Peek Portraits Continues to Grow in Ladue

Everybody’s got a good story to tell. Some better than others. You’ll love the one about 32-year-old Ladue business proprietor Kevin Hammett. He’s sole proprietor of Peek Portraits.

In a not-so-funny way, Hammett’s lucky to be here, or anywhere at all. Several years ago, he was on his way to his old company's location in Winnetka, IL, outside of Chicago, for a photo shoot. “I was running to catch a train, so I wouldn’t be late for my appointment. I was at the Metra stop at Clybourn and Armitage in Lincoln Park,” he said.

“I looked both ways. It seemed clear to cross the street. I was struck by a truck going 40 miles per hour. I was flipped up into the air and landed crashing on the street. Another car almost ran me over. I went into shock. I got back up and headed to the train. The photo bag around my shoulder with a box of photo proofs absorbed most of the impact. The bag and the box were shredded. I ended up with a dislocated shoulder and quite a few bone bruises,” he said.

Acting instinctively, he got up, ran for the train and caught it, despite being in a state of confusion. He even fashioned his own ripped shirt into a sling and passed out on the train. 
“I was helped off the train, and some people carried me to my studio across the street," he said. His assistant called emergency responders for help.

Lucky for Hammett, Sarah Broeg (his future bride) was a physical therapist also living in Chicago. Broeg was a a graduate of Saint Louis University. At SLU, a rotator cuff injury cut her swimming career short. “Sarah nursed me back to health. She got me back in shape somewhat, and within two weeks, I was back on the golf course,” Hammett said.

Hammett’s career has not always involved photography. Jesuit educated on the north shore of the Chicago suburbs, he and his buddies decided to give the University of Montana a try. “It was cheap. I loved the out of doors. It was something different to do. By our second year, we were all living in a house together,” he said.

But Hammett mostly hit the road, not the books. “I loved road trips. We traveled west to Las Vegas and San Diego and San Francisco. Out there, distances don’t seem to be so far," he said.

With little time spent in the classroom, after two years, he was out of college and back in Chicago, working as a shift manager at a Starbucks. “A lady came through the line one day and knew me and asked me if I wanted to work in her photo studio business,” Hammett said. "'Why not?' I responded."

By age 22, he was running the studio. Once the recession occurred, Hammett felt the business was losing its identity, but he was unable to buy the studio. At this point, his wife Sarah wanted to move back to St. Louis, near the Fred Broeg Chevrolet family and her high school friends from Nerinx Hall. So, the couple moved to the St. Louis metro area where Hammett opened Peek Portraits.

Hammett is building a photo business based on three important credos: kids, families and charities. “I work for charities all the time. The rest of the business will follow and take care of itself,” he said.

He does pro bono photography for the Ronald McDonald House Charities, Make-A-Wish Foundation, Saint Louis Crisis Nursery and Voices for Children. Peek Portraits opened last October, his client list already includes Forsyth School, Villa Duchesne and Oak Hill School, Whitfield School and the Clayton Family Center.

The Hammetts have an almost three-year-old son, Henry, and another on the way. They have a home in Kirkwood. “I have my little patch of land to take care of. I couldn’t do that in Chicago,” he said.

But, he’ll be back to Chicago soon. By October, he’s opening a second studio on Southport Avenue in Lincoln Park. He'll commute back and forth there monthly. He still has clients clamoring for his skills.

“I love working with small children. I really get to know children well, and I get them to really open up. I haven’t used the word ‘smile’ in 10 years. I’ve worn out countless pairs of trousers crawling around on my knees. I make each session for small children a glorified play date,” Hammett said.

In a day of processed color photography, he’s loyal to black-and-white photography. He only prints on the finest paper, maintaing a gold standard of quality. “See here,” he said, pointing to a black and white photo. “You can’t tell when that photo was taken. It could have been anytime."

He uses a Nikon D700 in his work. “Others can specialize in doing weddings and bar mitzvahs. That’s just not me. I’m an artist, and photography is my passion. Kids and families are what I do,” he said.

Hammett is promoting a special event to benefit the Ronald McDonald House Charities. The special runs May 2 through May 8 (in time for Mother's Day on May 8).

For a minimum $50 donation to Ronald McDonald House Charities, a family will receive a 45-minute photo session, a 4-inch-by-6 inch print and a gift bag for mom. One hundred percent of all session donations and 10 percent of all print sales go directly to Ronald McDonald House Charities.