Hidden Gems: Meet Kevin Snyder of Kevin Snyder Photography

Today we’d like to introduce you to Kevin Snyder.

Hi Kevin, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
My photography story started in 1975 when I was 5 years old sitting on my grandfather’s lap, reading National Geographic magazines. I was captivated by the graphic photos and stories of strange new worlds. It was here that I began my dream to travel the world and take photos for a living. This fascination continued through high school and into college.

After graduating from RIT in Photography Management, my love for outdoor adventures brought me to Boulder. I started my career working for a variety of photo studios and labs as well as running my own freelance photography company on the side. Wanting to make a positive difference in the world, my combined love for the outdoors and photography led me to get an MS in Environmental Education from the Audubon Education Institute.

With my environmental pedagogy firmly rooted and my camera at hand, I began working for local nonprofits, directing outdoor programs, camps, and environmental educational experiences. For over a decade, I thrived in the creative process of managing programs and partnering with multi-sector organizations. During this time, I also started teaching photography at the high school level and became inspired to lead private workshops and photography excursions.

Then in my 40s, I decided to stop working in the nonprofit world and launched KSP, Kevin Snyder Photography, as a full-time endeavor. This May will mark my 10th anniversary of KSP. To say, I have found my muse is a gross understatement. Working with individuals, families, businesses, and municipalities, I love capturing people’s most important moments in life. Fulfilled both personally and professionally, I get to travel while bringing people’s love, joy, and good work into focus.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Smooth road? Yes and no! Like many others in the workforce, I have had to navigate working for little pay, an abundance of responsibilities, and sometimes inadequate, unsupportive leadership. Always keeping my passions in the forefront, I found working for nonprofits and corporations very rewarding on one hand, but limiting in many other ways. Ultimately, I have felt blessed throughout my career in my being able to do what I love, either in leading programs or running my own business.

Having an independent, entrepreneurial spirit has helped keep my motivations close to the vests, if you will. Yet like all things, it comes with a price. Choosing my hours, making my own decisions, and creating a photography company that I feel proud of has been my lifelong dream. However, not having a guaranteed paycheck and income source month to month can be very stressful in the lean times. Plus, a lack of supported retirement funds and health benefits might have something to say about it in the long run. To this day though, I believe the ups of running my own business have far outweighed the downs.

Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?

Kevin Snyder Photography was founded with the desire to bring people’s most important moments to life. Working across all areas of our community, we specialize in lifestyle portraits and special events with an expertise in outdoor experiences.

Working with businesses, organizations, and municipalities, we offer captivating images that bring their brand, people, programs, and special events to life. Though our client list has included big brands like the NFL, Shark Tank, and USA Olympics, we generally specialize in more localized businesses that want to rebrand and share their visual story with the world. Ideally, we strive to work with companies that are making a positive difference in our communities, so a lot of nonprofits, good causes, and charities along with lifestyle portraits of businesses and individuals wanting to improve their image profiles and marketing materials.

Most recently, we have enjoyed working alongside vacation destinations and resorts to create visual advertising and media campaigns. We also cherish our growing work with performing art centers, capturing their shows and lessons while crafting professional portraits of their stakeholders.

On the more personal side of the lens, KSP focuses on people’s love stories, families, and Colorado lifestyle pursuits. Crafting epic proposals, engagements and portraits in the city, on a mountaintop, or in the splendors of the outdoors is one of our greatest pleasures.

For over thirty years, we have photographed families and individuals pursuing their favorite activities in life. With a personal and professional passion for our natural surroundings, we can recommend countless outdoor settings for stunning portraits and dramatic lifestyle imagery. Of course, we want to be there when it matters most, so you can trust us to craft heartfelt memories for any of life’s milestone moments.

Moving into the future, we are planning on starting a Photo PortraitTour Division that offers guided experiences and professional portraits along the Front Range, throughout Colorado and around the globe.

Have you learned any interesting or important lessons due to the COVID-19 crisis?
Yes, Covid has reinforced our love of being outside and the importance of spending time with family and friends. A funny story for me is that during Covid, I could only take photos outdoors, keeping a safe and appropriate distance. First, it started with outdoor engagements and families on porches, then restrictions began to lift it was all dating profiles and maternity sessions. Either they were lonely or getting busy! Then once all restrictions were removed and people felt more comfortable getting together, big family gatherings and work events were happening as much as possible.

Pricing:

• Lifestyle and branding sessions start at $500 and come with an online gallery hub filled with all the edited high resolution images and a place to share, download, favorite and purchase professional photo prints and custom keepsakes.

Contact Info:

• Website: kevinsnyderphotography.us
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kevinsnyderphotography/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kevinsnyderphotography/about?viewas=100000686899395
• Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/kevinsnyderphotography

Image Credits
Kevin Snyder Photography