There is something special about being asked to tell a neighbor's story.
For the past several years, I've had the privilege of shooting cover portraits for Neighbors of Park City magazine — a publication dedicated to celebrating the people and families who make this community what it is. Each cover is its own project: a real person, a real story, and a portrait that has to carry the weight of both.
Here's a look behind two of my favorites.
John & Jackie Allen: A Family of Traditions (December 2022)
When Neighbors asked me to photograph John and Jackie Allen, owners of J.W. Allen & Sons Toy and Candy Store in Redstone, I knew the cover needed to feel like Christmas.
J.W. Allen & Sons has been a Park City institution since 2005 — the kind of shop that makes children slow down and adults feel like kids again. Walking in, you immediately understand what John and Jackie have built: a place that is warm, generous, and completely their own.
We shot inside the store, surrounded by the color and joy that defines the space. For the final cover, I built a full winter world around them — snow-covered Park City mountains, pine trees, a polar bear in a Santa hat, a life-size nutcracker, a vintage red mailbox, and all the props that felt true to their family's holiday spirit. Every element was composited together into one seamless scene. That's what I love most about this kind of work: you're not limited by what's physically possible in a single location. You can build the image that actually matches the story.
The headline said it perfectly: A Family of Traditions.
Sally & Torch Elliot: Old School Locals (May 2024)
Some portraits are quieter. More grounded.
Sally and Torch Elliot have spent decades serving their community and bringing people together — and when Neighbors featured them, I wanted the portrait to reflect that sense of rootedness and history.
We photographed them near the Spiro Mine Tunnel at Silver Star, just behind the Silver Star Café. It's a place that carries history in its bones — old timber, iron, the particular kind of silence that exists near something built by hand a century ago.
The vintage mining cart they're standing beside is actually a small composite — I wove it into the scene to anchor the portrait in the history Sally and Torch have spent their lives preserving. It's a detail that feels completely natural in the final image, which is exactly the point. The best composite elements don't announce themselves. They just make the story feel more complete.
Tulips in bloom, open sky, and two people who have given so much to this place. It's one of my favorite covers I've made.
Why This Work Matters to Me
Every cover I shoot for Neighbors of Park City reminds me of what portrait photography is really for. Not to make people look polished. Not to flatten a life into a single flattering frame. But to pause long enough to actually see someone — and then find the image that holds what's true about them.
Park City is full of people like John, Jackie, Sally, and Torch. People who have built something real here, who have given their time and creativity and love to this community. Getting to be the one who makes the image that represents them? That's not a job. That's a privilege.
If you'd like to see more of my portrait work, visit the Storyteller Portraits gallery. And if you've ever thought about having your own story told through a portrait — let's talk.
Creatively yours,
Dana