Style in Hindsight | salt lake city utah conceptual portrait photographer

Model, Makeup & Styling: Rachelle Rydman
Photos: Wendy Hurst Portrait

When I took my first drawing class in college the professor taught us to draw what our eyes see. Not what we think we are seeing ("a car", "an apple", "a plant"), but to draw what our eyes perceived. Triangles, shapes, negative space, light and darkness, relative size and distances. Our minds have learned to combine these elements as objects with words. Learning to draw adequately, which I am not a master at doing, requires teaching the mind to recognize what makes up what we see and how we interpret the world. He also taught us to learn from the masters by emulating them. Experiment with their styles, practice their techniques they use to pull the proverbial rabbit out of the hat and learn how to apply it to one's own personal style.

Style is a hard nut to crack. Gregory Heisler, one of the greatest and well-known photographers of all time, describes style as something seen "in hindsight" (mentioned in an interview during a Maine Media Workshop, linked here). "Shoot what you can’t help but shoot.... And in hindsight, you will see your style."

As long as an image tells a story, even a short and simple one, I feel artistically satisfied. What satisfies you as an artist?

What will your mind see today?

Comments

Child Liberation Foundation Launch Party 2017

Some portrait highlights of the generous donors and contributors to the newly launched Child Liberation Foundation , hosted at Sky SLC over the weekend. Though attendees were supporting a serious issue, a healthy sense of humor was still present. Come join the conversation on Instagram or Facebook ! Paul Hutchinson (right) is the co-founder of the Child Liberation Foundation

The Lonely Flower, with Kollene Snow | Salt Lake Conceptual Portrait Photographer

Have you ever been stuck trying think of an idea, and then all of a sudden a tiny, fragile glimpse of something appears? In those moments I just want to grab it and hold on so it can't get away, but if you don't let it breathe, that poor little idea gets squished. I wanted this photo shoot with Kollene Snow to illustrate that idea. Like a lonely flower that blooms, sometimes unexpected ideas lead the way to the next one. Model: Kollene Snow Makeup: Kollene Snow Photography: Wendy Hurst Portrait

I am no bird | salt lake city utah conceptual portrait photographer

Model: Jesyka Dereta Makeup & Styling: Jesyka Dereta Wardrobe, Prop & Calligraphy: Wendy Hurst Photography: Wendy Hurst Portrait Sometimes when I don't know something, like what to call an image or series, I identify what it's not. Doing so lends inspiration and actually yields titles that resonate with me most often. For this reason a quote from Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte recently stuck in my mind. "I am no bird; no net ensnares me." I also remembered a behind the scenes YouTube video by fashion photographer Joan Allen that I found by accident years ago of a shoot using calligraphy on the skin to add a dimension of edgy elegance. Combine that with a kick I've been on about oversized objects and I knew what I wanted to do. Months ago I draped my dress form, Maggie, with yards of purple cloth I picked up secondhand for a different photo shoot. The shoot turned out okay but didn't fully captured the potential I saw in that &quo

WENDY HURST PORTRAIT

Search This Blog