Ken Benoit

Welcome to my page on PurplePort, where I post my studio and model photography.

I'm a passionate amateur photographer, in the sense of French word as someone who has a deep love of photography, rather than in the sense of being new to an activity or unskilled in it. I have taken the occasional commission for portraits or even a music album cover, but currently photography for me is a passion rather than a profession.

Interests and styles

I primarily interested in capturing the human form and its interaction with lighting. I favour images where the subject dominates the photo and the backgrounds provide a setting but tend to be minimal. Low-key images are one of my favourite styles, and of late I love wrapping the subject and often the background in colour using gels. I tend to be very precise about lighting configurations and think about these a great deal before and after a shoot.

Some of my favourite things to shoot are:
- models with curly hair (of any colour but especially red)
- lithe or athletic poses
- models with tatoos and other interesting and unique features
- bodyscapes and art nudes

This is not all that I shoot, but it is all that I post here. I dabble in street photography too but prefer shooting portraits and tasteful nudes. I am not interested in adult shoots but I feel that a tinge of eroticism can make any subject more interesting, although this depends a lot on the model's look and intent, the lighting and setting.

Statement on integrity

Getting to know the photographic community, especially models, studio owners, and fellow photographers has been one of the most rewarding parts of my passion for photography.

Integrity is extremely important to me, as a photographer and in life generally. I consider it a privilege to take someone's likeness in a photograph and want only to portray them in the most flattering and interesting way possible. I am in the habit of sharing my images with models following a shoot and only post those that the model feels are a good reflection of themselves. I also consider respect for everyone involved in a shoot very seriously, foremost the model but also a studio owner and fellow photographers, if present. I think the feedback I have received below reflects this well. I use my real name because I feel that if I needed to conceal my identity from friends or colleagues my day job, then either I need to reconsider my hobby or reconsider my friends and colleagues.

I tend edit my images only lightly, mostly related to exposure settings, but never to significantly alter a model's appearance. I see nothing wrong with cropping, which I do frequently. I will often remove distracting elements from a background (or foreground) such as the leg of a light stand.

Working with me

If you like my images and might wish to work with me, send me a note. I believe that models fully deserve to be paid for what I know requires talent and hard work. I am also happy to collaborate on a TFP basis.

I have a small basement studio in central London and lots of lighting equipment, although I more frequently shoot in professional studios, on location, and even at the model's home or home studio when requested.

I love shooting people new to modelling or who might want a few portraits. While not portrayed here, I have taken the occasional commission for portraits, especially environmental portraits, in the subject's own setting, on location, or in my basement home studio. If you are interested in a shoot with me, feel free to send me a message or add me to a "people I'd like to work with" list.

Find out more

I am in Instagram as @portraitgeous and have a website that I am constantly seeking to improve at https://www.kenbenoit.photos.

I hope that you enjoy my portfolio.