All posts by Kirk Decker

Kansas City Photographer, Portrait, Stockyards_Studios

Liz Hackworth

Portrait of Liz Hackworth by Kansas City Photographer Kirk Decker
Darker Liz by Kansas City Photographer Kirk Decker
Lighter Liz by Kansas City Photographer Kirk Decker

I spent some time working up the backstory for the first image, but decided it would be more interesting to see what other people see in it.  What’s going on here?

Both images were created during a portrait session with @lizzi.leigh who, among other things, is an actress and isn’t stuck with being one person all the time, like the rest of us.  Here’s her take on it, “Learning the craft of acting and character study have helped give me the courage to explore and spelunk the deep darknesses of my soul as well as the heights of my happiness and wildest dreams.”  

Black and White Photography, Fine Art, Infrared, Kansas City Photographer, Nature

Symphony in the Flint Hills

Big surprise in the mail today.  A book, Symphony in the Flint Hills Field Journal, with one of my photographs in it.  A check, and two tickets to the Symphony in the Flint Hills event. Thanks! Infrared image of Kansas Clouds and Sky taken at the Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve.

Infrared photograph of Kansas sky and clouds by Kansas City photographer Kirk Decker
Infrared photograph at Tallgrass Prairie Preserve by Kansas City photographer Kirk Decker
Black and White Photography, Black and White Portrait, Hasselblad, Kansas City Photographer, Portrait

Portrait of Brad

Dark portrait of Brad Decker by Kansas City photographer Kirk Decker. Brad gazes directly into the camera with his hands folded in front of his chin.
Portrait of Brad by Kansas City Photographer Kirk Decker

Brad, woodsman and bicycle adventurer.

Uncategorized

Ansel Adams-y

Starting as a farm kid in a 4H photography class, Ansel Adams was one of my photo heroes. I wanted to make images that sang like his did. I’d like to think that as a photographer, I have my own voice now and my prints sing their own song, but the fact that they can sing at all, I owe to the inspiration of Ansel’s work.

Thank you MFA Boston for the honor. https://www.instagram.com/p/BtQ1WuxFSH1/?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet

Photograph by Kirk Decker. A full Moon rises behind field of wind turbines. The sky is very dark with a few clouds. The wind mills are illuminated by a setting sun and are stark white against the dark sky giving the impression of alien flowers harvesting Moon light.
Moon Mills by Kirk Decke

Black and White Photography, Black and White Portrait, Hasselblad, Kansas City Photographer, Portrait, Stockyards_Studios

Lee Decker

Portrait by Kirk Decker of a young man dressed in black with a black hat and dragon cane looking down at a toppled queen on a chessboard. The photo is dark and moody the chess pieces resemble the medieval characters found in the Lewis chess set.
Portrait of Lee Decker by Kansas City Photographer Kirk Decker

Lee Decker @leedecker97 Chess player, summa cum laude graduate from Truman University, and part-time exorcist (reasonable prices, results not guaranteed). Lee’s chess set is modeled after medieval pieces discovered on the Isle of Lewis, Scotland.  One of the things I like about Lee’s portrait is that it simultaneously reminds me of the Muppet Christmas Carol, Shakespeare’s As You Like It, and the French Revolution. The chess pieces on and off the board being the Elect and Preterite with Lee himself being the “Hoity-toity Mr. Godlike Smarty-pants” omniscient storyteller.

Black and White Photography, Black and White Portrait, Hasselblad, Kansas City Photographer, Portrait, Stockyards_Studios

Ben Parks

Image
Portrait of artist Ben Parks by Kansas City photographer Kirk Decker. Ben stares intently into the camera, long hair framing his face.
Artist and Musician Ben Parks

Ben Parks – Kansas City based artist (@brancesoftree) and musician (@oftree).  To say that Ben does large scale portraits and figurative work doesn’t really do justice to his art.  You need more words like “amazing” and “soulful” which can also be applied to the music that he and Laurel (@fiddlemaiden) create.  The loop, almost butterfly, light in this portrait comes from a gridded beauty dish – something Ben found to be highly amusing.

Film Photography, Kansas City Photographer, Large Format, Portrait

Portrait from 1980

Brent Pulsipher

Large format portrait of artist Brent Pulsipher taken by Kansas City photographer Kirk Decker. Photograph taken in 1980. Brent is window lit and standing by a etching press.

Monday Memories – Brent Pulsipher, 1979/80, Graceland College, Lamoni IA.  4×5 Kodak VPS in a Burke and James 5×7 view camera. A LDS instructor at a RLDS school, I don’t think he got anyone to drop the R in RLDS, or what the administration thought of him, but I remember him as one of the most interesting instructors at the school.  A few years later when I was a traveler in a aging 63 Chevy with money for gas, but not for hotels, he opened his house to me, and was the kindest host I have ever met.

Black and White Photography, Black and White Portrait, Hasselblad, Kansas City Photographer

Justin Border

In the Studio with Kansas City photographer Kirk Decker

Behind the scenes on the 5th floor of the Kansas City Livestock Exchange Building.  Justin and Kirk.  Capture One running on the computer.  Kemper Arena in the background.

Portrait of Justin Border by Kansas City photographer Kirk Decker

Justin Border @jborder – Painter, Illustrator, Graphic Designer.  Justin and I talked about how he enjoys experimenting with materials and subject matter to simultaneously calm and expand his wandering researcher mind.  Actually we talked about a lot of things over the course of several hours.

Portrait of Justin Border by Kansas City Photographer Kirk Decker

I hate the word pose, and only “pose” people as a place to start from.  What I have found, is that during a conversation people will settle into postures and mannerisms that are comfortable for them and reflect who they are.  As a photographer you have to watching for this, and that’s when you make the portrait.

Black and White Portrait, Hasselblad, Kansas City Photographer, Portrait, Stockyards_Studios

David Wane Reed

Extreme Farmer

Extreme Farmer David Wayne Reed.  Not only is his tractor bigger than yours, it goes to eleven.  When he is not Extreme Farming, David is a filmmaker – Eternal Harvest, playwright – Help Yourself, Jolly Rancher, Mother Trucker, director, producer, and actor.  KC Pitch (2017 Best of KC issue) says he is one of 25 reasons ‘Why We Love KC Now.’ Mr. Reed hosts and produces the popular storytelling series, Shelf Life, and, is an insightful and genuinely nice guy to be around.

Portrait made with a vintage Hasselblad on Kodak Portra160 film.


Black and White Photography, Black and White Portrait, Hasselblad, Stockyards_Studios

Zachary Weaver

Portrait of Zachary Weaver by Kansas City Photographer Kirk Decker
Portrait of Zachary Weaver by Kansas City Photographer Kirk Decker

Portrait of Zachary Weaver by Kansas City Photographer Kirk Decker
Portrait of Zachary Weaver by Kansas City Photographer Kirk Decker

Zachary Weaver, playwright, actor, and intuitive inspirational speaker.