Behind the Camera

Welcome to Ken’s Portrait Photography. I am so happy that you are here. 

About Me

Hi, I am Ken Clough, the owner and founder of Ken’s Portrait Photography. I am a lifelong photographer and educator. As an educator, I have created new knowledge and educated so many students. As a photographer, I have created award-winning images for so many satisfied clients.

In both the education and photography, I use the same approach. I want to get to know you, find out want your interests are and create something new with you. I keep you informed of what we will be doing and how we will reach our common goal, and of course, get your input and ideas in the creative process. 

Personal learning and education has been an important part of my life. I earned my doctorate in educational administration at the Univerity at Albany. I am member of the Professional Photographers of America, and the Professional Photographer Society of New York State because I want to continuously learn how to improve the artistry and craft of my photography. 

I volunteer because I believe that giving back to your community is important. I share my education, administrative, artistic, and photography talents with various community groups. 

Photographic Beginnings 

I began shooting pictures when I was about sixteen years old. I purchased a used 35 mm Topcon camera at a garage sale.  The camera was a little quirky, and every so often the mirror would stick and ruin the picture I was taking. Every shot was an adventure. I learned how to use the camera and began shooting any subject I could find. Since that time, I have been taking photographs wherever I go, and every shot is still an adventure.

A Vision for a Collaborative Artistic Studio

When I created Ken’s Portrait Photography, I had a vision of a collaborative and creative photography studio. As an educator, I work collaboratively with faculty, administrators, and students. We all work together to learn, explore the world around us, create new knowledge. I wanted to take that same collaborative spirit and make it the center of an artistic photo studio. 

Today that creative vision has been realized. It is a creative vision that continues to grow and flourish every day. I welcome new artists into my studio. We are always trying new photographic techniques, working together to create great images for you. 

To me, photography is an art form. It is not just capturing an image in the camera lens, but taking that image and making into something more. As a photographic artist, I am always pushing myself and my studio contributors to do more, to be better, and to expand our creativity. Whether it is adjusting an image in post-production or getting a creative team together for a large production shoot, I always want to create a better image today than I did yesterday.

Today, Ken’s Portrait Photography has become what I envisioned it to be, an award-winning photography studio located near the heart of the Albany, NY arts district.

History of Ken’s Portrait Photography

For many years I was an avid nature photographer creating images under the name Square Knot Photography. I would seek out natural scenes, scenic vistas, critters, and animals to photograph. I would get up at 3 am to photograph a sunrise. I would sit for hours in the woods just waiting for a deer I was tracking to cross the path of my camera.

When it seemed that I had mastered nature photography I had the urge to photograph something new and reemerged as Ken’s Portrait Photography. For about a year I operated as an on-location photographer. I would capture outdoor or in-home portraits. I began photographing weddings.

As I photographed outdoor and in-home portraits, I began to think that my clients could benefit from an indoor studio. After some searching, I found a location I could afford in Lansingburgh, NY. It was a small 450 square foot indoor studio with just enough room for a backdrop, two light-boxes, and of course, me and my camera.

It was a small but functional studio space that allowed me to serve more clients. I had numerous clients visit my studio for all types of professional and family portraits. My studio space became a place to meet my wedding clients for consultations and image reviews.

I began inviting other photographers to my studio. We would get together every so often to share ideas and experiment with different techniques. The studio became a place for artistic collaboration.

I soon realized that I and outgrown that studio and began looking for a new location. After a long search process, I found a new studio location and moved to its current location at 90 South Swan Street, Albany, NY. In addition to what can be created in the studio, this historic and architecturally rich area provides beautiful backdrops for professional portraits, couple portraits, senior portraits, family portraits, engagement portraits, and wedding portraits.