Kalina & Kelly Schneider

Born and raised in Coronado California and then moved to Gresham, Oregon and remained there until he joined the US Navy in 1980 where he served for 29 years. During his US Navy travels all over the world including 137 countries, he became aware of his passion for photography and “capturing” the life around him. In 2010, Kelly began his pursuit of professional portraiture and growing and developing his skills in creating “salient” portraits. In 2012, Kelly his wife started the family photography business focusing on weddings and portraiture/Boudoir. Over time, he has become passionate about teaching others, and he holds a Master of Science Degree in Human Systems Integration from the Navy Post Graduate School in Monterey California. He has completed the Executive leadership course at both UC Berkeley and Duke University and is a certified Master Training Specialist. Kelly has been involved in authoring, developing, and delivery advanced skills training for over 25 years and was the Director of Training for the FORD Class Nuclear Aircraft Carrier Program in Washington DC for over 10 years. Kelly continues to develop his photography skills and strongly believes in constantly learning and invests in himself through attendance at 2-3 learning workshops/events each year. Over the past few years, Kelly and his wife Kalina (also a gifted photographer and active PPA member) has been hosting and delivering workshops both in the US and in Europe with over 500 students trained.  They have delivered 3+ day classes all over the US including Georgia School of Photography, Florida School of Photography, Mid-Atlantic Region School of Photography, California Center of Digital Arts School, and three years at Texas School of Photography.  The family photography business has recently changed its name to KSFINEARTS  (ksfinearts.com) and focuses on Intimate Portraiture/Boudoir and Fine Art portraiture and Professional Portraiture Education including international portrait-focused events.  Kelly and his wife are hosting portrait inspired tours in Italy, Ireland, and now Bali in 2023 with many additional events in 2024 already scheduled! Kelly is currently writing a book on “The Salient Portrait and the Three Pillars” and is a core element of all his workshops and training events.  He earned the Best Portrait of the Year award in 2017 and 2019 for Maryland state PPA and Best Portrait Photographer for the State of Maryland for 2017, 2018, 2019 and Wedding Photographer of the year for 2018, 2019, and State Photographer of the year in 2019 as well as Florida 2021 TOP 10, multiple ASP State Elite Awards, and two Fujifilm Masterpiece awards.  He has earned his” Professional” designation with WPI in 2021 and has had numerous top 10 category finishes for WPPI with two First Place trophies.  He is also a 2023 Portrait Judge for the Master Photographer International (MPI) competition.   He has earned his Master Level for Portrait Masters in 2022, and fellow level for MPE in Europe.  He has been published in various magazines and articles. Kelly is married Mrs. Kalina Schneider from Katowice, Poland. Kalina and Kelly currently call Cape Coral, Florida their home.