This Bonanza Booth is a reflection of Ken Davidoff's interest in nature and cityscape photography. The images are diversified and sometimes abstract, relying on his sense of color, design, and composition gained from many years of photographic study and gallery exhibitions.
His interest in art was discovered at an early...
This Bonanza Booth is a reflection of Ken Davidoff's interest in nature and cityscape photography. The images are diversified and sometimes abstract, relying on his sense of color, design, and composition gained from many years of photographic study and gallery exhibitions.
His interest in art was discovered at an early age. While on a visit to friends of his parents, Ken, at age 4, was given his first art test. His Fathers friend, Johnny Mandola, was an art teacher. Every visit thereafter, included Johnny getting out his best pastels and paper for him to play with. Ken got his first camera at age 8 and by the time he was twelve his parents had arranged for private art lessons from a local artist. A budding artist through high school, he went to a 2yr Jr College for 4 Years, taking almost every art class. By 1966, at age 17 ken was working part time as a professional photographer at his parents studio.
In 1968 Ken got the opportunity to photograph The Miami Pop Festival with Jimi Hendrix.With this under his belt Ken was able to secure the position of official Photographer of the 1969 First Annual Music and Arts Festival of Palm Beach ( The Palm Beach Pop Festival )a 3 Day Festival dubbed "Woodstock South" which closed with the Rolling Stones. In the summer of his 22nd year he attended the School of Visual Arts in New York City. Which enabled him to photograph the 1972 Shea Stadium Peace concert . For almost 20 years Ken developed his darkroom technique and shooting style,while working in his parents studio in Palm Beach. At this time, Davidoff Studio's was located in the Breakers Hotel, in Palm Beach. He had his 1st gallery exhibit at Palm Beach Galleries on Worth Ave. Opening night was very exciting and encouraged him to expand his artistic horizon. Over the next few years, Ken exhibit his photography at several local venues : Royal Trust and Sun Bank locations, Jerry Wilson Gallery on Worth Ave, The Breakers Hotel in Palm Beach, and The Palm Beach County Governmental Center. Beresford Galleries of Potomac Maryland and Zolan Galleries of Palm Springs, Ca. also exhibited his work. A one man show of his Polo Photography at Palm Beach Polo and Country Club in Wellington,Fl., was a high point in Ken's artistic endeavors. He also put in stints with the Palm Beach Post, The Miami Herald, and United Press International .
By 1985 Ken had his own studio and was shooting for the Atlanta Braves and Montreal Expos, taking Spring Training Photographs for them. He also taught Photography at The Armory Art Center in West Palm Beach,Fl for 5 years. He is still shooting assignments for the family business, Davidoff Studios. The publication of " The Kennedy Family Album", a book containing over 200 images of his Fathers work Chronicling the J.F.K. and Kennedy Family Years in Palm Beach. Several of his photographs appear in the book including images of his father with both Jackie and Aristotle Onasis.
Over the past six years he has been working on two film documentaries about rock festivals he photographed in the late sixties and developing an online photographic archive, licensing his images. He continues to pursue his love of nature photography, and is constantly adding to his portfolio.
By Jack Connell
