About Kevyn
Hello, and welcome to my “introduction to Kevyn” page. This is where I get to tell you a little about who I am and why I might (or might not) be the right choice for your photography needs. You owe it to yourself to find a photographer who is technically competent, who has an artistic vision that excites your imagination, and has a personality which you find a joy to be around.
For the sake of this discussion I’ll assume that you are looking for someone to do your engagement, bridal and wedding photography. (If you’re looking for info on boudoir, maternity, child or family portrait photography, follow along – you won’t be left out, promise!)
Let’s start with a quick overview of some my work. After all, if you don’t like my vision, there’s no real use wasting your time further. So invest a few minutes and watch the video below of some photographs I took during an engagement session (come on now, no cheating, watch the video and crank up your speakers!):
Wow, weren’t they a truly lovely couple? Now let me ask you after viewing the video, and please answer honestly, did that video stir any emotions in you, even though you’ve never met the couple? If you did not find the images compelling, if the story of their mutual love and passion for each other seemed sappy and boring, then I am probably not a good choice for you.
The first thing you should know about me is the fact that behind a redneck exterior I am a sappy, hopeless romantic. You see, I am married to Cindy, the most wonderful woman I have ever met, and the second greatest blessing God has given me. After a quarter century of marriage she is still my girlfriend, and I am more in love with her every day. We have about six barn cats (depending on the time of day when you count), five horses, four kids, three vehicles, two horse trailers and a dog. Because of my amazing wife, I have a very high view of love, marriage, babies and family life. I love teenagers and am actively involved in our church’s youth group and summer Rodeo Bible Camp (I mentioned I leaned redneck, right?)
I’m a lover of my God, my wife and my family, and that love colors my vision. I believe in the intrinsic value of every person and in the sanctity of every marriage. I see life through love colored glasses, and that necessarily affects my photography. That’s why my favorite photographic opportunity is weddings.
OK, let me go down a quick bunny trail (I do this a lot – bear with me). I was at a professional photography one-night seminar with about 50 pro photographers in attendance. The wildly successful portrait studio photographer who was teaching the class asked the question “How many of you would quit photographing weddings if you could?” I was the ONLY one who didn’t raise my hand! In defense of the other 49 photographers, wedding photography is very stressful for even the best photographers. You have to consistently “nail it” every time. There’s no chance for a reshoot. If you botch a wedding, your career and livelihood can be ended. I share this with you so you’ll realize that many (perhaps most) wedding photographers really do NOT want to be photographing your wedding! They do it to make ends meet (and they generally do it with very high levels of quality and professionalism, which is why you would never know they would rather be shooting landscapes). Given the high stress, you can hopefully understand why.
But if you recall, I was the only one who didn’t raise his hand. I photograph weddings because I want to! I’ve got a really cool M-F day job (I’m a CBIP-M certified Sr. Business Intelligence Architect) and don’t have to count on photography income to put food on the table. In fact, there’s nothing I’d rather do than photograph the wedding of a couple whom I developed a friendship with.
I look at photographing a wedding like a bee looks at a honeycomb. Man what a sweet opportunity! To be around a couple who is fun, authentically in love with each other, excited to be running headlong into their future, WOW, I can’t imagine a more fun place to be with my cameras! There’s no better place to practice my art! I get the chance to tell the story of the pinnacle of their love to the children of their unborn children through the magic of photography!
When you hire me, you’re not buying wedding photography, you’re hiring Kevyn. You’re hiring an artist who’s a hopeless romantic who wants to use the technology of digital photography to forever visually preserve the freshness and vibrance of your personal history: the day your two lives became one! You’re hiring someone who wants to see you not as a client or a “booking” but as friends. I want to get to know you better so I can better capture this precious pivotal moment of your lives. You’re hiring someone who will create images with the purpose of evoking emotions and immortalizing the story of your love.
Obviously, I’m not the right choice for everyone, and likewise, not every engaged couple is a right fit for me. If you are the poster child for the Bridezilla TV show, mmm, nope, sorry, not a good fit. I’m looking for couples who are full of life, full of passion, people who want their wedding day to be FUN. My wedding was so hectic and rushed, all Cindy and I remember is an endless swirl of activity with no downtime; we had no time to ourselves the whole day. I learned from my own wedding, the weddings I’ve photographed, and some other amazing photographers how to plan weddings so they are more memorable and enjoyable for the bride and groom. (And you get better photographs in the bargain!) I want to serve people who are willing to consider breaking with some traditions to enable their special day to be as stress free as possible. I’m looking for people who place higher value on the things that are profound and lasting, and not the things that are transient and soon forgotten.
And if you are not getting married (see, I haven’t forgotten about you!), but are wanting a visual history of your children or family, a love story to give your child about when you were pregnant with them, or capturing the excitement of your last year in high school, I promise to bring the same passion and pursuit of excellence to your unique situation that I do to engagements, bridals and weddings.
If you feel we may be a fit, please contact me. My phone number is 936-355-3015. Better yet, email me at Kevyn@SchneiderWeddings.com.
Oh, and by the way, I am technically savy, not a slouch. I studied 7 years majoring in photography in both my undergrad and graduate work at Sam Houston State University, one of the finest photography programs in the Southern US at the time. I am highly trained in the classic techniques of photography, even having physics (light & optics concentration) as one of my minors. I even have experience creating holograms, 3 dimensional images captured on emulsion-covered glass plates created using lasers. I have worked professionally as a printer, a pro-level photo lab manager, as well as working in both commercial and in portrait/wedding studios before morphing into a full-time IT alpha-geek. As a wedding photographer working with my mentor Pam Stoll, we mainly photographed large weddings for the social elite and were considered the high-end photographers of our community. I have re-entered the field of wedding photography because I have missed it; I truly enjoy photographing weddings. If you have actually read this far, there’s a really good chance we’re a really good fit. I want to use my extensive classical training, practical experience and artistic passion to document your unique love and your all-important wedding.
I’m an active member of the Professional Photographers of America (PPA) and the Texas Professional Photographers Association (TPPA).
