Style in Hindsight | salt lake city utah conceptual portrait photographer

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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?





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