Featured Photographer - Kesha Lambert

I am a New York based wedding and event photographer and attorney admitted to practice in NY. North Carolina born, raised in the Bronx, NY, my parents are Jamaican, which makes me a proud “Jamerican.” I love light, movement, color and emotion and often incorporate these elements in my work. I am a wife to an awesome husband and mom of 3 incredibly brilliant and funny boys; including a set of twins.

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HOW DID YOU GET STARTED IN PHOTOGRAPHY?

Photography has been an interest since childhood. I’d break out the point and shoot and use my friends as test models every chance I got. Throughout college, law school and legal career, photography was always there first as a hobby and later more. There was no brave decision to leave the legal field and no formal plan to start a photography business. My husband and I were expecting twins, living in the suburbs with our then 4 year old son and seemingly out of nowhere I was downsized out of a job. My upbringing was such that education was everything; get an education and a profession, get a job, live your life. After losing my job at such a vulnerable time in my life, my way of thinking changed. It occured to me that working for an entity and being gainfully employed was no more secure than being an entrepreneur. It occured to me that having a career doing something that I absolutely love doing is not some unattainable dream. Opportunities began to open up for me in photography and I began to be more deliberate about learning the craft and putting what I learned in to practice. The short version of the story is that the experience of abruptly going from a 2 income household to 1, and simultaneously from a family of 3 to a family of 5 changed my perspective. After a few years having dual photography and legal careers, I decided to commit to photography full time and here I am today.

HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOUR STYLE?

40% timeless, 60% risky, 100% passion. If I had to choose buzz words to describe my work, I’d say it’s upbeat, sultry, fashion influenced, and personal. I don’t follow a formula but I believe in gently pushing limits and often have someone or something moving in an image.

WHAT DO YOU LOOK FOR IN AN IMAGE?

Light, personality, use of space, perspective and something fresh. Weddings in particular have common threads, rituals and formalities that in many instances repeat across all weddings. So I am constantly aiming to capture this formality that happens at every wedding in a new way. I want to convey this person’s hilarious obsession with math puns in an image. My goal is to give the viewer a little window in to who people are and to approach each assignment with a fresh perspective.

WHAT INSPIRES OR MOTIVATES YOU?

My children motivate me. They are the battery in my back and I want to provide for them, be an example to them and inspire them to be creators. For my work, people inspire me. I observe and study the people that I work with. How I choose to pose people, and how I document a wedding day is very much about the hints and cues that I pick up from people; their quirks, their moods, the way they interact with each other, their style. I am inspired by fashion, although I am not much of a risk taker in the fashion department (I wear all black everything all the time). I am also inspired by the art of fashion and what people choose to wear.

WHAT CHALLENGES YOU?

I am an introvert who absorbs and feels people’s emotional stuff as if it’s my own. People fascinate me and I love being where the action is happening but I’ve learned that I need to carve out time to refuel after working large events.

WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE MOMENT OF A WEDDING?

Hands down the getting ready portion of the day. I find it to be the most unscripted part of the day and energy, nerves and excitement are at their peak.

OF ALL YOUR IMAGES, DO YOU HAVE A FAVORITE ONE?

There is an image of a bride and 2 bridesmaids (below) that, throughout my continued development as a photographer, I keep choosing to include in my portfolio. I suppose my actions hint that this image might be a favorite. But as Imogen Cunningham would say “Which of my photographs is my favorite? The one I’m going to take tomorrow.”

ANYTHING ELSE WE SHOULD KNOW ABOUT KESHA?

I have one face for all of the emotions. Excited, confused, elated; one face, maybe two tops. I always have no less than 20 browser tabs open at a time; literally on my laptop and symbolically in my mind. I secretly love playing with Lego more than my boys.

TELL US ABOUT DVLOP

My friend Jide Alakija introduced me to DVLOP. His Zauberchroma collection was set to be released and although I had long been anti preset, a product recommendation from Jide was compelling. I have tried so many presets but have never found any that fit my editing style. Using DVLOP has definitely improved my workflow. The most significant impact DVLOP has had on my process is consistency and speed. I have a quick editing starting point with these presets and my images look more cohesive. I have Jide’s Zauberchroma, Davina + Daniel’s Passages and Two Mann Studios’ Mystical Potions collections.