W

e asked Salt Lake City-based photographer Chelsea Clark to tell us about what it’s like to work as a freelance artist. 

W: Can you tell us how you got your start?
CC: Photography and art in general have been things I’ve always loved. When I was younger I would mess around with a cheap digital camera, and then spend hours editing pictures on free online editing sites. Once I graduated high school I went to a semester at Utah Valley University, where I took a photography class, (5 hours every Saturday morning.) That’s where I learned the basics, and basically taught myself everything from there.

W: How would you describe your style?
CC: To simply put it, I’m a natural light portrait photographer. But I do all kinds of photos, and I have a hard time describing in specific words what my style is. I think I would use the words “creative” and “real” to describe my style, or what I strive for it be. Ultimately, I try to tell a story in a single frame.

W: Tell us the story behind one of the photos we’re featuring – why did you choose that photo to send?
CC: There is one photo, the black and white one in the woods, which I absolutely love! I was able to team up with another incredible photographer, and this incredible model, and it ended up being one of my favorite shoots I’ve ever done. I had a pretty specific image in my mind of how I wanted the shoot to be. Dark. I haven’t done a lot of dark and moody shoots so it was really fun to step out of my bubble a little bit. We worked really well together and I was able to bring my ideas to life almost identically. There’s no better feeling!

W: Where are your favorite spots to shoot?
CC:  Anywhere in the mountains! I’m so incredibly blessed to live in such a beautiful place.

W: What kind of equipment do you use?
CC: I mainly just stick to my Canon EOS 6D camera, and my 50 mm 1.8 lens.

W: Do you have any special techniques? Do they define your style?
CC: I love everything that has to do with light. Backlighting, bokeh, harsh light, soft light, I have fun with all of it! Also, I think a technique that truly defines my style, is I try to capture very real and raw moments. I try to set a particular environment, and give whoever/whatever I’m shooting a beautiful context within that environment.

W: What challenges have you had to overcome in this industry?
CC: I’m SO hard on myself! Confidence is so important. If you try to, you will always find someone who’s more experienced than you. There is “competition” everywhere. But I realized early on that it is only competition if you allow it to be. It’s easy to compare yourself to others, and I think that’s a challenge anyone in any sort of artistic industry has to overcome. But I’ve learned to turn those comparisons into inspirations, and support!

W: How do you see your career progressing?
CC: I plan on being a portrait photographer for… the rest of forever. I can’t imagine ever stopping! One day I think it would be really cool to work specifically with female models. That’s one of my very favorite things to do!

 

Contact Chelsea on Twitter: @chelsmer94 or Instagram: chelsmer. Interested in being profiled on the Wispeo blog? Send an email to our team social@wispeo.com!

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