Summary
Kenneth has been taking photos since around 1970 when he got an instamatic camera as a gift. He got his first SLR around 1980 and sold his first photo in the early 1980s. Since then, his photos have been used by National Geographic TV, the National Park Service, the Forest Service, the Bureau of Land Management. His photos have appeared in books, magazines, newspapers, scientific journals, and on web sites. His photos have won numerous awards, including four “Best in Show” at the National Speleological Society’s print salon. Kenneth teaches courses about photography, on photographic lighting, and on how to take better science in action photos.
Having an advanced degree in computer science means that Kenneth understands a process well in order to work with the machine’s representation of it. When producing images, he analyzes what he am trying to show, and identify how he will go about moving the vision in my head into the resulting image. This analysis does not preclude art—it aids me in producing it, just as a sculptor needs to understand the medium being shaped.
Gallery and museum shows
- Part of a year in review show at The Artistic Image in Albuquerque, NM, November 7, 2014 through now.
- Visions of the Underground, a solo show at The Artistic Image in Albuquerque, NM, March 7–July 4, 2014.
- A photo in an exhibition at the Carlsbad Caverns National Park visitor center, opening January 2014.
- A photo at the Information Center for El Malpais National Monument, hung in 2013.
- Underground of Enchantment at the Carlsbad Museum and Art Center, May–August, 2011 and then a travelling show to other museums around the country. Photos used on the web page, printed materials, newspaper advertisements, and two images in the show itself.
Awards and honors
- 2 merit awards and 4 honorable mentions in the 2014 NSS Photo Salon (projected images)
- Best in Show, Merit Award, 3 Honorable Mentions, 2013 National Speleological Society Print Salon.
- Honorable Mention, 2013 National Speleological Society Photo Salon (projected images).
- Best in Show and an Honorable Mention, 2012 National Speleological Society Print Salon.
- Honorable Mention, 2012 National Speleological Society Photo Salon (projected images).
- Two images accepted for the 2012 Annual New Mexico Photo Arts Show (ANMPAS). (Image not on their web site)
- Best in Show, a Merit award, and 2 Honorable Mentions, 2011 National Speleological Society Print Salon.
- 2 Merit Awards, a Honorable Mention, 2011 National Speleological Society Photo Salon (projected images).
- Showcase image in the Macro category at One Model Place (onemodelplace.com), 2010. (no longer available online)
- One image accepted for the 2010 Annual New Mexico Photo Arts Show (ANMPAS). (Image not on their web site)
- Honorable Mention, 2009 International Congress of Speleology Print Salon.
- Merit Award and Honorable mention at the 2008 National Speleological Society Print Salon.
- Honorable Mention at the 2007 National Speleological Society Print Salon.
- Merit Award at 2006 National Speleological Society Print Salon.
Published photos
- Photo on p.20 of National Cave and Karst Research Institute 2013-2014 Annual Report, 2014.
- Photo in the Fort Stanton Cave Study Project 2015 calendar.
- Several photos in Caves of Fire 2: Inside America’s Lava Tubes by Dave Bunnell, National Speleological Society, 2013, ISBN: 9781879961319
- Several photos on cave brochures at El Malpais National Monument, 2013:
Junction Cave
Xenolith Cave
Big Skylight Cave - A photo in the Volcanic Legacy Scenic Byway Guide, 2013.
- A photo in the Cave Microbes display at the Visitor Center at Lava Beds National Monument, 2013.
- Several photos in Diversity of Ammonia Oxidation (amoA) and Nitrogen Fixation (nifH) Genes in Lava Caves of Terceira, Azores, Portugal in Geomicrobiology Journal by Hathaway, J.J.M., Sinsabaugh, R.L., Dapkevicius, M.L.N.E., and Northup, D.E. DOI:10.1080/01490451.2012.752424.
- Several photos illustrating caves of the Lincoln National Forest (LNF) on a display board at functions attended by LNF employees such as the 2012 Southwest Region of the National Speleological Society Technical Regional, December 2012.
- A photo on p.11 of Research Frontiers in Bioinspired Energy: Molecular-Level Learning from Natural Systems: A Workshop (2012). ISBN 978-0-309-22044-6
- A photo on the Cave Safely, Cave Softly interpretative board at Lava Beds National Monument, 2012.
- A photo in the National Cave and Karst Research Institute 2011-2012 Annual Report, 2012, p.4.
- A photo in the El Calderon Area Trail Guide, National Park Service, El Malpais National Monument, May 2011
- Cover photo of Astrobiology, Volume 11, Number 7, Mary Ann Liebert, Inc Publishers, September, 2011.
- Several photos in Microorganisms at Cueva de las Sardinas by Diana Northup and Dan Jones, in AMCS Activities Newsletter, number 34, June 2011
- Several photos in Tabasco Underground by Laura Rosales Lagardo et al, in AMCS Activities Newsletter, number 34, June 2011
- Photos used in ads for the Underground of Enchantment museum show on May 1 and 7, 2011 in the Carlsbad Current-Argus newspaper.
- Photos in Lava Cave Microbial Communities Within Mats and Secondary Mineral Deposits: Implications for Life Detection on Other Planets by Northup et al, in Astrobiology, Volume 11, Number 7, Mary Ann Liebert, Inc Publishers, September, 2011, pp 601-618.
- Cover photo of The Journal of Sedimentary Research, Volume 81, Number 11, Society for Sedimentary Geology, November 2011.
