Kevin Henao
Photographer Showcase
A look into the lives of our Community Creatives
My name is Kevin Henao. I was born and raised in East Harlem, NY.
What inspired you to venture into photography?
My interest into photography first occurred while following a huge FB group. WDYWT (What Did You Wear Today) was this big thread where people would post sneaker photos, expensive clothes and cool “fashion” shots. I always told myself I could do the same just never had the camera to do it. Eventually I bought a basic DSLR and started shooting everything and anything. Funny enough, I told myself I didn’t buy a camera to JUST take sneaker photos and vouched to not shoot sneakers at all. A couple months later, my first gig was shooting footwear with Thursdayboots.
What is your photography style?
"After a couple of years pursuing photography, I’ve come to realize I just like shooting with a person as a subject. It doesn’t matter if I’m photographing product lifestyles or portraits, I think being able to work with someone and working off their vibes is the best. I usually have a couple of people I constantly shoot with because every time we link up, the vibes are strong and the work comes out GREAT. But if I have to choose, I’d say product lifestyles is what I aim to shoot the most."
What do you hope people get out of your photos?
"To be honest, I don’t shoot photos for other people to 'feel' something or 'get something out of it.' Everything I photographed, I do it because I think looks cool. This is probably why I don’t post on my social media as often. I post maybe 2 photos every month because I can care less what other people get out of my photos."
As a menswear photographer, what does a good fitting shirt mean to you/your photos?
A good fitting shirt makes the process so much easier to shoot! A big part of menswear photography is to make sure the subject looks perfect. A shirt too big or too long can drastically make a person look sloppy and unattractive. Trying to find the right size or a nice tapered fit for a model can take a lot of time. But when you find that perfect fit shirt that seems to be made for the model, it not only looks good on them but you can tell the model is enjoying how good they look. A happy model who has perfectly fit clothes makes the photoshoot go by way faster. But photography aside, a well-fitted shirt makes me feel good and take the day on with confidence.
What is your full-time gig? Tell us about your side hustles
I currently work full time with Sprezzabox and part time with ThursdaybootsCo. Besides that, I take on small projects here and there for other brands whenever I have time. I want to start making videos to, hopefully, teach people how I edit my photos. It’s a small passion project I’ve had in the works for a while but I haven’t executed yet. Hopefully I can get that up and running soon.
Place you most want to travel next?
"I want to travel to the Caribbean islands soon! Or maybe back to Hawaii. Man, I miss Hawaii."
Lens of choice?
"My 50mm is my most used. It works for pretty much anything. You won’t catch me without it.
Your go-to photo spot?
"I don’t have a go-to photo spot. NYC has too many good places to choose from. Roosevelt Island maybe?"
Favorite Nimble Made dress shirt?
"Can’t go wrong with The Crescent. Who doesn’t like a fresh white shirt?"
Best menswear accessory you can't live without?
The tie. Nobody seems to wear them as often anymore but whenever I put on a tie, I feel like a MOFO BOSS!