Today we’d like to introduce you to James Kittendorf.
Every artist has a unique story. Can you briefly walk us through yours?
I first took an interest in photography when I was about 14 years old. My mom got me a Kodak Cameo 35mm film camera to take with me on an eighth-grade class trip to Washington, D.C. After that, I shot for my high school yearbook, became an assistant for the school photography instructor and learned how to develop black and white film and, even though I wasn’t getting graded for the course like the other students, I still completed the photo assignments to help improve my photography.
I shot my first wedding for a co-worker’s daughter in 2010 when I was living in northern Michigan. It was a bit stressful, having never shot a wedding before, but mostly it was a lot of fun. At the time we were all happy with the photos, however, my photography style has definitely evolved since then.
Now I live and work in Chicago but I’ve been fortunate in that my photography has taken my work all over the world. I’ve photographed everything from weddings in Switzerland to shelter dogs in the Turks and Caicos Islands. It’s sometimes difficult to call photography a ‘job’ when you’re doing what you love.
Please tell us about your art.
My art is primarily wedding photography. I want my clients to look at their photos and be able to vividly remember that day in their lives and even more importantly, be able to remember how they felt on that day.
What do you think about conditions for artists today? Has life become easier or harder for artists in recent years? What can cities like ours do to encourage and help art and artists thrive?
Take the time to create art for yourself. It’s hard to make the leap from working a 9-5 job to full-time artist and in my opinion, there is nothing wrong with doing both as long as you carve out the time to do what you love.
How or where can people see your work? How can people support your work?
My work can be found on my website, and social media as well as occasionally published in some wedding magazines.
Instagram: @jk_photoworks
facebook.com/jkphotoworks
https://modernweddings.com/2014/09/jk-photoworks-wedding-photography-with-a-personal-touch/
Contact Info:
- Website: www.jkphotoworks.com
- Phone: 517-303-6913
- Email: james@jkphotoworks.com
- Instagram: @jk_photoworks
- Facebook: facebook.com/jkphotoworks
- Twitter: @JK_Photoworks
Getting in touch: VoyageChicago is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
