KenMar Photography Inc.

Why KenMar?

I’ve been photographing seniors since the mid 80s. That’s the kind of experience I envied when I was just starting out. I’d be foolish if I didn’t think it helps me know how to make you look your very best while also making you look comfortable and relaxed. Most importantly, I make sure I have fun, and I make fun contagious. Because if you feel good, you’ll look great!

And that’s just me talking.

YOU’LL BE WORKING WITH ONE OF THE STATE’S TOP PROFESSIONALS

I’m actually recognized as one of the state’s foremost experts in senior photography. Just this year I lectured at our Wisconsin Professional Photographer’s Convention. I stay on top because I constantly research and experiment with new imaging techniques. The portraits I create are not copied from anyone, though many try to copy me! My styles are unique, innovative and artistic. Your senior portraits won’t look like anyone else’s.

The Secret
The Secret to Finding Your Best Photography Value!

By the end of this article you should be able to identify the four steps to find your best photography value.

1) ASK FOR PRICES

Everyone has a budget. So start with spending some time determining the range of prices. Shopping for photography is much less about dollars and more about sense because the price is only a small part of the big picture. (Pun intended)

Because the value of a portrait is not in what it cost, it’s in the way it makes you feel. You’re not going to love a bad portrait just because you got it cheap. But a quality portrait feels priceless.

Choosing a creative service like photography is a unique experience. It’s not a product that you pull down off of a shelf. So what happens when you compare on price alone? When you’re shopping for a creative service, and you pay less, what will the ‘less’ be? Less creative or less service?

Now if you can’t take the time to shop around and do research, paying more will increase your chances of finding better quality. But even the rich like to save money. How do you think they got rich? (Inheritance?)

When it comes to prices, it’s generally understood that when you spend more you get more. But it’s not always true. Some businesses may charge more just because they believe that their clients will take them more seriously.

In the long run, the quality studio must provide value for our patrons because they are our most precious resources. Indeed, they are the ones who keep the art of photography alive.

Businesses like KenMar that have been around and enjoy a good reputation can be found by talking to those whose taste you share.

2) LOOK FOR VALUE

How can you trust yourself to recognize better quality portraits worth paying more for? These comparisons are, after all, subjective.

Quality and value are found in your own sense of good taste. You actually feel good looking at relaxed poses and expressions.

So visit websites and take a look at samples. Ask if the images presented are their own. Take a look at other studio’s work for comparison. If you have a discerning eye, eventually you’ll be able to tell when backgrounds and props become distracting or trendy. Look for variety. Look for comfortable poses with backgrounds that blend with and enhance the portrait and most important of all, tell the story of the person in the portrait. These are the qualities that are classic, meaningful, and timeless.

When you see better quality in a product or service; you expect to pay a little more for it. If you don’t see that difference… don’t.

The most expensive isn’t always the best and the cheapest certainly isn’t always a bargain. You need to go where you feel a comfortable balance of value for cost.

Identifying quality can be confusing when photo manipulators with more technical skill than taste, create portraits that make you focus on the manipulation instead of the subject. The experienced photo artist still has to remember the timeless qualities that endure; it’s all about the person being photographed. It’s the sharing of yourself that helps your subject share their personality. The art is in making the medium disappear, making the camera transparent and, in the finished portrait, making the viewer ponder the subject and their story, not the process by which it was created.

Shoppers who cannot sense the difference among the things I’ve mentioned or are overwhelmed by their choices will have to shop on price alone. Their choices are limited. Those who can discern those differences have a few more steps to take.

INSIST ON EXPERIENCE

I’ve already mentioned that this creative service is not just price and product; it’s the experience of being photographed by someone with experience.

Turning your personality into portraits that you’ll cherish for a lifetime is a skill, derived from a talent or an interest. And that takes some time to develop.

A story goes: The artist Picasso was enjoying lunch at a cafe In Paris when a wealthy socialite approached him and insisted that Picasso create a drawing of her. She let him know that money was no object. Picasso obliged the woman immediately by finding a pencil and paper an within three minutes handed the woman a splendid drawing. The woman was delighted and asked Picasso what she owed him. Picasso was a very well known artist by this time and asked several thousand dollars for the piece. Stunned, the woman asked how the artist could charge that much for something that only took him three minutes. Picasso replied “Madame that drawing took me all my life.”

