Photographer Kendra Elise
By Janelle Stear
Photos Submitted
When Kendra Connally graduated from Capital High School, she knew she wanted to pursue a career in photography. She earned an Associate’s Degree from Boston’s New England School of photography before moving to Atlanta, Georgia. Kendra shares, “If you really want something you have to be willing to face your fears of the unknown.” She started her own photography business and never looked back.
Weddings & Tintypes Portraits
Mostly known for her work as a wedding photographer, and noted in numerous bridal magazines, Kendra prefers art that reveals the inner essence of a person or place. While living in Atlanta, Kendra learned tintype: an antiquated process from the late 1800s that is quickly becoming more popular with artists. This tintype, or a wet plate melainotype image, is an old-fashioned way to develop photos with a vintage look; picture in your mind aged portraits where no one is smiling.
Different galleries and photograph magazines have recognized her for her work in tintype pop-up portraits: the Kiernan Gallery in Virginia, the Blackbox Gallery in Portland, and the Modern Hotel in Boise.
Sharing Her Passion
Kendra has been living back in Idaho for the last five years. She continues to astound clients with her unique touch. She enjoys attending different artist conventions, such as the Treasure Valley Tattoo Convention in Boise. Kendra offers a pop-up booth where she will set up her small dark room, camera, and lights to take your portrait. Each printed portrait is a 4×5 image for $50.
Artistic Aspirations
Kendra’s current ambition is to create a mobile art gallery in a classic bus once she finished her photography book that depicts unique landscapes from around Idaho.
In some of her landscape pieces, the blurred shadows and haunting depths makes some of her images, like that of Robie Creek outside of Boise and Pettit Lake near Ketchum, appear right out of an eerie movie. The underexposed, tintype process makes the viewer feel as though they have stepped back in time a hundred years. The dark shadows of trees in the foreground contrast with lighter background images of water and mountains; one could imagine a frightening monster rising out of the seemingly still freshwater. With halted breath, you feel the hairs on your arms rise and heart race from looking at one of Kendra’s breathtaking tintype landscapes. She admits, “I love the textual depth to tintypes and want to capture the ethereal essence or mood in a place. When you use tintype, you get a more messy or more human-error result that shows an unique perspective.”
Mobile Art
Kendra is someone who is doing what she loves to do: sharing her artistic eye with others. She admits, “I am a huge supporter of art, not just in a gallery, but art as a moving, human connecting experience. It is important to bring art to unexpected places, as art should be accessible to everyone.”
Find Kendra on Instagram: wet_plates. Visit her website to see her wedding portfolio: Kendra-elise.com. Contact her directly via her email: hellokendraelise@gmail.com.
