Kevin Weinstein
About
Kevin Weinstein (http://editorial.kevinweinstein.com) combines the worlds of photojournalism and artistic photography to capture memories, moods, split-second moments, and momentous events.
He’s been doing it since the darkroom ages. The instructions he was taught back then for developing photos has stuck with him: “If it is too light, add time; if it is too dark, take away time.” But in the years since, as film gave way to digital, Kevin has learned that time cannot be added or subtracted—only seized or lost. His art as a documentarian, storyteller and photographer is all about seizing the moment, and the meaning within that moment. Kevin is a master at stripping away the nonessential and capturing the essence of a person, place or point in time. The results: emotive portraits and candids, lively magazine spreads, and images that command attention amid the visual clutter that defines the digital age. And he’s a snappy dresser to boot!
Before founding Kevin Weinstein Photography in 2001, Kevin spent 12 years in newspaper and magazine journalism. On the newspaper side, he worked for the Sun (Bremerton, Washington), the Memphis Commercial Appeal, the Albuquerque Tribune, the San Francisco Chronicle, the Oakland Tribune, and the Sun in Illinois. His magazine credits include US Weekly, People, Hollywood Reporter and Mother Jones. Celebrity subjects include Quentin Tarantino, Samuel L. Jackson, Eva Longoria, Mario Lopez, Stacy Keibler, Smeezingtons producer Ari Levine, and Christoph Waltz, among others.
Through Kevin Weinstein Photography, Kevin became a sought-after event photographer, and as his reputation and referrals spread beyond the Chicago market, he went on to shoot high-profile private parties and special events in Los Angeles, New York, and exotic and cosmopolitan destinations around the globe. Kevin Weinstein Photography has since come full circle, bringing Kevin back to his roots as an editorial and street photographer.
Kevin’s commercial, event and editorial photography is shot with Canon’s versatile DSLR camera, the Canon 1Dx, which allows him to make decisions about lighting, shutter speed and proximity (where fly-on-the-wall distance and discretion might be preferable to up-close-and-personal). Ultimately, though, a photographer’s eye, experience, reflexes and heart matter more than his gear. Kevin’s growing body of street photography is shot with a portable, mirrorless Sony A7 with nary a bell or whistle. A lover of light and all that it touches, Kevin carries this little camera everywhere, capturing all the small wonders that go unnoticed by a society fixated on screens. It’s his reminder not just to seize the moment, but to occupy it fully and thoughtfully.
Kevin knew from a young age that photography was his gift and calling. He graduated from the San Francisco Art Institute with a degree in photography and went on to earn a Master’s degree in photojournalism from the top photojournalism school in the country, the University of Missouri-Columbia. His schooling is ongoing, as most of what he learns comes through his lens. Kevin has received numerous awards, scholarships and project grants throughout his career, but his greatest honor is the trust clients have in him to document their most important memories-in-the-making.
Interview with Kevin on The Candid Frame: http://ibarionex.net/thecandidframe/2017/2/13/the-candid-frame-359-kevin-weinstein
Kevin Weinstein Portfolio
LACP Interviews Kevin Weinstein
LACP asks Kevin Weinstein ten questions about his background, career in and beliefs about photography
Los Angeles Center of Photography: What kind of photographer are you?
Kevin Weinstein: Depending upon if the photography is for work or pleasure, I vacillate between being a street photographer as well as a documentary photographer.
LACP: How long have you been shooting?
KW: 30 years
LACP: Where did you get your training?
KW: I am self taught, initially, and after 5 years I then attended school at SFAI in San Francisco and then received a masters from the University of Missouri-Columbia School of Journalism.
LACP: When did you know you wanted to devote your life to photography?
KW: From the moment I walked out of the darkroom after my initial 8 years, which was my introduction to photography.
LACP: Did you ever come close to giving up?
KW: Twice. Once in 2001 and then again in 2015. But only for commerce. I have never thought about giving it up for pleasure.
LACP: Have you sacrificed anything by being a photographer?
KW: Absolutely. Family vacations, relationships, friendships, special occasions the list can go on and on. When you work for yourself, and a client calls it is critical to take the job not only for the check but you never want your client using someone else.
LACP: What have you gained by being a photographer?
KW: The incredible opportunity to enter the private lives of so many people while be given a front-row seat to watch. I get paid to be curious, stare and closely listen to people.
LACP: What classes do you teach at LACP?
KW: Composition 101: A Course in Photographic Design
LACP: What do you love most about teaching?
KW: Who wouldn’t want to be around fellow creatives each and every day? The idea of witnessing so many different visions and interpretations to the world we live in is something that never dulls. Working with people young with photography or professionals needing to get re-inspired is something you don’t get from self-employment shooting for a living.
LACP: What advice would you give someone who is thinking about making a career in photography?
KW: Think it through very well. It is a very tough life and that life might seem OK when you are 23 and starting out, but that can change when you are mid-life. Sometimes a passion is better left as a passion. Are you an artist, or a technician? If you are an artist, turning that passion into commerce means you need to meet the client / editor’s expectations. It is not about you and your vision as much as you would like to think. Industry politics thrive in every area of photography just like all jobs. You will constantly need to weigh having a voice and vision, and staying quiet to get more work. All that can bring the creative part down, damaging your art and craft.