As a child, I was obsessed with any toys that had moving parts. I loved taking things apart, and I was notorious for not putting them back together. I was also mesmerized by video games – there was something about pushing buttons on a controller and watching images react on the screen that really drew me in.
An early family photo on our farm.
When my dad bought our family’s first digital camera, I was fascinated. This was the kind you put a floppy disk in and could take 36 pictures per disk at 3 megapixels. Quick and easy, no film needed, how cool was that? I filled up a lot of floppy disks with that camera. We lived on a 5-acre property in the country, and there was always work to be done. But I figured out that I could get out of working by being the camera man and documenting other people working – somebody had to do it!
I also remember that my grandfather was really into photography. After he retired from the Marine Corps, he ran his own photography business. Any time I visited, he would make me get dressed up so he could practice taking my portrait. When I was 12, he passed away somewhat suddenly from cancer, before I really got the chance to know him. However, he left behind his beloved Nikon film camera, just in case one of his grandchildren took up an interest in photography.
One of the first photos I took with my Grandpa’s film camera.
Several years passed, and during my senior year of high school I had to complete a “senior project” in order to graduate. I decided it was time to ask for Grandpa’s camera and dive in to the world of photography…and dive in I did. I asked the school photography teacher to tutor me, and immediately I was hooked. While I was learning, I took lots of photos of my little sister and of the beautiful property we lived on.
Climbing a glacier in New Zealand.
After studying photography and business in college, I got a dream job working for a sailboat company in Hawaii. Before I moved there, I bought my first digital SLR camera. I wanted to be ready for all those spectacular Hawaiian sunsets I kept hearing about. Thus began my foray into travel and landscape photography. Since then, I’ve had the chance to travel and take photos in some pretty incredible places – New Zealand, Australia, India and Nepal to name a few. For me, there’s nothing quite like being alone in nature with my camera, capturing the beauty I see. It may be my favorite thing to do in all the world.
This is what my family looks like today!
Over the past few years, I’ve developed a passion for a different type of photography – family photography. It started out casually enough: some friends asked me to take photos of them and their son for Easter. I was surprised when I really enjoyed the time I spent with them, and to top it off, they loved the photos I took! I knew I was on to something. Before long, I was getting referrals and taking photos for several other families as well. I had discovered a joy in photography that I’d never known before. Seeing people react to their photos – smiling, squealing and generally freaking out – fills me up in a pretty incredible way. I love knowing that my photography has brought joy to their life.
I believe there is something special, even sacred about the unity of a family. In my approach to family photography, I try to tell the story of each family in their own unique way. My goal is to emphasize that unity, that “togetherness” that makes a family, well, a family. If your family has a story to tell, then we need to talk!
Kevin Scott Banks Photography