- Photo on p. 776 in Rapid Growth and Recrystallization of Cave Pearls in an Underground Limestone Mine by Melim, L.A., and Spilde, M.N. in Journal of Sedimentary Research, 2011, v. 81, 775–786. DOI: 10.2110/jsr.2011.65.
- A photo on p. 18 of the NSS News, volume 69, number 7 (July 2011).
- 19 photos (pp. 5—8) accompanying Terminologie biogener Beckensinter in Höhlen by Melim, L.A., Plan, L., von Boguslawski, S., and Meyer, S. in Mitteilungen des Verbandes der deutschen Höhlen- und Karstforscher e.V. München ISSN 0505-2211, Jahrgang 57, Nr. 4 München, 20.11.2011.
- Two photos, (one in color on the front page below the fold) accompanying the article, Bat Cave Research Requires Rabies Shot appearing in the Albuquerque Journal, April 19, 2011.
- Photos on the cover and pp. 7, 16 of Freshman Academic Choices: A guide for new freshmen and their parents, University College Fall 2011 (UNM)
- A photo used in the banner for The First International Planetary Cave Research Workshop, 2011.
- Photos on pp. 1 and 3 in Undergraduate Opportunities at University of New Mexico Spring 2010.
- A photo from Titus Canyon Cave was used by National Geographic Television in their National Parks Collection show on Death Valley, 2009.
- Eight photos in Caves of Fire: Inside America’s Lava Tubes by Dave Bunnell, National Speleological Society, 2008, ISBN 978-1-879961-31-9.
- Several photos on interpretative signs at El Malpais National Monument.
- Two photos illustrating Extreme Culture by Josie Glausiusz, in Nature, vol. 447, 21 June, 2007.
- A photo on on p. 151 of Planet Earth: the Photographs, by Alastair Fothergill, BBC Books, 2007.
Additionally, many more of Kenneth’s photos illustrate scientific papers and are published in books, newspapers, and magazines.
Web publications
- Underground of Enchantment (UofE)
- Bureau of Land Management A Decade Of Discovery – Science Symposium (the photo beside “Fort Stanton – Snowy River Cave National Conservation Area, New Mexico”)
- Bureau of Land Management Snowy River Offers Unparalleled Beauty, Opportunities for Scientific Discovery (five photos, all credited)
- National Park Service, Lava Tubes and Caving (most of the photos, all credited)
- US Forest Service, Nolina Microcarpa (one photo, credited)
- NASA, Cave Slime by Stephen Hart
https://www.nasa.gov/vision/universe/solarsystem/cave_slime_prt.htm (all photos, most mis-credited to Diana Northup) - University of New Mexico Biology Graduate Student Association, Documents (one photo, credited)
- National Geographic, CAVE PICTURES: Mineral Crusts, Ooze Found to Be Poop photo 7 (one photo, credited)
- National Geographic, CAVE PICTURES: Mineral Crusts, Ooze Found to Be Poop photo 4 (one photo, credited)
- National Geographic, CAVE PICTURES: Mineral Crusts, Ooze Found to Be Poop photo 8 (one photo, credited)
- The Knox Student, Knox alum journeys to becoming Buddhist monk (photo credited)
- NOVA, The Lives of Extremophiles (one photo, credited)
- Brian Cox and the snottites from Mars
by Matthew Cobb (one photo, credited) - Space Daily, Houston, We’ve Had a Conference… by Leslie Mullen (one photo, credited)
- Astrobio.net, Houston, We’ve Had a Conference… by Leslie Mullen (one photo, credited)
- MicrobeWiki, Snottites (three photos, credited)
- Kaestner’s Kingdom, Students and parents might wonder if Mr. Kaestner is qualified to teach. Here are some of my credentials (one photo, credited)
- Policy.Mic, Are Women Too Awesome to Settle For Science? by Elizabeth Plank (one photo, used without permission)
- Science Glass Ceiling, What has been done to increase the number of women in science? (one photo, used without permission)
Presentations
- White Balance presentation at the 2014 National Speleological Society annual convention.
- Taking Science in Action Photos two lectures in Communicating Science to the Public, taught by Dr. Diana E. Northup, Spring 2014.
- Open-source (free) software for photography presentation at the 2013 National Speleological Society annual convention.
- Newer radio slaves presentation at the 2013 National Speleological Society annual convention.
- Photography for Communicating Science two lectures in Communicating Science to the Public, taught by Dr. Diana E. Northup, Fall 2012.
- Photographing Science in Action program given at the Enchanted Lens Camera Club, 2012.
- Flash Modification Devices presentation at the 2011 National Speleological Society annual convention.
- Hard and Soft Light for Speleothems and People presentation at the 2011 National Speleological Society annual convention.
- Photography for Communicating Science a lecture for the Undergraduate Opportunities (UnO) program at UNM, January 28, 2010.
- Photography for Communicating Science a lecture for the Undergraduate Opportunities (UnO) program at UNM, February 4, 2009.
- Using Radio Slaves for Cave Photography presentation at the 2008 National Speleological Society annual convention.
- Photographing Science and Science in Action presentation at the 2008 National Speleological Society annual convention, co-authored with Diana E. Northup.
Classes and workshops
- Professional Lighting with One or More Small Flashes a class offered at The Artistic Image in Albuquerque, NM, September 13 and 14, 2014.
- Using light to make more compelling images a class offered at The Artistic Image in Albuquerque, NM, February 15, 2014
- Wildflower photography at Carlsbad Caverns National Park, 2010?