A Brief Photobiography
Kenny has practiced the art and craft of photography for forty years. He studied art and photography at the University of Georgia beginning in 1967 and in 1972 founded the South's first gallery devoted exclusively to fine-art photography, The Living Image, on West Peachtree Street in Atlanta. A full-service commercial photography studio soon followed and Kenny cultivated a diverse client list, including the City of Atlanta (public relations for M.A.R.T.A.).
In the early 1980's, Kenny migrated north to Philadelphia and pioneered a style of wedding photography that has, in recent years, become popularly known as "wedding photojournalism." In a shared studio in Manhattan, he learned to photograph actors and models for advertising, developing lighting and posing techniques that he uses today for his distinctive studio portraits.
By the mid 1990's, Kenny was back home, in Columbus, a freelancing pro. In 1993, he met Brenda Stevens at a wedding reception in Pine Mountain and the next year they married. Kenny joined Brenda in LaGrange and together they opened Kenny Gray Photography, a spacious loft studio and gallery in a historic building on Lafayette Square. In 1996, Kenny studied environmental portraiture with William McIntosh, one of the world's most acclaimed photographers, and therafter added artistic location portraiture to his repertoire. In 2002, as a direct result of Kenny's reputation as a photographer and his and Brenda's uncompromising customer service, they signed a contract to provide corporate, event, portrait and wedding photography at Callaway Gardens, in Pine Mountain, Ga. Their new studio, Signature Portraits by Kenny Gray, on Main Street, Pine Mountain, served a select clientele until late 2006, when Kenny accepted a position as Photography Program Coordinator at the Rankin Arts Center in Columbus, Georgia. Kenny and Brenda own and operate The Art of Photography by Kenny Gray, located in the the old 7th Street School in the Historic District of Uptown Columbus, Ga., continuing to serve clients who appreciate the art of portrait, wedding, and commercial photography.
In addition to his commercial activities, Kenny has had a parallel career as a fine-art photographer and teacher. His exhibition record is too long to list here, but a few highlights have been:
Photography Southeast, Atlanta, Ga. 1978
The Center of the Eye, Aspen, Co. 1983
Philadelphia Photographers, Janvier Gallery, The University of Delaware, Newark, De. 1984
Brownie Hawkeye: A Photographer's Journal, The Book Trader Gallery, Philadelphia, Pa. 1985
Kenny Gray : Selected Photographs 1978-1998, Lamar Dodd Art Center, LaGrange, Ga 1998
Slow Exposures, Candler Field Museum, Zebulon, Ga. 2009
MOCA GA Collects: The Photographic Image, Museum of Contemporary Art of Georgia, Atlanta, Ga. 2009
These and other exhibitions and competitions have produced a number of awards, including:
Committee Award, Photography '85, Abington Arts Center, Jenkinstown, Pa. 1985
Finalist, Challenge Competition, Fleisher Arts Memorial, Philadelphia, Pa. 1984
Honorable Mention, Portfolio Magazine International Competition, 1982
Purchase Award, LaGrange National Biennial, Lamar Dodd Art Center, LaGrange, Ga. 1996
Permanent Collection, Museum of Contemporary Art, Atlanta, Ga. 2008
Teaching Experience:
Swarthmore College, Department of Art, Swarthmore, Pa. 1983
Guest Lecturer: "The Fine Print," Student Print Critique
Moore College of Art, Philedelphia, Pa. 1984
Visiting Artist: Presentation of Portfolio, Led Critiques of Student Portfolios
Wallingford Community Arts Center, Wallingford, Pa. 1984-86
Columbus Museum, Columbus, Ga. 1991-2001
Chattahoochee Valley Art Museum, LaGrange, Ga. 1994-98
Columbus State University Rankin Arts Center, Columbus, Ga. 2002-Present
Nothing Entered