We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Raven Kendall a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Raven, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Can you talk to us about a project that’s meant a lot to you?

The most meaningful project I’ve worked on is my body positivity series! In the series, I wanted to capture women and men in a different light, I wanted to help them feel comfortable in their skin while also helping others feel comfortable in their skin by representing their body type or a close resemblance to theirs. I’m trying hard to break the societal norm that you have to have a “supermodel body” when that just isn’t true nor realistic.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

My names Raven Kendall, I’m a 23 year old photographer based in Los Angeles who specializes in portraits, events, comedy, and concerts. I’ve been doing photography for almost my entire life, I’ve always loved taking photos and putting a creative spin on it but I didn’t start professionally doing it until March of 2020. When Covid-19 hit, it put me out of work since I was in the hospitality and tourism field which lead me to picking up my camera, mainly just to have a hobby so I could pass time. I started taking photos of just my friends and family, then I started getting asked by people I’d never met before to do sessions for them and it made me realize I could do this professionally and nothing was really holding me back so I went for it.

With every shoot, I put everything I have into it because I know photos are extremely important, it’s sad to say but one day that’s all you’re going to have left of someone and I want to make sure their photos you can always cherish. I feel like that’s what makes me stand out because there’s a ton of photographers who only do it for the money, there’s few who do it to really help people and make a difference which is why I do it. I want to not only help people have those moments to look back on forever but I also want to help them see themselves in a different light, a more positive and self accepting light. I learned very quickly that photography can help everyone, not just couples, families, etc… but in solo shoots, you can really help someone change how they view themselves and grow their confidence!

Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?

Yes, absolutely. I touched on this earlier but I truly want to help people with my work, whether that be by capturing a special time they can always look back on or helping them see themselves in a positive/self accepting light that builds confidence! I want my work to showcase everyone, no matter your body type, religion, size, etc… I want everyone to see that they are special and unique, that you don’t have to be a certain size, shape or have a certain look to be loved and valued. I want everyone to know that you are perfect just the way you are, that you don’t have to change yourself to fit what society deems “attractive”.

Where do you think you get most of your clients from?

Social Media! It’s an unpopular opinion but I believe in really using social media to your advantage. Social media is a great tool to use not only to promote/market yourself but to also help spread your message to so many people that you otherwise wouldn’t have access to. It helps you introduce yourself and share what your brand/business is about while also being able to share more about who you are as a person so that it’s a more personal experience. It helps you connect more with your clients so it’s not just a business, when people hire you, they get to know you and I feel that makes clients 1000x more comfortable!

Contact Info:

• Website: kendallgrovephoto.mypixieset.com
• Instagram: instagram.com/kendallgrovephoto
• Facebook: facebook.com/kendallgrovephoto
• Twitter: twitter.com/ravenkphoto