BILL FORD / PORTRAIT PHOTOGRAPHY

Bill Ford is a storied interior designer, artist, and philanthropist. His outgoing personality and unique style are captivating—and we’ve just been waiting for an opportunity to capture it all in portraiture. That chance came as Bill completed his book From Paducah With Love. In his book, Bill expressed his love for Paducah, Kentucky by illustrating prominent Paducah places. Those artistic expressions were accentuated by written reflections from Bill’s friends.

Our challenge with these portraits was to convey the larger-than-life love and personality of Bill Ford. We also adore his trademark style which includes an array of unique bowties, an accessory that is now a part of Bill’s personal brand. 

Working in the studio with Bill was inspiring. He simply shines. The resulting headshots gave him a portfolio of images that were used for publicity, press releases, social media, and more.

We were also humbled by Bill’s kind words in a review of his experience with us: “When you want to do your best you go to the best. I can’t praise the portrait photography enough that Brad Rankin shoots from his Paducah studio. When I was ready to edit and publish From Paducah With Love, I knew then that the only one to photograph me would be Brad. I wanted an image that reflected me in my work, an image that didn’t look posed but relaxed. That’s what he did. Thank you, Brad, for the perfect photographic image you mastered of me. For once in my life, I am pleased with how I look.”

Thanks for reading, view more of our portraits here.