Kenvin Pinardy

Love it or hate it, Photoshop has changed photography forever. Far from just replicating traditional wet darkroom work, Photoshop gave photographers options that Ansel Adams could never have dreamed of (that may not be true, Ansel was a future-thinking kind of guy). Textures, cloning, layers, masks, all give photographers a whole new set of tools to create their photographic visions.

Kenvin Pinardy is an Indonesian photographer who has been making images for a relatively short four years. But in that time, he has created a very beautiful and unique style of portraiture. His use of Photoshop to enhance his images and emphasize his subjects is the envy of many who are interested in this style of photography. Kenvin was nice enough to answer a few questions about his images and methods.

Your portraits have a very stylized “fantasy” look to them. What draws you to this look? Why not just make straight portrait images?

KENVIN: Photography became a hobby of mine in 2004. In the beginning I concentrated mainly on macro and still life images. In 2005 I started to do portrait photography. At that time I tried to learn as much as possible by looking at other portrait images on the Internet. Initially, I preferred a more classic style of photography. I don’t find what I would describe as “classic style” images to be boring, but I am bored by “straight” portrait images. I started working to create my own style that was classically based, but dreamy and dark. I always try to give my photos that feeling, and to create photos with my own unique style, rather than following the style of others. Digital photography has really helped me to create photos that align with my imagination.

Your work takes advantage of a lot of Photoshop post-processing. Without giving away any secrets, what tools and/or filters do you make use of to achieve the look of your images?

KENVIN: It may seem like I use a lot of post-processing in my photos, but I very seldom change the actual situation, I just make it more dramatic. I use PS C3 in editing my photos, I never use any plug-in to make the photos more dramatic. I often use a pattern for the background like wood, old wall, sand, old paper etc. Usually I set the background darker than the subject to make the subject appear more exposed. After that I fine-tune with the color balance, channel mixer or filter settings.

How did you learn your post-processing skills? What advice would you give photographers who wish to increase their skill and perhaps learn to make their own stylized images?

KENVIN: 4.5 years ago I didn’t know anything about Photoshop. I learned from photography forums and friends. One of the most important things I learned was to use a new layer in every step. By using layers, you don’t need to start over from the beginning if you make a mistake. I still learn by trial and error. I think that post-processing can make good photo look even better, but it cannot make a bad photo look good, meaning, if the photo itself is bad in term composition, angle etc, it won’t look good no matter how much you edit it in Photoshop.

My suggestion for photographers who would like to create their own stylized images, is to first learn as much as they can about basic photography. They can also improve their technique by looking at other photos and learning about composition, angle, etc. to make their own photos more interesting. By looking at other photos, they can learn about their own preferences, and decide which techniques to incorporate into their own photography. Choose some favorite photographers and learn their style, then use what you have learned to create your own unique style.

How much planning goes into each image? Do you work with an idea in mind beforehand?

KENVIN: For fashion and modeling photos, I start out with a concept in mind and choose the right location in advance. I then edit the photos accordingly. Many times, however, I find a new inspiration or even a new style during the editing process.

Your images are primarily portraits. Do you enjoy other types of photography as well? What dream project would you most like to be able to work on if given the chance?

KENVIN: I also really enjoy landscape photography.

Some Examples of Kenvin’s Work

Kenvin Pinardy

Canon EOS 30D, 1/400s, f/8.0 I took this photo at Kintamani Lake, Bali. At the time, I was taking pre-wedding photos for a client, and happened to see some boys playing in the lake. This photo looks unique because it looks like the boy is jumping into the lake by himself, but actually he jumped from his shoulders of his friend. In post-processing, I increased the contrast to make the surrounding area appear darker.

Kenvin Pinardy

Canon EOS 30D, 1/1000s, f/2.8 This is a candid photo I took at Sunda Kelapa port, Jakarta during Islamic New Year.

Kenvin Pinardy

Canon EOS 300D, 1/400s, f/2.0 This is a photo of an old building in central Jakarta. In post-processing, I changed the tone and make it appear darker.

Kenvin Pinardy

Canon EOS 5D + housing sea & sea, 1/125s, f/7.1 Underwater fashion photo shot at a pool. Post-processing, I added bush image layer for a more artistic look.

Kenvin Pinardy

Canon EOS 30D, 1/80s, f/6.3 This photo was for the cover of a wedding magazine. It was taken at Sentul, Jawa Barat. In post-processing, I swapped the color in half of the photo using the channel mixer to give an autumn effect, and the blur tool to create a dreamy look.

Kenvin Pinardy

Canon EOS 30D, 1/400, f8.0 This photo is of children in Bali playing with the national flag. All I did was increase the contrast in post-processing to make it appear darker.

Links

• Kenvin Pinardy’s member page
• Kenvin Pinardy’s gallery page

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