KEVIN LOWERY UNRAVELED: AN INTERVIEW.
Kevin Lowery is the husband to a dashing and handsome teacher named Robbin, and a father to a chatty, train-obsessed toddler, Grey. He is located in Atlanta but travels often-- always looking for inspiration along the way. He shoots mainly lifestyle family, couples, and wedding photography, as well as anyone that he can find an emotional connection with. With that said, we are incredibly inspired by Kevin's intimate male portraiture work. He has labeled this project, Skin Like Dawn and it is the most honest, sensual and raw work we have ever seen created to exemplify the vulnerability and beauty of men. We truly believe that Kevin is changing the way we will view men forever with this project. He is awakening us to the idea that men are vulnerable and sensual creatures, just like women. His honesty and vision proves that he is not only an incredible photographer but that he is a catalyst of change.
Kevin has taught 3 amazing courses for our Academy, in addition to being a speaker/instructor at our annual retreat. We are very pleased to announce the release of his most recent Course, co-written with Cassandra Zetta Niehaus, called Working With LGBTQ2SIA+ Clients in an Ethical, Kind Way. Click HERE to view the Course description and join us today!
Link's to be inspired by Kevin:
What inspires your art? Emotion and vulnerability inspires my work. I love getting in deep with folks and learning about who they are. Not just things on the surface - I love really getting to know every person I photo.
What do you shoot with? Camera body and favorite lens? I shoot with my beloved (beat to hell) Nikon D750 and Nikkor 35mm 1.4 Lens. I used to be a Sigma fan, but I’m all Nikon now. We can chat about that sometime if you’d like. :)
What other ways do you express your creativity? My Skin Like Dawn Project was actually started as way to express myself in a different way than my wedding/couples work just so that I wouldn’t burn out. My Skin Like Dawn shoots are almost always for me. Outside of photography though I spend a lot of time each week playing piano. I have a degree in music, and my main instrument is piano.
How do you de-stress at the end of the day? Lots of beer? HAHA. Really though, my most common end of day destress routine involves cuddling on the couch with my husband, cold beer in hand, and some sort of movie or TV. Usually “The Office”.
What kind of music do you listen to while editing? I usually choose music that puts me in the right headspace for the shoot. For weddings something lovey or upbeat. For Skin Like Dawn shoots, something introspective and thoughtful. Right now I’m listening to my favorite 90s playlist because it makes me feel nostalgic for my childhood.
What is your favorite book? My favorite book is The Alchemist. My favorite line in the whole book is “The secret of life, though, is to fall seven times and to get up eight times.”
Name one movie that inspires you. Can I be a cheeseball for one minute? My favorite movie is “My Best Friend’s Wedding” and I watch it every time I’m down. I remember watching this movie with my best friend Drew for his first time seeing it. He said, “Kevin, this movie is terrible. Why do you even like this?!” Other than the fact that’s a delicious guilty pleasure rom-com? For me, it’s not about how Julia Roberts’s character didn’t get the man she thought she wanted. It’s about leaning into awkward feelings, owning those feelings, being vulnerable, and loving yourself despite the mess.
How do you handle self-doubt or creative slumps? I watch "My Best Friend’s Wedding”. Ha! In all seriousness though, something Brene Brown describes a lot in her writing is how I handle self-doubt and bad feelings around creativity. When you’re feeling bad about yourself or your work, it’s really easy to do a lot of damage to ourselves in the privacy of our minds. Something Brene talks about is leaning into discomfort instead of bypassing it. Learning to sit in you own awkwardness and bad feelings is hard, but whenever I’m feeling self doubt I take time to lean into them and think about why I’m feeling those things. It almost always helps me make a plan to fix what I’m worried about, and I emerge from the whole interaction a better artist. And I love myself a little bit more.
Who is one of your favorite photographers? One of my favorite photographers ever (in the intimate male portrait genre) is Travis Chantar because photos are so expressive and unique. GO CHECK HIM OUT (@chantar on Instagram.)
