WENDY HURST PORTRAIT

A few weeks ago I photographed beautiful people in natural bodies of water after a storm. Last weekend I traveled to a desert in a desert called Little Sahara. Both places are in Utah, and most people here don't realize the potential for serenity those places provide. Photographer Chase Jarvis frequently mentions a concept called the "Creative Gap," referring to the space between what an artist imagines to create and the actual result. The only way to close that gap is to know where you want to go and practice the skills necessary to get you closer to your expected outcome. My recent time spent in natural bodies of water and the extreme opposite in an isolated desert have played a huge part in closing a creative gap of my own, and brought me more peace in the process. Here's a look at one of those water sessions, featuring Mekall Ryan. Her blush colored dress is from H&M and the roses came from my own garden. Mekall Ryan model & makeup Pon...

~Wondering what a Wonderland mini session is like?~ We start with a scene that brings the indoors outdoors (#studioanywhere) and move through different scenes, all within the same space. You get to choose from a variety of props such as a giant white rose, a miniature house, a tea party, and several others to make your session uniquely yours. Within a few days you get to pick your favorite portraits through an online gallery and the final images will be delivered via Dropbox. If you're still not sure if a session like this is for you, take a peek with model Kasmira Evans (aka Kassie Bear)!

Models, Makeup & Hair: Cindy Perez Roberts, Nicolette Waites Photography & Calligraphy: Wendy Hurst Gowns Provided by JoCee Porter at Celebrate Everyday Gowns Featured: Anne (Cindy Perez Roberts, model) Aria (Nicolette Waites, model) For this shoot I partnered with JoCee Porter, owner and founder of a nonprofit in Utah organization called Celebrate Everyday , who collects donated dresses and rents them out for free to girls and women in need. Seriously. She acquires hundreds of used bridal and prom gowns every month donated by dress shops and local residents. The belief of her organization and mine are quite similar: every woman, everywhere, deserves to feel beautiful . Calligraphy & Makeup Prep In this case it was meant to be--and that's the theme of the shoot. Our original destination completely rained out and we relocated to Trolley Square Mall, my new favorite location that is designed better than a studio I could neither imagine nor afford.  And it...

  Session featuring Amanda Solt I love the power music has to shape the mood of an environment. Since I shoot outside most of the time it's hard to use so I feel spoiled shooting in a private space like my studio (aka, my front room) while playing any music I want. I also like not having to worry about gusts of wind knocking over my lighting equipment. Even though I wasn't playing it during the session, the soundtrack from the movie Under the Tuscan Sun  ran through my head over and over while editing. The gentle grace Amanda has when moving from one pose to another, plus a soft breeze from fanning a foam board in front of her face (a poor man's wind machine) sucked me into a world where vineyards thrive and leaves are gently tussled. Where does it take you?

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. ...