It was nearly 1:00 a.m. on a Wednesday when Kiawna Lavery crept into bed beside her boyfriend, who had already drifted into a deep sleep. Just as she was settling in, a notification lit up her phone, one that made her heart nearly stop. She let out a sharp gasp, jolting her boyfriend awake.
“What’s wrong?!” he asked, rubbing the sleep from his eyes.
Lavery, wide-eyed and breathless, could barely get the words out.
“OH. MY. GOD. CHARITY KISS WANTS ME TO DO THEIR PHOTOSHOOT.”
For years, Lavery, 22, had idolized Charity Kiss, a band with over four thousand monthly listeners on Spotify and a staple of Reno’s music scene.
She had spent countless nights at The Holland Project, singing along in the crowd, never imagining she’d one day be capturing them through her own lens.
Her love for photography had started in high school, in an art class at McQueen, but it wasn’t until her mother gifted her a camera at graduation that she truly dove headfirst into documenting Reno’s underground music scene.
When Charity Kiss reached out, she was just getting started, still building her confidence.
“I was like—there’s no way they actually want me to take their photos,” Lavery admitted.
But that shoot marked just the beginning. Over time, she has become one of the most sought-after and affordable photographers in the scene, turning her passion into a career and making a name for herself on Instagram as @keychainptg.
Lavery is currently showcasing her photos at Midnight Coffee Roasting, where her live show, documentary style moments are available for sale in a sleek black frame.
Keep Reno Rad reporting by Lauren Juillerat