About Red K – What’s in a name?

Photography is such a personal art form.  As a photographer I’m invited into homes and events during very important life moments and asked to capture the true expressions of friends and family.  From behind the lens, I have to get to know my clients quickly and then get them to share themselves with  me to create lasting memories.

I find that my clients often want to know more about me so they can get a real “feel” for the person they are trusting with such personal moments.  My blog seemed like the perfect place to share a little more about me, so I decided to start a new series so everyone can get to know me a little better.

In this first “About Red K” post, I thought it would be best to tackle the question I get the most often – “What does Red K mean?”  I wish it were a more exciting story, but it’s really very simple.  I have red hair.  All red heads, at some point in their lives, have been called “red.”  Because of that I’ve sort of become fond of the color, so I tend to use it a lot in design and composition.  “K” is even more simple!  My name is Kelli.  Like a lot of people, when typing e-mails or text messages I get a bit lazy or in a hurry and tend to just sign them “K.”  When I decided to form my own company I thought long and hard about what to name it.  Something clever?  Something classic?  Something simple?  Something timeless?  I asked friends and family, and really played around with tons of different ideas.  One night, my best friend was over at my house hanging out, and she just blurted out “Why not Red K?”  The rest is history.  Red K became a real, tangible thing, and I began the long, rewarding journey of owning my own business.

Another topic I wanted to tackle in this first post is an explanation of the photo on this page.  I use this head shot of myself on all of my websites and in any promotional materials.  It’s probably not the best head shot in the industry, and my hair is definitley not cooperating, but it’s my most favorite photo of myself – ever.  I took this photo from the passenger seat of a rented candy apple red Ford Mustang convertible in Maui.  My camera rarely left my hand that week, and as we were driving down the road I thought, “Man, life doesn’t get much better than this.”  Every time I look at this photo I’m reminded of an amazing trip to Maui, the fun ride, and a week my camera and I will never forget.