Daily Inspiration: Meet Kemen Allen

Today we’d like to introduce you to Kemen Allen

Kemen, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
Growing up, I was always interested in the creative forms of expression through all types of art. This ranged from pottery to charcoal drawings to acting! But, I was also pretty heavily fascinated with visual arts. I explored photography in high school and college as a bit of a hobby, but then I got my first camera on Christmas Day in 2020. A Canon EOS 450D. Not the most amazing camera, but better than a phone! This is what truly sparked my deep dive into photography. From that moment, I started to study any and all cameras. I wanted to learn how they function and work, and I observed how photos looked best regarding composition and lighting. I learned how to pose objects and people in different ways and from all my collective knowledge, it led me to creating stories with my photos. To capture this, I began walking city streets and photographing what I saw and what fit a narrative. To me, this was the perfect place to start, because it gives you a range of scenarios to practice with all at once under one giant studio. Everything I saw ranged from natural light or artificial light, to a vast span of objects like cars or structures, and especially to subjects experiencing emotion such as happiness, sadness or loneliness, and even the joy of families. The car scene was an area that piqued a considerable interest in me, mostly because I grew up in the world of race cars with my Dad and Grandpa (Papa). Papa currently holds the world record for the fastest Chevy Monza in Land Speed Racing on the Utah Salt Flats. From my street photography, I transitioned into car photography through capturing a client’s current vehicle build, and the representation those photos reflect in the milestones of life. This interest has now led me into my business, Bird Bones. It began to take off in 2024 through selling my prints and from booking event photography, where I take photos of every special moment in any event as small as a family get together. The story behind the name Bird Bones runs deep into my roots as it’s a nickname from my Mom. She gave that to me during my avid days as a climbing athlete and a gymnast. I always excelled in my athletic endeavors, and I had massive control over my body, like my bones were light. From my childhood, it’s a nickname that has always rung true to me and to this day, captures how I love to capture my photos. Instead of just physically feeling weightless, I embody mental weightlessness through new perspectives in my current photos.

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
My journey to where I am today has not always been a smooth one. Finding the confidence and ability to put myself out there in front of others was always a huge mental barrier, and sometimes still can be. I felt like I knew my work was good, but I was too afraid of being judged by the people I would be photographing. I felt like I wouldn’t be able to deliver exactly what they were looking for. This mental block held me back often, and in some cases still does, but that’s kind of what happens when you’re a perfectionist like me. You end up withholding your true potential because you think every photo, every creation, isn’t as perfect as it could be, so why would someone be happy with your work? Well, they don’t see the detail that I see the photo. They don’t notice the differences between each shot of the same photo and wish the lighting was slightly different. They don’t see the small imperfections my camera may pick up, and it’s something I’m constantly reminding myself. My own eye can be such a hindrance. Another setback I’ve struggled with over the years is knowing that my work, time, and effort is worth a monetary amount. It’s a hard balance when you want to provide a service to make people happy, but also need to pay your bills. I’ve learned that I am worth every penny and my work is one of a kind, and that alone, is worth it.

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I am a Photographer of many trades. I primarily photograph automotive, landscapes and portraits. I focused on these three categories, because they speak the most to who I am. I love the human emotion as well as the artistic form of every person’s unique, one-of-a-kind build and features. I love the beauty and artistry of car design and the stories they tell and how they came to be. Whether it’s something built by father and son, or maybe a car passed down through generations. Finally, landscapes photography is the peaceful side of everything in between. I grew up camping and always had an appreciation for the beauty of the world, something not everyone cares to see or notice. I feel like the thing that makes me unique is my lens of photography. I feel that my camera is the extension of my eye. The way I see a flower is completely different in how others may see the exact same flower. I think being able to step into how someone else sees the world we live in is one of the closet ways to be able to put yourself in their shoes. Everyone’s vision is unique in some form or another. Overall, I’m most proud of the capability I have cultivated to be able to keep pushing after so many fails. I think that’s the hardest parts of being an entrepreneur and a small business owner, and I’m so incredibly proud of my perseverance.

We’d love to hear about any fond memories you have from when you were growing up?
My favorite memory from my childhood would be any time I spent out exploring with my family. We would go to Bear Lake in Utah every summer for the shakes and beaches. As kids, my cousins and I would always get to pick a stuffed animal and take it home with us. We would all play with them together during and after our trips. I feel as though creating connections and family memories as an adult gets harder to do as we age. Eventually everyone starts to focus on creating a family or even a business and becomes distant to the cherished memories we shared growing up together. Our focus shifts and we lose time to spend with the family we grew up with, and so I hold those memories the closest. They are the ones becoming long distant, and possibly because they are the ones I miss the most.

Pricing:

• Portraits: $200-$300
• Automotive: $200-$300
• Family: $400-$600
• Wedding: $1000+
• Prints are available for landscapes

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.birdbones.co/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kemen.allen/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@Kemen.Allen3