GAZETTE Tampa Bay Gay and Lesbian News

Story and photo by John Chambrone
TAMPA-Kevin Kerdash knew what he wanted to do at an early age. What began as a fun childhood pastime turned into an illustrious career in photography. It began with a toy at age 6, where he took negatives and burned them in the sunlight. Papers turned colors where the sun hit it. From there, he took family negatives and had his parents buy him an enlarger so he was able to print those family negatives. It took him a while to get his first camera. Kerdash started making movies as a preteen. Problem was he found that 12-year-old actors were not that reliable, so he delved into the world of still photography.

Perusing Kerdash's studio reveals many amazing photos. With so many to choose from, one wonders which are his personal favorites. He quickly responds that photographing a lava flow in Hawaii was one of "the most exciting things I've done in my life." After he and his partner walked past the 'danger' signs, they were close enough to capture some really great pictures. A close second was the hot air balloon festival in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Kerdash says it is "the most photographed event in the world." With almost 1,000 hot air balloons floating around, the visually stunning afternoon was a photographers dream. Flying in the air to get some awesome shots, he really captured some beautiful moments.

When it came to favorite portraits, Kerdash has many to choose from. "My two favorite photos would have to be one of silent screen star, Lillian Gish. I photographed her in 1977 in the Kennedy Center at the American Film Institute's 10th Anniversary Gala. She died not long after. At the same event, I photographed Sidney Poitier, Lauren Bacall, Elizabeth Taylor and Tennessee Williams." Another favorite came when he got the opportunity to photograph the legendary Eartha Kitt in her dressing room. Other famous faces he worked his magic on included Johnny Cash, Christopher Lloyd, and Ronald Reagan, to name a few. Living and working in the Washington, DC area provided much opportunity, he explains, adding that sooner or later, everyone comes to the DC area for some reason or another, giving him the chance to shoot them.

Kerdash has been doing photography professionally since the early 1970s, with his first published work appearing in 1977. There was a point where he was photographing for a lot of men's magazines. Being published regularly and shooting hot-looking men may have been a lot of fun, but it didn't pay very well. He worked as staff photographer for Washington's entertainment weekly, Out Magazine, in the 1970s and served as the theatre staff photographer at the Port City Playhouse in DC. His illustrious career also had him photographing a series of ads for the Georgetown Hugo Boss store and portraits for author Alex Sanchez's books.

Kerdash has a B.A. in film production and has won awards in both film and photography. "My degree is in radio and television. I took a stage lighting course that really helped as well, but 90 percent is self-taught."

Although photography is his main interest, Kerdash hasn't limited his abilities strictly to that area. While in DC, he and partner of 24 years, Larry Kennedy, formed Flash Studios, Inc. and were among the originators of The Third Side television show. The gay and lesbian public access program was produced in their studio and aired in Washington, DC; Sacramento, California; Portland, Oregon; and Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. It was a finalist in the 1991 Hometown USA Awards. One segment of the show is in the permanent collection of the Smithsonian Institution after screening daily for a month in its Experimental Gallery. Although the duo is very proud of their accomplishments, they couldn't get enough support from others to help out on it. Because of financial constraints and the fact that it took a lot of time, the show only lasted a handful of episodes. Those episodes covered a lot of controversial ground. Filming a benefit for the series, they captured on film an ACT/UP protest of the event. It appeared that ACT/UP Washington protested a drag show since they felt that the drag queens were not representing the community properly. After they were thrown out, someone burned an ACT UP T-shirt and dropped it onto the wooden stage. Another memorable moment came in the form of the always-controversial Larry Flint. Never one to shy away from controversy, Flint talked about shooting Jesse Helms, stating maybe he would do it himself.

Even though the program was popular, "DC was not wired for cable back then so not many folks ever got to see it. But it did get out to other markets where it went over fairly well." Including their phone number on the show to elicit responses, they received a few calls, but none from the local area.

Having recently moved to our community from the Washington, D.C. area, Kerdash is looking forward to serving the area as a premiere photographer. What does he want for his customers? "I hope the most flattering portrait they have ever gotten. People tell me I make them relaxed and comfortable, which is something I am not even conscious of, but I am glad it happens that way. I also think I have an ability to find something attractive in just about anybody and that helps me bring out the best." Working by appointment only, Kerdash is just getting started in the area, and looks forward to living and working here. "I am perfectly happy to do almost any types of photography. Tampa seems to be a good market for me." FMI www.flashstudio.com; 813-727-8744.

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