Kwe Bentum

Kwe Bentum has a degree in biotechnology from Chicago’s Roosevelt University and is an avid iPhone and Olympus camera shooter. Street photography is a favorite genre, and he loves to capture unplanned moments of the city and its people, knowing they can never be replicated. He sometimes incorporates themes in his work, such as shooting window reflections or detailed rainy moments. He also enjoys conceptual photography where he carefully selects a subject and location, thinking through the colors, clothes, and how they complement the background. Although time-consuming, he finds it very rewarding once all the pieces come together.

Kwe primarily shoots with an Olympus OM-D E-M5 Mark II and his iPhone. He finds that switching between cameras results in variations on the same shot, such as when he used both to capture raindrops on a window, and realized that their size and texture appeared differently due to disparate lens characteristics. While he occasionally experiments with filters or programs for editing, he prefers to edit a photo from the start, fine-tuning contrast, highlights, colors and clarity until satisfied.

Instagram: @quake18

Kwe’s Prints

"Photojournalism in different countries would be a perfect photography assignment. There are many places in the world with less media coverage, and some of these places may also have preconceived stereotypes that have obscured their positive aspects. I would love to travel to these places to experience their true lifestyles and document those moments for myself and others."

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Kwe’s Books

Kwe's work is featured in Trope Chicago, the first installment of the Trope City Edition series, a collection of urban and architectural photography books of cities around the world by today’s emerging photographers. He also appears in the upcoming documentary One Frame.

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Thirty Minutes with Kwe Bentum

We spent time with KWE BENTUM, a prolific mobile and dslr photographer in Chicago. His Chicago images are in the new book, Trope Chicago and he also appears in the upcoming documentary, One Frame.

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