Standard portraits are an awful idea. 

Everyone in the family gets together at someone’s house or at a studio, dressed in their best Sunday clothes, smiling stiffly and awkwardly, the photo’s taken and, as soon as we get back home, we all take off the clothes and go back to our normal lives.

When are we ever dressed in our finest clothes with our family, facing the same direction with nobody looking at each — other than than to have a group portrait taken?  Never.

This is why Kendall Roclord decided to open his own photography studio in Pasadena.  “Unconventional Portrait Photography” is what he calls it, though it’s more of an artsy sophistication of every day life through photography. 

 “There are a lot of people around my age that don’t like the standard portraits,” the forty-something Roclord says.  “These kind of people are art-savvy.”

His rapport with children can produce images of warm, engaging moments

His portraits do him justice as an artist.  A lot of them are of children, often not looking at the camera. 

The one that Roclord seems to especially like is of a couple of sisters, one about six years old, the other about three or four.  The older one is holding the younger one’s head, fixing her hair and in the eyes of the younger, you can see the trust.

“The point is that [my customers] are not coming to a company studio to get just a portrait,” Roclord says.  “I want to give each person a work of art, not just capturing the moment.  I want to create moment that they won’t get anywhere else.”

As idealistic as that may sounds spelled out, it’s as genuine as the photos he takes and as fashion-forward as Pasadena itself.  What better way for a Pasadenan to get a portrait than to make it as chic as the clothes he or she is wearing?

So how does he get children to seem so relaxed in front of the camera?

“I connect with people of all ages,” Roclord says.  “I make friends with the one-year-old, so that the one-year-old wants to communicate, and that’s absolutely essential.  It doesn’t matter if the lighting is great or I’m using a $10,000 camera, if the kid is angry, or the kid doesn’t want to give, you’re not going to get good pictures.”

An example of Roclord's unconventional portraiture

Roclord worked as a film composer, creating soundtracks to films and theatrical trailers for years.  He started working in photography for fun at Pasadena City College and realized he liked the creative control and expression more.

“The process of creativity is identical [to music],” he says.

Four years ago, he found his current building space, built the studio and now works at it full time.

For interested clients, consultations are free and sessions cost $200, with prints starting at $130.  For more information, visit Kendall’s website at www.roclord.com or give him a call at (626) 796-4884.