Fly times with Kevin Fides
Kevin Fides is, in short, a mastermind behind the camera who has a way of looking at the world in a brand new perspective. The vintage mood and desaturated tones of his photos contrast with the new age, modern subjects he captures, and his eye for the distorted finalizes his style in an eye grabbing and unique way.
Working with Kevin is always a learning experience. One of my favorite things about him is the way he directs his models and draws movement and emotion from them without taking away from their character. He's not afraid to do anything he wants his models to do first, and sometimes after shooting with him I feel like I've gotten a mini workout in.
His passion for styling his shoots also makes him stand out. His personal touch is left throughout his photos and it's easy to spot a shot of his from a mile away.
Here's some of my favorite photos from last weekend when we shot in Dallas. It was extremely hard to cut them down because he sent me 63 stunning shots but I tried my best.
Kevin got into photography while hanging out with two of his friends, Saffa and Marwa, who took photos of everything. He never understood what appealed to them about being behind them camera until he decided to give it a try one day. He was hooked.
"After that I was taking photos with my phone everyday, nonstop. It was like the flu, I couldn't stop," Kevin says. "So for four years straight I took pictures everyday with my phone until two and a half years ago, when I got my first DSLR and my whole view and perspective on photography was changed."
"The fact that I could shoot at night and have clear shots as well as the bokeh I could achieve just really enthralled me with photography even more," Kevin says.
"Last year at around this time I was frustrated with my style and I just had to change it," he says. "So I decided I really loved fashion and I started reaching out to people until I reached out to Lindsey. That was the first time I had a say in what people wore! That shoot inspired me even more so I'd watch a bunch of fashion shows, read a bunch of fashion magazines. From that shoot onward I dictated what people wore and sometimes even bought stuff for shoots (eventually to the point that my closet was filled with women's wear). As time went on my style changed and developed the more I shot and styles shoots."
Kevin describes his style and photos as having "a warm, desaturated and moody vibe with an editorial twist to them."
He also has some advice to offer to other creatives and aspiring photographers. "Try not to seek too much perfection in your work, as I feel like that limits creativity by thinking that a photo has to be a certain way to be good, which is not the case."
This last picture is his favorite (as well as my mom's, lol)
"I like this one because it's powerful! The stance has attitude and the low angle emphasizes the power pose and make the subject longer," Kevin explains. "Also, shooting it by caution tape and cones was necessary because they acted as leading lines."
Check out Kevin on Instagram and Twitter! And book him for all of your shoots because he's amazing.
(Also, the striped shirt is Brandy Melville, jeans are from Hollister but I think discontinued, and the jacket, sweater and boots are all thrifted!)