Once in awhile I like to take shelter from uncontrollable factors outdoors and pay more attention to the creative process. The last three months have been creatively frustrating for me, like writer's bock. But instead of lack of inspiration, it was doubt of ability. Sure I could take adequate pictures, but that wasn't good enough for me anymore. Where I wanted to go and where I was going were two different destinations and I was frustrated.
Frustrating as it was, irritating as it felt, the last time I felt this creatively perplexed was in September 2014 when I accidentally discovered a photographer named Brooke Shaden--a breakthrough that completely changed my artistic life forever. Trusting a breakthrough was on the horizon, I pushed theory aside and used my eyes instead of logic.
And guys...it worked. The moment I took this photograph (left) felt like a giant wave lifted me up and I could see beyond the horizon for the first time--and the weather out there is BEAUTIFUL.
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
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 ...
Salt Lake City, Utah | FanX is a space of raw reality. Cosplayers emerge from their everyday self to an elevated version of self--or, someone/something else entirely. Artists become shapeshifters, inhabiting a character through what they're wearing, or what they hold, or what they say. Craftspeople from all walks of life swarm the halls with colorful excitement. It doesn't matter who you are, or where you came from, or where you're going. FanX is for everyone, like a moving, shifting, swirling, ever-changing exhibit of living art. I just bring my camera. :) All the portraits I captured during the event can be found at my website, wendyhurstportrait.com .
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