The portrait artist has only a short time to capture the personality of their subject. Experience is what allows them to do that. In that exchange, they must give all that they are to create their elusive craft. Because it is in that exchange of faith between artist and patron that the magic of portrait art is conceived. When the artist feels that magic, when they feel the faith of their patron, the belief in their craft, when the artist and the client share that faith, there is no limit to the art that they can create together. That’s the magic!

Photographers sometimes feel the need to educate clients as to how to appreciate finer quality photography. Maybe it is our customer who is educating us in saying “I don’t see the value in quality. I’m willing to take my chances by spending a little less and hoping it will turn out.” Or they’ll try and do it themselves.

Having a digital camera confuses the desire to take pictures with the aptitude to create portraits. It is this attitude that worries professional photographers.

The digital revolution is in its infancy and it’s bound to do some infantile, tasteless things that it will later regret and be embarrassed by. Experienced photographers, and I consider myself in that category, have seen enough fads come and go to know which ones to embrace. They understand it takes a LOT more than a digital camera to create a portrait. Because they understand the difference between pictures and portraits.

A pro studies the million little things their subjects do that shows the world who they are. Professional portraits are created in that magic that doesn’t come with the instructions on a digital camera. It can be technical in using the technique of lighting, posing and other effects but it’s emotion and intuition, talent, skill and experience that tells you when to apply it.

The professional does not confuse taking pictures with making them. Experience is the breeding ground of this ability and talent. It’s this experience that our clients pay for when they come to us. Our experience creates the sensitivity to the client, the practiced art of turning personalities into portraits.

The portrait artist closes their own ego and opens up to their client to create an environment that allows their personality to flow to the lens. That is the experience of making a portrait. That is the art that cannot be replaced by the sheer quantity of images, speed or any piece of technology.

LISTEN TO OTHERS Ask around! Your friends will be glad to share their opinion.

When you come to understand that a well done portrait is truly priceless in that it holds, perhaps more than anything else, the meaning of a man.

When you feel that in a quality portrait you can see the past, the potential, and the personality.

When you appreciate the responsibility of converting these pieces of paper and canvas into the priceless artifacts that are collected and handed down from generation to generation.

When your mother shows you a photograph and says, “This was your grandfather when he was in high school” not “This is a picture of you grandfather in high school.” then you understand the nature of portraiture.

This is what all true portrait artists already believe.

So, while the four elements to consider include asking for price, identifying value, analyzing experience and listening to others, the real value of a portrait is found in your heart.

I believe that a KenMar portrait can influence your life for the better. I create confidence you can hang on your wall.
A look at the philosophy of a portrait artist:


At one time photography was the realm of men who understood physics, mechanics, and chemistry. My dad’s old portrait camera is on display in my front room. It is a huge box with black bellows supported by 4x4s and wheeled on 4′ castors. A mysterious black cloak covered the photographer.

A progression of cameras like the Kodak Brownie, the Instamatic, the 35 mm and the point and shoot lowered the threshold of camera mystery and mastery. Now with digital cameras, the threshold is as flat as the floor you’re standing on.



The history of cameras is not the history of professional portraiture.


Digital cameras give us the illusion that quantity and convenience could increase the possibility of quality; that too many choices and instant gratification could somehow compensate for it. It’s the type of thinking that is so prevalent in the food industry. If you can’t give them good food just give them more food quicker. Look at what that has done for our collective waistline and health. But that’s how capitalism works. You give the market more options and give in to the nature of desire.



The digital camera and the market now attempt to compete with the professional. From the I-can-do-it-too photography wannabes, part-timers and the mass-produced WallMart type, these pressures are eroding the professional’s market. These phenomena have confused the ability to take pictures with the ability to make them.



Experience is the breeding ground that turns talent into ability. It’s this experience that our clients pay for when they come to us. The practiced art creates the sensitivity to the client and turns personalities into portraits. The portrait artist creates an environment that allows personality to bond to canvas and paper. It is the experience of making a portrait that is the art that cannot be replaced by quantity, speed or any piece of technology. There are a million nearly indecipherable things people do to tell you who they are. Our real job is to use our experience to decipher those things and turn them into a portrait. That’s the magic. Knowing how to operate a camera is nothing compared to that.



