Kevin Neilson Photography
Corporate and family photographer in the San Francisco Bay Area
Spring Break
Posted on March 22, 2020
Cooped up.
Must create something.
Anything, here’s a concept piece—
A photo essay on spring break in the time of COVID-19.
Isolation
Suspicion
Disorientation
Resignation
Asphyxiation
When shelter in place is well behind us, contact me for kids, teens, couples, family, and corporate photography in the Bay Area. Subscribe to my newsletter for updates, offers, and inspiration.
Simply Jack
Posted on February 25, 2020
Meet Jack, Jack Beckwith.
He’s the Founder and Creative Director at The DataFace.
There’s one thing I enjoy most about photographing business pros.
I get to ask them any question I want—and learn just how interesting they are.
Who is your favorite writer?
I’d say Michael Lewis. As a sports nut and aspiring data scientist, Moneyball proved a perfect introduction to his work back in the mid-2000s. But what I admire most about Lewis’s writing is his ability to take a mundane subject and somehow make it captivating for the reader. His latest book, The Fifth Risk, is no exception. It’s about government bureaucracy and somehow I couldn’t put it down.
What’s one of the most beautiful places you’ve ever visited?
Bryce National Park has to be near the top of my list. I’ve been twice — once with my family in eighth grade and again with some college friends during our spring break my senior year. The hoodoos are just magical, especially in the afternoon sun. I have some wonderful memories hiking the trails there with my dad.
By this time next year, what do you want to have achieved?
I’m hoping to run a half marathon at some point in 2020. I’ve been a runner for more than a decade at this point, dating back to the days of high school cross-country. But since I tore my ACL last April, I’ve had a tough time getting back into the habit of running. So I made it a goal to train for a race this year and set a PR. And what better way to set a new PR than to run a distance I’ve never officially raced before?
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Stranger Scenes
Posted on January 22, 2020
January, 2020.
San Francisco, Maiden Lane.
I was hired to photograph staff in the City.
Everything went swimmingly.
Results were fantastic.
Look here.
But the shot list was short.
In 17 minutes, we were done.
Except I wasn’t.
I still wanted to shoot.
So I plunked down two chairs in the street.
I set up shop and waited.
I didn’t wait long.
I saw someone interesting.
I want to photograph you, I said.
Are you game?
He sized me up in a hurry.
Absolutely, he said, with enthusiasm.
We hung out for five minutes.
That’s all it took.
When he left, I waited more.
I saw someone else who was intriguing.
Pleasantries were exchanged.
Then we got to work.
All told, I photographed three strangers.
And I loved every minute of it.
I’m now addicted to street portrait photography in a big way.
2020 has a new theme for my work.
I ardently hope that clients—corporate, family, or solo professionals—
Hire me for precisely this style and approach of photography.
It’s now part of my repertoire.
So please keep me in mind.
Now let’s go shoot!
Contact me for kids, teens, couples, family, and corporate photography in the Bay Area. Subscribe to my newsletter for updates, offers, and inspiration.
Strong Young Women
Posted on September 3, 2019
Labor Day weekend.
Salmon Lake.
Cloudless.
I’m with friends.
Lots of them.
I’ve known them a long time.
We’ve seen our kids start small and go big.
Smiles are great.
But eyes are better.
They’re tough as hell to fake.
Eyes scream reality:
We take no shit from nobody.
Not in high school.
Not in college.
Never.
Contact me for kids, teens, couples, family, and corporate photography in the Bay Area.
Adobe: Picture Perfect
Posted on August 27, 2019
Overwhelming gratitude.
That’s how I feel when I photograph at Adobe.
Oh, happy, too, of the bursting variety.
So much to say about this set.
But the images themselves will have to do the talking.
I’m at a loss for words…
Contact me for kids, teens, couples, family, and corporate photography in the Bay Area.
Eyes like Exotic Insects
Posted on July 10, 2018
A neighbor’s niece was visiting from out of town.
We were introduced.
Hello.
Hi.
Your eyes, I said.
Yeah, I know, she replied.
They’re amazing.
Yeah, I know.
Confidence, you got to love it.
Can I take your picture, I asked.
Yeah.
Great.
In the shade of our backyard,
She sat in front of the side of our house,
Which was brightly illuminated behind her.
I went high key with the 85mm
And got lots of fun-interesting shots in minutes,
Like this one, slightly playful…
…and this one, brightly astonished…
…and then this one, exotic eyes edged with reptilian intensity.
Notice how the taupe background on the left
And the green background on the right
Pool in her irises like an estuary,
Where a brown river meets an emerald sea.
Love it when that happens.
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Climb On
Posted on June 15, 2018
When I pack my camera, Gavin says, Leave it behind.
But I don’t.
When I pull it out like a rabbit from a hat, Gavin says, Put it away.
But I ignore him.
I don’t photograph him because that would be annoying.
But once in a while, Gavin will say, Hey, dad, take a picture of me,
As he did here, having climbed to the top of a large rock formation,
Between Lovers and Divorce beaches in Cabo.
I said, Smile.
And I said it again and then once more because all good things comes in threes.
Wisely, he decided to look indifferent and accomplished.
And I didn’t throw away my shot.
