I recently had the opportunity to attend Photo Native, which is a three day photography conference in Provo, Utah. This was my first experience attending any sort of workshop or conference! I didn’t really know what to except but I tried to go in with an open mind and be ready to learn and take in as much as I could. It would take too long to go into much detail about each class (plus it is 2am so maybe I am just being tired and lazy 😉 ) but I can say that I left the conference feeling empowered and inspired to make changes in my business, and honestly, my life as a whole. I learned ways to balance my family and work life, the importance of outsourcing, tips on posing, lighting, writing, and using social media. I also was able to meet and network with some other incredible creatives from around the country. If you are a creative and looking for a boost, definitely check it out.

My conference started off with this incredible editorial shoot hosted by the talented Heather Nan. Check out her work (as well as the other amazing vendors) below. She walked through tips for shooting film in dark indoor situations, using flash with film, and how to focus on telling a story in our photographs. Because I was there to grow, I wanted to push myself in as many ways as possible and work outside of my comfort zone. To do this, I shot Kodak Portra 800 and Delta 3200 (black and white), which I had never shot before, shot with the intention to push my film in development, shot film indoors in a darker location than I’ve ever done before, and forced myself to leave my digital camera behind and focus on my film only.

To create my story for the shoot, I used inspiration from our location, styling, and our model. Before we shot, we had about 10 minutes to explore the mansion and find places that really spoke to us. Because our location, the McCune Mansion in Salt Lake, had this dark victorian feel, I knew my shoot would be more moody and emotional. My story was that of a young girl longing for her love. Perhaps he is gone or war, perhaps he has past. She tries to bring life and beauty in her home with flower arrangements and pretty table settings, but it doesn’t seem to help. She dances alone and gazes through the window hoping he will show up. Once she makes it outside, she is coming to accept that he may not return. She feels the warm sun on her skin and slowly starts to feel hope. Hope that she can be strong. Hope that she can always remember. Hope that she can move on.

All images were shot on a Pentax 645n medium format film camera with Kodak Portra 800 (indoor color), Delta 3200 (black and white), and Fujifilm Pro 400h (outside) film stocks and developed at The FIND Lab. Idaho F

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