A few weeks back I shot a series of corporate headshots at business conference at the Estancia La Jolla Resort. Shortly after the events manager at Estancia reached out to see if I would be interested in photographing her husband in his capacity of CEO and owner of his golf apparel brand called Kingsmen Golf. Golf apparel?!? Heck yeah, that’s RIGHT up my alley! I mean, it’s not pickleball, but it’s a close second!
So when her husband, Donald Burlock reached out, I was ready to go. We discussed possible locations and I suggested using Encinitas Ranch. While not as iconic as Torrey Pines, I knew that getting on Torrey would be difficult at best, and I knew Encinitas Ranch had some views that were absolutely breathtaking (as well as easily accessible via a public trail).
Normally when I do an executive portrait, knowing their time is very valuable, I do my best to get in and get out as quickly and efficiently as possible. However, on this shoot, we had a nice 15 minute walk out to the shoot location from the golf course parking lot. So I really got to spend some quality time with Donald and could understand his vision. Upon meeting him, I was immediately struck by two things, his shirt and his energy.
The shirt, which he designed, was unlike anything I’d seen on a golf course. The minimalist collar, the hidden buttons, the material and the design (which was a beautiful sea foam green with dots that felt like sand from a fairway bunker) created a look that is somehow uniquely athletic and yet stylish enough to wear out to dinner after your round. I can honestly say, I WANT THAT SHIRT!!! Of course, it doesn’t hurt that it was being worn by a young, good looking, well built athlete. Whether I could rock it like that, is a different question, but I’m pretty sure I’ll love it even on me.
Then there’s Donald. He literally took up golf at the start of the pandemic. While I was leaving golf to play pickleball, he was building an addition to golf. And with his design background, he noticed the serious lack of functional yet stylish golf apparel options. Within seconds of meeting him he had infected ME with his passion for his brand. It’s VERY new (I think he said he’d sold roughly 100 shirts so far), but if I were a betting man, I would not bet against him.
By the time we were walking back to the car after a very successful shoot (a glorious sunset washed over the pristine fairways of ER), I my own brain was already cranking on his behalf. Kingsmen Golf. Check. Kingsmen Pickleball?!?! CHECK! I could TOTALLY see a niche to be filled in Pickleball apparel for a really sharp alternative to all the t-shirts and crew necks I see on the courts. Hmmm. Stay tuned!
Meanwhile, enjoy some of my favorite images from our shoot. I think you’ll see the passion that I experienced in our short time together.
