Photo by Per Bernal
About
Kwaku has photographed some of the most famous faces of our time—from Oscar and Grammy winners to Barack Obama and the First Family. His many and diverse clients include The New York Times Magazine, The New Yorker, Harper’s Bazaar, and Essence Magazine, global brands like Apple, Chase Bank, Amgen, Pfizer, Coca-Cola, Target and Verizon, and media giants such as Universal Studios, Disney, Amazon Studios, Sony Music, Netflix, HBO, and Paramount. His portraits have a fresh, unaffected feel, and yet they celebrate the extraordinariness of his subjects, striking a balance between contemporary documentary photography and classic celebrity portraiture.
After graduating from the Rochester Institute of Technology, Kwaku launched his career in New York City and began shooting for major magazines and ad agencies while in his early 20s. Today he bases himself out of both New York and Los Angeles and his work has appeared on everything from movie posters to the covers of best selling books to advertising spreads and spots for international brands.
He approaches directing his motion pieces from the unique, photographic perspective of seeing frames, composition, and light all at once. Having directed stand-alone commercials, music videos, and short films, notably ALONE screened at PSFF Paris, MOMA NYC as part of ASVOFF, and VAFF Virginia, to special motion content for the biggest Hollywood studios, Kwaku has seen it all. He is comfortable not only from the Director’s chair but also as a Director of Photography and operator of all the major cinema camera systems. Always up to date on the latest in cinema equipment technology, Kwaku is proud to maintain corporate sponsorships with Arri and Leica. He also owns his own production and rentals company, Open Light Productions, which he loops into his major photo and motion productions, providing valuable infrastructure and years of industry know-how and connections.
Kwaku has also partnered with a variety of charities and nonprofits, including the DesignACure Breast Cancer Awareness Campaign, the Black AIDS Institute, the Smiley Faces Foundation, and Project Angelfood. Giving both his work and his time, he traveled to Ethiopia to film and photograph a “shoe drop” by TOMS Shoes, which donates footwear to children in need worldwide.
Kwaku’s world travels continue to inform his work and remind him that curiosity, encouragement and sincerity are universal languages. As the Director of Photography on a documentary titled In Search of Voodoo, he has made multiple trips to West Africa, and is inspired to bridge still photography and filmmaking to tell great stories.
Represented by foureleven
Michelle Sack: michelle@foureleven.agency
212-796-0411
Syndicated with Getty
AnnMarie.Araujo@gettyimages.com
Los Angeles + New York City