards natural light, lifestyle, children’s photography. What is natural light, lifestyle, children’s photography, you ask? Well, natural light means using available light only- no flash, no studio lights- just the light available in the current surroundings. This frees me up to focus solely on the subject which, as is the nature of kids, is always on the move!

And the ‘lifestyle’ portion refers to a more candid, almost journalistic, approach. The stoic poses generated by the strip mall photography studios look completely unnatural to me. I even remember thinking as I sat posing for my school pictures as a kid that there was no way my torqued back, tweaked shoulders, and nudged chin were going to look right. To be fair, they sometimes looked OK, but they were never really ME. And the last thing I want to do now is put a child through that discomfort. I know I’m much more likely to capture their essence if I just let them be.

This blog is a record of most of my child photography sessions, along with other random thoughts and experiences. I appreciate your comments and feedback!

Thanks for stopping by!

David

Current Equipment:

• Nikon D70
• Tamron 17-50mm f2.8
• Nikon 50mm f1.8
• Nikon 70-300mm f3.5-5.6
• Nikon SB-800 Speedlight
• Adobe Lightroom
• Adobe Photoshop CS2