WENDY HURST PORTRAIT

Wandering Brides; Brooke Hayes, Model; Photo by Wendy Hurst Portrait 2 years ago I discovered conceptual portrait photography by accident and sketched an image of a cloaked, redheaded woman holding a lantern in darkness. I didn't have the skills to create it at the time. I'd forgotten all about it until last week when the scene, accidentally once again, fell into place. Maybe it's something in the air; I feel my style and even my self shifting forward like the seasons. It comes to me like a light in darkness... These images are next in my Wandering Brides series . Model: Brooke Hayes Cloak: Wendy Hurst (Me! I've used it before and am always making more...) Photo: Wendy Hurst Portrait Wandering Brides; Brooke Hayes, Model; Photo by Wendy Hurst Portrait Wandering Brides; Brooke Hayes, Model; Photo by Wendy Hurst Portrait Wandering Brides; Brooke Hayes, Model; Photo by Wendy Hurst Portrait Wandering Brides; Brooke Hayes, Model; Photo by Wendy H...

Confusing times. Voter freedom. Veteran's day. Grateful. This is my fourth draft of a post that started out as several paragraphs focused on the process of making this series. It's different than my normal work and I wanted to talk about that too, but today the stories just didn't fit. So instead I'll just say thanks. I'm grateful to live in a country where opinions matter. I hope you are too.  Utah 2016 general election, Voter and Veteran Utah 2016 general election, Voter  Utah 2016 general election, Voter  Utah 2016 general election, Voter  Utah 2016 general election, Voter  Utah 2016 general election, Voter  Utah 2016 general election, Voter

I love smoke. Not smok ing , just smoke. That white and gray stuff that plumes from campfires and smoke bombs in a controlled environment. Jet.com sells a package of 6 dozen smoke bombs that arrived the morning before this shoot; that's how I knew it was going to be a good day. Then I got on site and realized I forgot my flash trigger. Let me rephrase that: I lost  my flash triggers. Poof. Gone. Nowhere to be found. The luscious light I imagined in my mind using off-camera flash quickly went out the window, leaving us to the unpredictability of the passing clouds. At least we had smoke. :) Models: Eric Swenson Trina Jasmine Brianna Dibb Michael James Madi Beckstead Amanda Solt Melissa Meldrum Handmade masks (that you can buy!) by Madison Sayes at Madisigns (facebook.com/madisigns) Prop gowns: Wendy Hurst (me)* *Exceptions include the butterfly skirt with geometric patterns and winter witch cloak. Those are by Madison too! The Skulls My friend at Madisigns c...

Jumping right in this week... Spotting Some Nonsense We are surrounded by things because...life. Whether those things were created by nature (a tree, a flower, dirt, air) or man-made (cars, grocery stores, baseball fields) we are surrounded by people, places, and things. You know, nouns. Pick one. How to Use It Apply a bizarre situation. Perhaps there's a pen nearby. What would happen if it started talking to you? What would it say? Would it do acrobatics around your desk? Would it draw you an amazing picture--on your face?  It Works for Me I don't know why, but the grocery store inspires me. All those rows of shelves stocked with colorful shapes that come in so many different sizes is like a puzzle for my brain. Raising a family means I spend a lot of time there, and...apples. We love apples. By mixing it into a bizarre situation that [probably] wouldn't happen in real life, I created an equally bizarre self portrait in my basement and combined it with an i...

It's happened to you. That face of that person you just met or last saw years ago is clear in your mind and yet somehow their name eludes you, dangling on a string just out of reach by a cunning, imaginary hand. Or maybe for you it's a song lyric, or a musical tune stuck in your mind but one you just can't place--or erase. See it as a blessing rather than a curse. Nonsense has come knocking. Spotting the Nonsense What are those fragmented lyrics you recall? What memories do you associate with that person's familiar face? What images do they conjure? What do those images make you recall? How to Use It Now add something ridiculous. Something that makes you say, "that can't happen." Maybe the last time you saw that person you were in an office at work--and suddenly there was an explosion and you heroically shoved them out of harm's way. Maybe you walked in slow and glorious motion away from the flames, unfazed and unharmed. Maybe the credits rolle...

Music Awakens (violin). Model: Amy Crosland, Photo: Wendy Hurst Portrait "That can't happen." Flower pedals can't swirl around to the tune of a violin. Paper butterflies can't fly. But when overcome with the rush of wind in beautiful light with a simple instrument, when you care about a story that draws you in, it doesn't matter . Movie-makers have known this for years and the trick (if one can call it that) is to make the story just believable enough, entertaining enough, and likable enough that the audience is willing to suspend reality long enough to feel the magic. Last week I introduced #nonsenseinspires as a blog series I hope can inspire storytellers everywhere to challenge the words, "That can't happen." This week's nonsense explores what happens when nature is woken by music, but first the concept. Spotting the Nonsense You've just woken from a dream. Maybe you don't remember what it was about. Maybe it was e...

Wandering Brides: The Walk | Model: Amanda Solt (arms in bushes belong to Hali) Hall of curtains, path of light. Lacey waist and ribbons tight.  Wand'ring forest, cottage rose.  Leafy rooftops, chilly toes.  Destination moving fast.  Fantasy, this cannot last.  Climbing, searching, feeling lost.  Seeking self is worth the cost.  Hall of curtains, path of light.  Wand'ring brides bid thee good night. Models: Amanda Solt Hali Vanderburg Araneo Kellie Quan Poem & Photo: Wendy Hurst Portrait Storytelling imagery is my obsession, and the ability to find inspiration from nonsense in the real world is a key to invention I want to share with anyone who seeks to create. For the next few weeks I’ll be blogging about ways to use nonsense to tell visual stories and increase empathy by challenging the words, “That can’t happen." #nonsenseinspires is all about seeing the world through the lens of the impossible. ...