Randy Covington: Who should ask Keith Kenney for a portrait?

Randy Covington

Anyone, of course, could hire me to create a portrait (and to take other types of photographs). And with time, I’ll get a better idea of my audience. But as I start my business, I am trying to imagine my ideal customers and then market to them.

I believe that people in the creative industries will want to collaborate with me. Creative industries include art, such as painting and sculpture; performance arts, such as theater and dance; crafts; music; film and photography; marketing communications; design; fashion; architecture; museums and galleries; publishing; and the video game industry. Workers in these fields put a high value on creativity, so a standard headshot does not serve them well. 

People in the creative industries often are freelancers who need to promote their work. To distinguish themselves from their competitors, they need to stand out and to be remembered. Having a creative portrait that expresses their values will help accomplish these goals and attract clients.

Randy Covington is a professor at the University of South Carolina who also oversees special projects for the College of Information and Communications. Part of his job is to write grants and to find clients for training projects. To express the message that to be successful in academia and in life one must be a “lifelong learner,” I thought books would be a good symbol.  I hope the increasingly high stacks of books reminds viewers of the increasingly high pencil lines on a doorway used to mark changes of height over time. Randy said, “Keith Kenney has spent his career documenting the experiences of people all over the world. Now he is putting his photographic eye and creative talent to work for clients who want something a little different.  I don’t think they will be disappointed.”