I’m really excited to have photographer Branden Harvey on this episode of Story Signals. Branden is an immensely talented photographer and storyteller, and is one of the best I’ve seen at having the courage and skill of drawing out the stories of other people. Let me give you an example:
Branden is the creator of the instagram movement #storyportrait, and proudly states on his profile his belief that your story matters. He does this by essentially sharing instagram long-form, digging in to the life and story of the people he’s photographing. But the reach of #storyportrait has grown beyond Branden, and over 16,000 people have submitted their own stories using the hashtag.
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Besids his succes at building community on Instagram, Branden is also a sought-after wedding and fashion photographer, and spent the majority of 2013 traveling around the USA , plus visiting the Phillipines and China. Branden has a lot going on, and I was very grateful he spent a little time sharing his story with us.
Speaking of which, I know you’ll learn a lot from Branden is this episode. We talk a lot about creativity, facing fear, the value of mentors, and balancing art with social connection. But to me, three lessons really stood out.
What You’ll Learn
- Why Branden turned down his first big fashion shoot, and how he got it back.
- How to dig in to people’s stories and find out more about what makes them different and special.
- The defining characteristic of who Branden calls the “secretly incredibly people of the world”.
Listen here
Great Quotes
I want to live a life that demands an explantion.
Do what gives your stomach the willies.
The pitfall of modern artists is working to impress people on social media when we should be working to make better art.
Resource list
- Packing Light – by Allison Vesterfelt (and her blog)
- Love Does – by Bob Goff
- This Wild Idea – Theron Humphrey (and his awesome pictures of Maddie the coonhound)
- Georgia Verrells
Where to connect with Branden
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