Kenneth (Professor) Hines, Jr.
Photographer • Visual Storyteller • Educator
I believe photography is more than simply taking pictures.
It's about seeing.
Seeing people. Seeing places. Seeing moments.
And finding a way to communicate what you see with intention.
I'm Kenneth Hines, Jr.—better known as Professor Hines, Ambassador of Light—a multi-disciplinary photographer, visual storyteller, educator, worship video director and JIB camera operator based in Atlanta, Georgia.
My work spans photography, video production, camera operation and creative education. While I am often recognized for my work in street, cityscape and landscape photography, I have never believed in limiting myself to a single genre.
I'm interested in the entire visual experience.
The Beginning
A camera, a family trip & a disposable Kodak
My journey with photography began in June 2000 during a family RV trip to Toronto, Canada and Fairbanks, Alaska.
My great-aunt, the late Marjorie Smith, handed me a disposable Kodak camera and simply told me to “fill it up.”
I did.
What began as a simple family trip became the beginning of a lifelong relationship with photography.
I continued photographing throughout the years, eventually purchasing my first digital camera in 2007.
By then, photography had become more than something I enjoyed.
It had become my creative language.
From Art to Photography
Before photography became my primary artistic medium, I spent years painting and drawing.
I began creating art in the mid-1990s, thanks to the artist Bob Ross, developing an appreciation for composition, color, perspective and visual expression long before I fully understood how those ideas would influence my photography.
By 2007, I had stopped painting and drawing and photography had become my primary form of artistic expression.
That transition shaped the way I approach photography today.
I don't see the camera simply as a technical device.
I see it as another tool for creating art.
The Professor Hines story
The name Professor Hines wasn't originally a business name.
It came from a friend, Ken Williams, who noticed how often I helped other photographers in an online photography community.
He began calling me “Professor Hines” because of my willingness to answer questions and share what I knew.
After Ken passed away in 2013, the name stayed with me.
Eventually, it became more than a nickname.
It became a philosophy.
Teach what you know.
Share what you learn.
Help someone else move forward.
Building the Business
During my senior year at Columbia High School in Decatur, Georgia, my Advanced Economics instructor, Patricia Roberts, noticed the photographs I was creating.
She encouraged me to put my work online and helped me take the first steps toward building a business before I graduated.
While attending college, I purchased my first DSLR and continued developing my portfolio through personal and professional projects.
Eventually, I connected with a talent agent in Atlanta and began working on a variety of high-profile assignments.
Photography was no longer simply something I was passionate about.
It was becoming my career.
New York & New Era
In 2015, an opportunity came to live and work in New York City.
I took it.
Moving to New York became an important turning point in my creative journey.
The city exposed me to new people, new environments, new opportunities and new ways of approaching photography.
It also marked what I consider the beginning of my second era in photography—an ongoing chapter defined by exploration, experimentation, travel and a deeper commitment to visual storytelling.
My work during this era has taken me well beyond the places where I started.
Photography
Multi-disciplinary by design
I don't consider myself a photographer who specializes in only one genre.
I'm a multi-disciplinary photographer.
Street photography allows me to observe life as it happens.
Cityscape and architectural photography allow me to explore structure, scale, light and geometry.
Landscape photography gives me an opportunity to slow down and observe the environment.
Travel photography allows me to experience unfamiliar places and cultures through a visual perspective.
And commercial photography challenges me to take everything I've learned and apply it to a specific creative objective.
The subject may change.
The approach may change.
But the goal remains the same:
Create meaningful images with intention.
Beyond The Still Image
Video • Production
Photography was where my journey began, but visual storytelling has never been limited to a single frame.
My creative work has expanded into video production, camera operation and live production, allowing me to explore storytelling through movement, sound, pacing and composition.
Working in video, especially at Change Church Dekalb as the JIB camera operator has given me a different perspective on the camera.
Photography taught me to recognize a moment.
Video taught me to anticipate one.
Whether I'm creating educational content, producing video, working on a commercial project or operating a camera during a live production, I approach the work with the same attention to composition and storytelling that guides my photography.
A recent milestone was being the JIB camera operator for the new LIVE worship album from Tasha Cobbs-Leonard, recorded at Change Church in Atlanta.
Video Director
JIB Camera Operator (LIVE album recording)
JIB Camera Operator (Change Church)
JIB Camera Operator (Change Church)
Music, Church & Production
From the choir to the camera
My creative journey has also been deeply connected to the world of church and live production.
Before the camera became such a significant part of my professional life, music was another way I experienced creativity, community and storytelling.
One of the most memorable experiences of that journey was the opportunity to sing with the GRAMMY Award-winning Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir at music conferences in New York.
Standing alongside such talented musicians and vocalists gave me a different appreciation for performance and production.
It taught me to understand what happens on the other side of the camera—to appreciate the performers, musicians, directors, producers and technical teams who work together to create a meaningful experience for an audience.
Those experiences would eventually become another important part of my creative journey.
Education
Sharing what I've learned
Education has always been a major part of my creative journey.
Throughout my career, I've had the opportunity to teach photographers about cameras, lenses, lighting, composition, editing and the creative process.
I've created educational content for photographers, spoken on industry stages, participated in workshops and shared knowledge online with a community of creatives around the world.
I don't believe education is simply about knowing the answer.
It's about helping someone understand how to find the answer for themselves.
That philosophy continues to influence everything I create.
Adobe Lightroom Editing Course
Street Photography Course
The Professor Hines Philosphy
See. Create. Share.
Three words summarize how I approach my work:
SEE.
Pay attention.
Look beyond the obvious.
Find the story.
CREATE.
Take what you see and turn it into something meaningful.
Experiment.
Take risks.
Develop your own visual language.
SHARE.
Pass what you've learned to someone else.
Encourage creativity.
Open doors.
Help another person move forward.
That's what the Professor Hines name means to me.
Partnerships
Throughout my career, I've had the opportunity to work with and represent some of the world's leading photography, technology and optical brands.
My partnerships have included organizations such as Sony, ZEISS and Adobe, among others.
I've always approached brand partnerships from the perspective of a working creative and educator.
The products I work with need to fit into the way I actually create.
My goal isn't simply to promote equipment.
It's to experience it, understand it and share what I've learned.
Today
Today, Professor Hines represents more than photography.
It is a creative platform built around photography, video, education and visual storytelling.
I continue to photograph.
I continue to create video.
I continue to work in production.
And I continue to share what I've learned with photographers and creatives who are developing their own path.
The journey that began with a disposable Kodak camera continues to evolve.
And I'm still looking for the next frame.
