WENDY HURST PORTRAIT

"Friends and Skulls" | Model: Winter Rose Beaudry | Photographer: Wendy Hurst Portrait Female Cosplayers:   Celebrate your craft with a free fantasy portrait session on location or in studio before October 25th, 2015! Up to 5 final digital images with printing rights will be available for $15 each, with no obligation to purchase. Must be female and 16 years or older to qualify. Participants under 18 require guardian presence and consent.              [ Sign Up Now! ]              [ Ask a question ] "Woman in the Woods" | Model: Courtney Kurns | Photographer: Wendy Hurst Portrait Who is eligible? Female cosplayers willing to travel to Salt Lake County, Utah, ages 16 to infinity. Participants under 18 require guardian presence and consent. Must book session before October 25, 2015.  Why just women? I specialize in female portraiture and want to provide the most positive experience possible. How much does it cost? Eligible participants r

"A Spot of Tea" Model: Madison Beckstead Photographer: Wendy Hurst Portrait Wardrobe: Wendy Hurst Photography isn't my only creative interest; I'm also a seamstress. Five years ago I went to buy a pillowcase. Then I held it up, investigated its construction and asked myself, 'how hard could this be?'  When I ran out of pillows to cover I moved on to curtains, blankets, and then costumes. I make more Renaissance-style cloaks than anything else, but this summer I chose something completely different: a petticoat dress. I've made ballgowns, corsets, lace, and bustles, but one thing missing was a petticoat! Crunched for time on a Sunday morning I searched my arsenal for a model close to my studio and remembered Madi Beckstead. Two weeks ago I hosted an event exploring how different creative perspectives can interpret a single idea in many ways, and she was among the model participants. Bonus: she was available and the petticoat and corset belt I made

Most people aren't used to creating an image based on a theme they learned on the spot, so I started there. Three photographers with different experience, ideas and creative perceptions came together and out of their comfort zones to demonstrate one simple truth: there is more than one "right" answer to a creative question.  For some that answer isn't as simple as it seems. Anyone who has ever had writer's block or the artistic equivalent knows what I mean. As one studies the works of others it can be easy to fall into the "right way" trap. An inability to exactly reproduce an image like someone else, or the concern that an idea has "already been done" can feel crippling. And to that I emphatically repeat: there is more than one "right answer" to a creative question.  Here's how the exercise worked: The Challenge: Create at least one image interpreting a single theme with only one hour to prepare and one hour t