Born in London, Kenton quickly became immersed in the world of photography thanks to his father’s obsession with the camera. At the tender age of 14, he started printing after school in his dad’s darkroom garage. Taking the prints to school the next day, he gained more popularity with his creativity than his academic skills, which he later found out was due to severe dyslexia. By the age of 17 he started travelling the world and was fortunate enough to assist some of the world’s most talented and celebrated photographers specialising in fashion, editorial, travel and advertising.
Kenton has now built a reputation as one of the main advertising, portrait and lifestyle photographers in Lisbon, and internationally.
One of his very last assignments before ‘going it alone’ as a photographer was as lead assistant to internationally-acclaimed photographer Clive Arrowsmith on one of the prestigious and iconic Pirelli Calendars of 92.
What first took you to Lisbon?
My first encounter with Portugal was as a freelance assistant, we would come to photograph for English catalogues for clothing companies such as Next, GUS and Littlewoods to shoot the Spring Summer collections in the Algarve and then travel up to Lisbon to shoot the Autumn Winter collections. Many photographers back then in the 80s just loved Portugal and its diversity as well as the beautiful almost guaranteed sunlight.
Can you pinpoint key turning points in your life?
I think if I would use the words ‘key points’ there are several in my life. As a kid I got thrown into this crazy world of photography which couldn’t have been more different from the sweet suburban London that I was brought up in. Entering this world was almost like a do or die! It was a BIG ‘wake-up call’ and certainly working on the Pirelli calendar, which at the time was probably the most talked about calendar globally.
Soon after moving to Portugal I photographed Luis Figo who was in Barcelona at the time for a TAG Heuer watch campaign. That soon led me to shoot many of the Portuguese soccer players, which in turn led me into working on photographing many of the advertising campaigns which were featured worldwide in promoting Portugal as hosts to the Expo 98 world fair in Lisbon.
Also, I think being in Lisbon in the early/mid 90s was certainly being in the right place at the right time as a photographer. I thought I was always passing through and not going to stop for long, so I took more risks with what I was doing in photography.
In 2017 I was made a Sony Ambassador in Portugal which also was a game changer for me. It changed the way that I was shooting my images, and I started shooting far more lifestyle photography.
And lastly, the latest news from June 2022, when I was honoured to be awarded an MBE (Member of the Order of the British Empire), which I still excitingly have to receive from Buckingham Palace!
Any words of wisdom?
Never Get Old, Ken… Never Get Old, wise words inherited from my father.
Do you have a photographic style?
My style is very much based on my personal inspiration of certain photographers and painters from the past – Richard Avedon, Irving Penn, Rembrandt – where the images have a simplicity about them. What I love to do is document people at certain times in their life. I keep things very simple in most of my portraits in such a way that if you don’t know the person my images look timeless. I do this by what the person wears, I keep the background plain black, grey or white and if they wear a plain white or black T-shirt or polo neck sweater, this kind of clothing never dates. With this combination the only thing that really ages with time is the person sitting for the portrait.
“I love Portugal as much as ever, maybe even more. These are great times and there is a certain energy that seems to be within the air.”
Anyone in particular you’d like to photograph again?
Well, sadly I missed photographing Amalia Rodrigues. We spoke several times together but our shoot never happened and then she passed away. I have a long list of new Portuguese talent on my hit list, as well as a few others that until now I haven’t managed to track down like Alvaro Siza Vieira.
Anything in particular that inspires you?
Life Inspires me. People Inspire me. I think I have more passion and love for what I’m doing now than ever before and have no idea why. I think I used to doubt my work and it’s taken me 35 years to suddenly realise I can take on anything.
I think I have one of the great professions in life. I actually get paid to hang out with and photograph super talented and interesting people of all different professions, from politicians, scientists, athletes, musicians to artists. I think it’s time to produce a book!
How’s life in Lisbon?
My little Lisbon has changed enormously over the years. One of the things I loved when I first visited Portugal as a teenager was that I felt I had really gone back in time. I felt I was in a city of the 50s and 60s. Then, after I moved here in the 90s I felt I was at the beginning of the new Portugal, and these were exciting times. I loved the quirkiness of Lisbon, the behind closed doors of bars and clubs where you would just knock and someone would open a port hole window, take a look at you and then invite you in. It felt more of a 24-hour city than my hometown London. Everything was so condensed – everything within walking distance – with so many great restaurants, bars and coffee shops in close proximity.
I never really understood why more foreigners didn’t live in Lisbon, as it’s a city with all the right ingredients: great quality of life, the food, beaches within 15 minutes of a city, and 300 guaranteed days of sun a year – a photographer’s dream!
Favourite haunts?
LX Factory in Alcantara where I have my studio. Come and visit, or better still book a session with me!
So, expat or a local?
I’m certainly more local than expat and really have no current desires to move back to the UK, especially in what I’m sadly seeing in these past few years, although I’m still certainly proud to have my English side as well.