Utah Commercial Photographer | Promontory

It’s neat how a casual little booking can turn into something fabulous.

We were recently asked to shoot a class at Promontory’s Art Silo.  Shooting a live (not-staged) activity can be tough because a) you don’t want to annoy the participants  b) you can’t direct the shoot  c) you can’t control the lighting.  I approach these types of shoots photojournalistically, focusing on capturing the essence of the moment.  What are people doing? How are they doing it?  How can I use the imagery to share the experiences and feeling associated with these actions?

I also come to these shoots wearing my extrovert hat.  I mean, you definitely want to stay in the background but, at the same time, you need to proactively exert positivity so everyone feels comfortable with your photographic presence in their space.  You have stay smiling, winking happily at participants that are looking at you quizzically or nodding appreciatively at a participant that gives you a great shot by showing you what they’re doing or smiling at you for a photo.

For this particular shoot, the art teacher & I realized during our pre-shoot chat — when I mentioned my Kimball Art Center exhibit from this past summer — that we have a wonderful friend in common (read more about her here), so automatically I was excited about know Lauren over the course of the class.  And then, when the instructees walked in, I learned that they were visiting from Australia & staying with a friend that lives in Promontory.  These girls were so, so sweet and ready to have a good time (wine included), and V & I often found ourselves laughing alongside them as they brushed and rolled and stenciled.  All in all, a surprisingly fun shoot.