The Art of the Personal Project: Todd Wright

The Art of the Personal Project is a crucial element to let potential buyers see how you think creatively on your own.  I am drawn to personal projects that have an interesting vision or that show something I have never seen before.  In this thread, I’ll include a link to each personal project with the artist statement so you can see more of the project. Please note: This thread is not affiliated with any company; I’m just featuring projects that I find.  Please DO NOT send me your work.  I do not take submissions.

 

Today’s featured artist:  Todd Wright

I live in a part of Virginia with my wife and kids, where on a daily basis we get to enjoy wildlife right outside our windows.  Fox, deer, owls, coyote and falcon can be daily visitors to our backyard.

I’ve seen photo projects on Falcons before, but I felt like I had a unique way to tell the story of these incredible birds. So, I did what every good researcher does, I googled “Falconry Virginia”.

Our day trip to the mountains was a reminder of why I picked up a camera in the first place many years ago.  I believe these personal projects are the lifeblood of any long and healthy photo career.  They take me back to when I first started in photography and my singular pursuit was to create images that made me happy or allowed me a creative path to express myself.

Most photographers who have been in this business for a while would likely say that the “business” of photography has the potential to dull their original vision with a blur of rules, current styles and red tape.  It’s the personal project that can be a reminder of why you started down this road in the first place.  Just for the love of making pictures.

 I’ve often heard that Art Producer’s enjoy seeing an artist’s personal work, because it’s a window into their heart.  Consistent personal work helps me stay fueled and sharp so that I can be the best creative collaborator I can be, for my clients.

After I shot the Falcon series, I asked an editor friend of mine if they would be interested in running this as a story and he said yes.  So, happily it took on another life in print.

The Falcons won in the Communication Arts 2019 Photo Annual editorial category and the full series won a Gold award in the Graphis Photography Annual 2020.  And a huge bonus, It was also selected for the cover image of the Graphis Photography Annual 2020.

To see more of this project, click here.

APE contributor Suzanne Sease currently works as a consultant for photographers and illustrators around the world. She has been involved in the photography and illustration industry since the mid 80s.  After establishing the art buying department at The Martin Agency, then working for Kaplan-Thaler, Capital One, Best Buy and numerous smaller agencies and companies, she decided to be a consultant in 1999. She has a new Twitter feed with helpful marketing information because she believes that marketing should be driven by brand and not by specialty.  Follow her at @SuzanneSease.  Instagram

Success is more than a matter of your talent. It’s also a matter of doing a better job presenting it.  And that is what I do with decades of agency and in-house experience.