Wedding Ideas & Tips

Sorry for my lack of posts.. family has been in town and we’ve managed to go to the beach 3x this week. Anyway, I’m back and soooo excited to share the work of a talented photographer in my own backyard! Ken Kienow is based in San Luis Obispo, CA and his been kind enough to share a little bit about himself and some photography advice. Enjoy getting to know more of Ken’s heart and work!

Do you travel for events?

I love travelling for events. Shooting in new locations is fun and exciting, and gets me away from some of the places I frequently shoot in my local area, which is nice.

Where do you get inspiration?

I get my inspiration from my clients, mostly. Every couple interacts in a different way, and their personalities really end up dictating much of what I do on shoots. I like it that way - it makes a session as unique as the couple that’s being photographed. Besides my clients, I gain inspiration from nature and man-made elements. I’m always noticing new patterns, textures, landscapes, and ways of shooting even when I’m without my camera. Lastly, I get inspiration from viewing the work of other photographers (wedding and non-wedding). Often I’ll see a shot from a talented photographer and end up incorporating a variation of it into a shoot. Inspiration is everywhere, really.

What are some of your favorite things to shoot?

I pretty much only shoot couples. There’s so much energy, anticipation, and love in wedding photography given that my subjects are in-love and getting married. Having a couple by myself is definitely my most favorite thing to shoot. It just feels like I’m having fun hanging out with awesome people while creating photos that they and their descendants will treasure for a loooooooong time. How could that NOT be great?

Sidenote: I had to slip in this photo.. as locals may recognize someone above:-)

How can a couple best prep for a photo shoot?

In some ways it can be tough to prep for a photo shoot, since a lot of time people don’t know what to expect. Often they’re still expecting it to be a rigid, super-posed, awkward thing. Almost every shoot I do ends with the couple saying, “wow, that was much easier than I thought it would be!”. The best prep is the first 10-15 minutes of a shoot. During that first 10-15 minutes, a couple realizes that they can really be themselves and that the shoot is more of a hang-out session than a Sears family portrait. Probably the best prep a couple can do before a shoot is to really “get into” each other - if you’re arguing before coming, finish that argument before we start. If you wanna have a glass of wine to loosen up a bit, go for it. You want to feel as “lovey” and happy as possible before we start. On the wedding day, people are usually pretty happy to begin with.

all images by Ken Kienow Photography

Thanks so much for sharing with us Ken! I love his use of color, composition and light. Oh so magazine worthy shots. Check out his blog and website for more inspiration!! Thank you again!!