As a child, Nick set his sights on a photography career. Through school and into the workplace, and from humble beginnings to international acclaim, he’s never taken his keen eye off the objective to build his career around the lifestyle he wanted to live. From loft to firehouse to Westside compound, and finally, a studio nest above the Missouri River, his upward trajectory has never changed.
1953: Kansas City, Missouri – Nicholas Mark Vedros is born into his Greek American family. At age twelve, after seeing his Uncle Mike Mardikes black & white photographs on the kitchen table he is inspired and announces that night he wants to be a professional photographer when he grows up. At age thirteen he purchases a Yashica D twin lens reflex camera and begins shooting B&W around the neighborhood.
Early Career
1975: Nick becomes the Photographic Editor of the Missouri University yearbook, “Savitar”.
1976: Graduates with a Bachelors degree in Journalism from the University of Missouri in Columbia and heads to Europe to build portfolio.
Nick’s career started out shooting for The Kansas City Star newspaper. After one month he quit the job when he realized that it would not fulfill his dreams of having a family. This was a pivotal moment for him to “design a career around the lifestyle he wanted to live”
1976: Ronald Reagan at the National Republican Convention. Photo for the Kansas City Star.
The first studio
Vedros Photography began on 07.07.1977 with a $10,000 loan, a 5-year lease, and 0 clients at 1905 Main Street in Kansas City. His first assistant was Curt Shields, but eventually his team included Joslyn Dugas, Mike McCorkle and Jean Shifrin.
Nick and his then girlfriend (now wife) Patty lived and worked at the studio, sleeping on the pull out couch at night and conducting business on it by day.
1978: after is being given two ears of corn by art director Jeff Landis of Brewer Advertising to compose an image for a Pfizer, Nick’s first ad was published. Soon after this led to him shooting a campaign by esteemed art director Tim Hamill.
THE FIREHOUSE at
215 W 19th Street
With expansive vision, another loan and a 1911 landmark Kansas City fire station in need of recovery, 29-year-old Nick ignited Vedros and Associates, alongside the specialized talents of his amazing team.
Clockwise from left: Tim Pott, Steve Curtis, Dan Magus, Ron Berg, Michael McCord, Scott Murray, Mike McCorkle, Janet Rogers, Mike Lee. Nick and Patty Vedros (Center)
1982: Purchases Firehouse Number 3
1983: At just 30-year-old becomes the founding president of the Midwest chapter of the American Society of Media Photographers (ASMP).
1986: Eastman Kodak asks Nick, one of three American photographers, to replace Ansel Adams in testing Kodak film.
1987: Eastman Kodak asks Nick to lecture throughout the United States.
Set Design Legends Dale Frommelt and Scott Murray alongside James Earl Jones.
1990: Vedros and Associate Mike McCorkle AKA "Iron Mike" expand the studio repertoire by purchasing Photoshop II which at the time didn’t have layers. (Art Director, Craig McCord shown on the right).
1986: Nick hits his first break when Kodak selected his portrait image on the cover of, “Kodak Black-And-White Papers, Films, and Chemicals Cover.”
Renovations are completed on upper floors of the fire house, including the addition of a rooftop penthouse equipped with a hot tub for out-of-town art directors.
1991: Eastman Kodak asks Nick to lecture throughout Hong Kong, China, Korea, Malaysia, the Philippines, Australia and New Zealand.
1992: The print portion of the Apple campaign Vedros shot with BBD&O helped win the Grand Effie.
1993: Nick joins the Hasselblad University faculty, a band of celebrated photographers traveling the country by limo, and by invitation only, for its summer lecture series.
1995: Was asked to be included as a Canon Explorer of Light alongside an elite list of 54 other photographers.
1995: American Photo magazine named the Firehouse a top 10 dream studio in America.
2002: Nick attaches the Kodak DCS Pro Back, a square format, single-shot 16 Megapixel digital camera back to his Hasselblad in a first attempt to promote digital photography to a leery film-only clientele. After this shoot he decides to officially go digital.
When Studio Photography magazine chose Vedros & Associates as their “1995 Studio Of the Year," they described Vedros' work as "...a virtual icon of modern American commercial photography."
A SHORTER COMMUTE
2003: Nick sold the firehouse and built his side-by-side home and studio in Kansas City’s Westside neighborhood on a cliff overlooking the West Bottoms. The daily commute was 30 feet, or 30 seconds, depending on sidewalk traffic.
Studio, left. House, right.
Kevin Porter aka “Country” started out as an intern and progressed to become the best assistant and finest producer in Nick’s career. Nick was quoted as saying “Kevin was so talented I felt like I was working for him."
Gabe Hopkins started out as an intern and evolved to become Associate Photographer. His lighting ability rivaled Nick.
Downsizing
to the right size
After almost 40 years Nick and Patty have returned to living and working in the same space, now with their West Highland Terrier, Lynnie. Their production offices are on the lower level where Nick still works and shoots.