Kevin Dutton

Born in Southampton in 1965, south London based photographer Kevin Dutton specialises in capturing dramatic and powerful shots of flowers. The contrast between the vibrant colours of the flora and fauna with the stark black backdrop characterises the aesthetic of Kevin’s art. Sometimes resembling scenes of still lifes and at other times taking on an abstract quality, the painterly appearance of these photographs forms a collection of styled botanical images.

Education and Career

Kevin was introduced to photography at an early age, with his first photographs being taken on a box Brownie camera, then developed in his kitchen-turned-darkroom. Kevin started his career out as a photographer’s assistant, working primarily in the advertising and fashion industry. By 1992, Kevin held his exhibition Serious Comedy, which featured a series of portraits of comedians and in turn led to a career in portrait photography for various editorial platforms. Kevin’s flower series is an expression of his lifelong passion for nature and has resulted in an array of high profile clients, ranging from the BBC, The Sunday Times and The Observer, to HarperCollins, Saatchi and Deutsche Bank.

Kevin Dutton’s Style

Kevin follows a botanical approach when shooting his subjects, incorporating his knowledge of the history of plants and flowers to create appealing images with a portrait-like edge. In Kevin’s work, the photo acts as a memento of the scene itself, of the perfectly arranged flowers, and the life that exudes out of them even after they are taken out of their natural habitat. Images such as Allotment Plants 2 and Mixed Plants 5 hark back to traditional still life settings, where the image lingers on horizontally and the dark backdrop enhances the light in the foreground.

Take a look at Spotlight on our Artist: Kevin Dutton to find out more about the photographer’s creative process.