For a while now I've had this quiet dream: seeing my images big, in a storefront window, where strangers could stop and really look at them. Last week the universe delivered.
Through a last-minute connection at the Neighbors of Wasatch Back 7th anniversary celebration, I met Kirsten Gunnerud, Director of WinPark City and their CoLab space at Junction Commons in Park City. One thing led to another and suddenly I had an opportunity I wasn't about to turn down.
Because it happened fast, I had limited options for materials and honestly no idea how I was going to pull it off. Our first attempt at hanging was a complete fail.
Plan B worked. And standing back to see these two pieces in that storefront window made every moment of the scramble worth it.
The Pieces
Both are custom family Storyteller Portraits: commissioned works created around the real stories, passions, and relationships of the families they were made for, right down to the smallest details.
One portrait is a boy's ode to his Pop, his grandfather, and the tall tales told across years of fishing trips together. Every element in that image means something.
The other captures a girl's passion for dance, her love of poppies, and the beautiful moment of spreading her wings.
This is what I do. I become obsessed with people's stories and find a way to show the beauty in those stories back to them, in a way that belongs on a wall and lasts a lifetime.
Come See Them
Both 30×40-inch pieces will be on display for the next several weeks at the WinPark City CoLab space at Junction Commons, Park City, Utah. Upper section, right next door to PacSun. If you're there, stop and take a look. I hope they make you feel something.
And if it sparks an idea for your own family's story, I'd love to hear it.
As a Park City family photographer, having my work seen by strangers in a public space feels like a full-circle moment.
Creatively yours,
Dana