Those who cannot sense the difference between the things I’ve mentioned will be happy to shop on price alone. Their choices are made simple by their simple minds and needs. Those who can discern those differences are overwhelmed by their choices. Understanding their plight in finding and dealing with us is the key to satisfying these patrons. They keep our art alive. They are precious resources.



A story goes: The artist Picasso was enjoying lunch at a cafe In Paris when a wealthy socialite approached him and insisted that Picasso do a drawing of her. She let him know that money was no object. Picasso obliged the woman immediately by finding a pencil and paper and within three minutes handed the woman a splendid drawing. The woman was delighted and asked Picasso what she owed him. Picasso was a very well known artist by this time and asked several thousand dollars for the piece. Stunned, the woman asked how the artist could charge that much for something that only took him three minutes. Picasso replied, “Madame that drawing took me all my life.”



The portrait artist has only a short time to capture the personality of the subject. Experience is what allows them to do that. In that brief moment, they exchange faith with their patron and create the magic that is portrait art. The artist believes in their creativity when they feel the faith of their subject. When the patron also believes in the magic there is no limit to the priceless art that they can create together.



These portraits are truly priceless in that they hold, perhaps more than anything else, the meaning of a man. In a quality portrait, you can see the past, the potential, and the personality. That is what converts these pieces of paper and canvas into the priceless artifacts that are collected and handed down from generation to generation. When your mother shows you a photograph and says, ” This was your grandfather when he was in high school” and not “This is a picture of your grandfather in high school,” she makes a statement about the nature of portraiture that all portrait artists already believe.

Answers to the most commonly asked questions:
A: Down the hall to the left
Q: Where is the bathroom?
A: The studio is was established in 1954 and named after my parents Ken and Margaret. They’re also the ones who named me Todd.
Q: Why is it called KenMar?
A: What makes KenMar special is a unique combination of time, talent and taste. There’s no substitute for decades of experience and priceless perspective when creating the best value in tasteful, timeless portraits
Q: What makes KenMar special?
A: Every one has a budget so let’s start with the big picture (pun intended) in other words: the range of prices. When you spend more you get more… usually… but everybody likes to save money! That’s why we have no minimums and we have packages which include a 1/2 hour photoshoot, 1 8×10, 5×7, wallets & yearbook photo for only $249. Some clients spend as much as $3000 on finished pictures.
May sessions are 75% and June sessions are 50% off regular prices.
The most expensive isn’t always the best, and the cheapest certainly isn’t always a bargain. You need to go where you feel a comfortable balance of value for cost. Providing great value keeps the art of photography alive and has kept us in business for over half a century.
Q: What is this going to cost?
A: Choosing a creative service like photography is a unique experience. It’s not a product that you pull down off of a shelf. So, how can you trust yourself to recognize better quality portraits worth paying more for?
Quality and value are found in your own sense of good taste. You actually feel good looking at relaxed poses and expressions.
When you visit web sites and take a look at samples, look for variety, poses that look comfortable, backgrounds that enhance the portrait, and most important of all, tell the story of the person in the portrait!
At KenMar it’s all about the person being photographed. It’s the sharing that helps your subject share their personality. These are the qualities that create classic, meaningful, and timeless images.
Q: How can I trust myself to recognize better quality portraits worth paying more for?
A: The experience of being photographed by someone with experience is what turns personality into portraits that you’ll cherish for a lifetime. It’s s a skill, derived from a talent or an interest that takes time to develop.
My experience has seen photographic fads that come and go and as a result I feel better equipped to know which ones to embrace.
By studying my subject I see the million little things that shows the world who they are.
That is the art that cannot be replaced by sheer quantity of images, speed or any piece of technology.
A well done portrait is truly priceless in that it holds, perhaps more than any thing else, the meaning of a man. I strive to create the kind of images where you can see the past, the potential, and the personality.
Q: Why is experience so important?
A: One of the best ways to shop for this service is to ask your friends. KenMar Photography, with its 60 year history, enjoys a good reputation that can be found when talking to those whose taste you share.
Q: What are other ways to shop for photographers?
If you sense the difference here we may be a good fit! Call 920-734-5328 to make your appointment right now!