a traveling circus photoshoot to inspire you to #createanyway, even if nobody is looking

#STUDIOANYWHERE, UTAH, USA | There's no audience here. No crowds or ticket sales. These performers perform because performance itself is the goal. The act of creating, even if nobody is watching, is the prize. Maybe nobody will see these photographs. Maybe the whole project will simply live anonymous and forgotten on the internet until the end of time without a single "like" to its name. Whether it does or it doesn't, the creative process has taken on new meaning for me. I've accepted that sometimes it's enough to simply...exist. I encourage you to use that existence to make yourself, and others, better. 

Welcome to the circus.

The circus has so much to see, yet leaves so much unseen. Talented performers spend years practicing and perfecting their crafts. What we observe in an hour took commitment, time and unseen repeated failure to achieve. If there were nobody to perform for, would they still do that thing?

If photography was my performance, I would. Portrait photography connects me to others in a way nothing else can. Portrait photography is my tool to start meaningful conversations, even if nobody is watching.

This isn't the first circus I've designed and photographed, but it is the first I designed entirely, 100% in the name of the process. For months I researched characters, performances, costumes, and set design options that could fit my vision perfectly. Black and white stripes spoke to me, so I listened. Fabrics that were gathering dust on my shelves came back to life. An old location I fell in love with years ago--a train and a desert--called me back, so I returned. If a detail didn't fit right, I threw it out. If something didn't work, I fixed it. I adapted. I learned. I grew. I created. And I didn't look back.

Just do it.

My work won't hang in a museum next to Van Gogh or Davinci. My social media following may never draw a crowd. 

Create anyway.

Create because you love it. Enjoy the process. Create something wonderful--even if nobody is looking.

Behind the Scenes

WARDROBE

I combined things the models already had (body suits, tank tops, boots, corsets, etc.) with accessories and props to bring each character to life. I made the striped skirt and shorts myself, plus the striped suspenders. Making these and the props (below) really leveled up my connection with this shoot.

PROPS

I made the juggling sticks from a wooden dowel, old bike tubes and electric tape. The ribbon stick used the remnants of the dowel with Gorilla tape. The boxing gloves were in a closet that I rediscovered during spring cleaning. 

STUDIO ON SITE (aka, #studioanywhere)

This is a key element I hope to expand on into the future. I strongly feel that photographers--in a time of COVID, or otherwise--do NOT need a rented studio in good weather. With the right light and a simple backdrop, one can have a studio anywhere. For this shoot I found a weathered, shaded wall at a local public park, brought along some key objects (the rug, for instance, is really a thrifted table cloth that I can wash at will), and posed my subjects as if we were in a studio setting. I think the setup added a huge boost to the authenticity of the experience because that weathered wall in a studio could cost thousands of dollars or thousands of hours...or both. Choosing a pre-weathered spot in nature saved me both. I placed a single speed light in a 26-inch octabox, double diffused, at camera right, anchored against the wind with some sandbags, and let the biggest studio in the world (aka, nature) carry me away with the tale.

Credits

Boxer: Brew @brewja_801

Dancer: Ivy Watrous @ivysaurr24

Juggler: Amanda Solt @the_morbid_queen

Hat Trickster: Heidi Voss @portfoliohv