From state championship wins to Suburban League losses, one man captures it all. For the past eighteen years, soon to be Hudson Hall of Famer Ken Klemencic has been the man behind the camera at almost every sporting event for Hudson High School.
Klemencic grew up locally in Cleveland Heights and attended Saint Joseph’s High School. He first went to John Carroll University and then attended the Police Academy at Case Western Reserve University. But after being a policeman for several years, Klemencic attended paramedic school and found he preferred that occupation much more and then became a paramedic for the next ten years.
After those ten years, Klemencic found himself presented with a new opportunity to work for a new company.
“In 1994 I took a leap of faith and made a huge career change using my business education to work for an industrial pump company in Aurora. Since then, I have purchased that company and today that is my real job.”
Originally, Klemencic developed his rooted passion for photography when he was only a teen. He was taught the ins and outs of photography by a photo teacher that lived across from him growing up. Specifically, Klemencic learned how to develop film and print black-and-white photos which he was able to do in the basement of his neighbor’s house.
Klemencic began his HHS photography journey in 2007 at Kent State Ice Arena. Klemencic was there watching his daughter skate when the Hudson and Walsh teams took the rink afterwards. Klemencic voluntarily snapped a few photos of the game and submitted them to the Hudson Hub, which they included in their next edition. Klemecic shares,“after that, they asked me to submit photos of any sport that I shot. It took off from there. I have been doing it ever since.”
From the very first hockey match Klemencic shot, his work has gained a great deal of popularity. In 2007 Klemecic’s photos were published directly in local newspapers. “In those days, there were two editions of the Hub per week and there were multiple sports pages. I got a lot of exposure . That opened up opportunities to submit photos to the Akron Beacon Journal and the Cleveland Plain Dealer.”
Eventually, Klemencic opened up his site on Flickr to post Hudson sports and other pieces. He currently has about 95,000 photos on the site with over 40 million views.
Photography also comes with its fair share of challenges. Lighting is considered one of the biggest challenges for any photographer, but specifically sports photographers such as Klemencic. Klemencic notes, “Poorly lit fields and gymnasiums pose significant challenges. You have to have higher-end equipment to get that job done.”
Though it has its challenges, photography can be rewarding. Klemencic focuses on the human element when it comes to those rewards. “It’s a combination of things . . . freezing a moment in time, capturing emotion, documenting an event.” Adding to this, Klemencic makes it clear that the most special games for him to capture are playoff games and his favorite sport to catch is football.
But despite his love for photography, Klemencic reveals he has other motives behind his photos. “Hudson is special because I spent the last 40+ years of my life involved in the Hudson community. It’s one of the many ways that I try to give back or pay forward.” There is no doubt about Klemencic giving back to Hudson, as he has also served as a volunteer paramedic and firefighter for the city of Hudson since 1984.
Klemencic exemplifies what it means to be an exceptional Hudson resident.Through his photography and volunteer work as a firefighter, he demonstrates exactly what generosity looks like. Klemencic is able to balance family and work with his talents specifically to honor his community. The different skills he brings to the table impacts all of Hudson, whether it is directly or indirectly.
Klemencic will be honored for his selfless work and talents this month. He will be inducted into the Hudson Athletic Hall of Fame on Oct. 4 at Hudson High School for his 18 years of photography for the school. Klemencic and the eight other inductees will also be recognized Oct. 3 at Memorial Stadium.
As far as the future is concerned, Klemencic wants to continue his work for the school for as long as he can. He shares he has no specific end point in mind. “I currently average about 150 games per year. I may have to slow down a bit as I get older, but God willing I just keep on going.”
It’s truly clear that Ken Klemencic has done more for Hudson than any average resident would. His talents may be in photography but the depth of his character is beyond something a photo can capture. Klemencic has shaped Hudson’s athletic department for years and his work will be honored for even longer.
