Creativity: Photoshop Not Required | salt lake city utah storytelling portrait photographer

"You're a conceptual portrait photographer? You must be good at building nests and using Photoshop."

It's half true; I am good at Photoshop, but I've never built a nest in my life. Also, and more importantly, neither is required to tell a good story. Almost anyone can put together an environment with a pose, but a story is what will set one apart. 

A quick tip to finding a good story is to start with something--anything!--and ask yourself, "what comes next?"

For example, I tend to be in my kitchen when I have a moment to think of ideas so silverware is often my starting point. A spoon is like a shovel. One can shovel or scoop food, dirt, rocks, etc. What if it were a huge shovel that digs up bigger things like boulders and fences? What if instead of digging things up it buries things like garbage and buildings and people? What if those people don't want to be buried? What does that feel like? What's an environment and/or pose that expresses that emotion? 

Can I use Photoshop? Sure. But my idea came from the rambling thoughts that started with a spoon in my kitchen. I'd like to see Photoshop think of that over a bowl of cereal.

I still reserve the right to build a nest someday. :)

What will your mind see today?