Mary Keane
It’s been nearly ten years since I proudly became Mrs. Bill Keane! In that time I have been involved with every aspect of the art and technology of creating beautiful portraits. Making sure that families have truly outstanding portraits that provide heartwarming remembrances through the years is vitally important to me! As I work, I imagine great- great grandchildren viewing the portraits we create today and feeling a sense of wonder at the beauty of the faces from the past and an inner pride to be a member of their family. That is a worthwhile endeavor in my book! As an Art History major at UCSB I studied the styles and techniques of artists through the ages and gained a solid understanding of the power of strong composition and what it means to see and control the light.
Great portrait photographers like ours apply these same fundamentals on a daily basis, which is awesome in itself. Then they add the interaction with the subject and the rapport building that helps each person to be themselves, and THEN add the quick timing that catches a really unique moment! That happens here everyday and I love it! My happiness comes from knowing our clients will have a fun experience being photographed as well as significant images that endure as time goes by.
My twenty years of experience as a private school teacher is another reason I so appreciate being a part of creating portraiture for families. It’s a real pleasure for Bill & me to watch babies and children grow and change through each fleeting stage, high school seniors standing on the edge of the nest ready to fly, and then seeing the entire family as it grows and changes. I guess you could say we are having a lot of fun celebrating life and love.
I have a serious responsibility as director of the art department at Keane Studios. My goal is to help represent “you on your best day”. After all, you will be traveling through time and important people will be meeting you there. I suppose it is my passion for history that makes me think this way. The overall mood and character created in the camera room and the attention to detail that careful artwork provides go hand in hand in the creation of a portrait with honest and meaningful impact. Sounds dramatic, but I feel I need to honor each person by doing my best work for them. You aren’t going to be tossing away these images in a short time; they must be worthy of representing you through time. A favorite quote of mine:
“Family faces are magic mirrors. Looking at people who belong to us, we see the past, present and future.”