Kellie Finch takes historic holiday photos of Baltimore mayor's family at City Hall
BALTIMORE -- Kellie Finch, a Baltimore photographer, is building her business and memories with a passion she's had for 20 years. Her eye for the perfect shot tells a story.
Finch, the owner of Faven Creative Studio, captured a chapter of Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott, not just as a second-term mayor, but as a husband and a father, with another baby on the way. She was the first Black woman to shoot a Baltimore mayor's family holiday photo at City Hall.
"We don't get to see a lot of the family side of our mayor, and what a lot of people don't know is that, he is a family guy," Finch said. "He is a family guy. His children love him, his wife loves him, it was such a sweet moment to just have that intimate time."
Finch turns holidays, family portraits, and weddings into photogenic artwork.
"I love shooting families, I love shooting couples, I love shooting weddings," Finch said. "Just more of that, more telling people's stories and being able to bring life to their stories through photography."
Writing her own story
Finch was introduced to the mayor through a friend and was hired to take the family's holiday photos.
"Just being in City Hall right there in the center of Baltimore, and shooting the mayor, that was incredible," Finch said. "It was probably one of the most incredible times of my life."
While Finch is capturing the mayor's story, she's also writing her own.
"I am the first woman of color to shoot the mayor's family photo," Finch said. "I think it was in 200 and some odd years in the city of Baltimore. So that was a big huge deal for me."
Opening doors
Finch hopes her portraits of the mayor will rewrite the books in the city for years to come.
"I'm hoping there will be other photographers up and coming, other videographers and creatives, that will come behind me, that will have the same type of opportunities that I had," Finch said. "It just speaks to legacy and hopefully it will open more doors to other people."
The money shot
So what was the money shot after taking more than 300 photos?
"Really it's just making sure that everyone has the same emotion in that photo and making sure that I can feel what I felt when I shot it," Finch said. "And that's how I know, 'OK, this is the one."
If you are interested in hiring Finch to take your photos, you can reach her on her website favencreativestudio.com or Instagram at @kfinchphotography.