Behind the Scenes of the Inaugural Issue of Park City Arts & Culture Magazine with Photographer Claire Wiley
As with art pieces themselves, a lot goes into the production of a magazine about the arts. The inaugural issue of Park City Arts is certainly no exception. So many people played pivotal roles in getting the publication off the ground.
One was the accomplished Claire Wiley, who took the majority of the photographs you’ll find within these pages. As you'll quickly discover, she knows her way around a camera. But as we learned when we interviewed her (see below), there's much more to this Michigander-turned-Parkite than her ability to get the perfect shot. Scroll below to take a look at some of the highlights from the magazine:
Indeed, Claire is a woman of many talents. After spending the first half of her career as a television news reporter and an on-air personality in her home state, she led creative marketing campaigns for a number of agencies — both here and abroad — before she and a former colleague, David Jones, decided to pursue their mutual interest in documentary filmmaking and start their own business.
Called Eclectic Brew Productions, the company soon had a film to its credit: Anatomy of ‘Anatomy', a documentary based on the making of the iconic 1959 courtroom drama Anatomy of a Murder, which starred Jimmy Stewart and was nominated for seven Academy Awards.
What made the story so interesting to Claire was that it was all filmed, produced, and edited on-location instead of on-set — “something that was unheard of at the time,” she said. “(Director) Otto Preminger not only helped change the way movies would get made for decades to come, he forever altered a Midwestern community.”
Eclectic Brew Productions has since evolved into a company that focuses on brand and marketing videos for small businesses, nonprofits, and socially conscious corporations — a concentration that aligns with Claire’s passion for doing work for “people who are trying to make the world a better place.” She believes nonprofits and artists are the people doing that, and when working in this realm she feels she is helping to give people “a new perspective on things, and a chance to cope and find beauty.”
Claire also teaches pilates, cycling and yoga classes, and is behind the microphone on KPCW every Tuesday and Wednesday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. But if you ask her, she’s a storyteller, above all else.
“I’m always armed with a wild imagination and an arsenal of Canon cameras,” she said. “I just love to meld the aesthetic of photography and videography with my passion for crafting a good story.” Here’s more from Claire on those very subjects ... ”
What is your favorite thing to shoot, and why?
I like to really get to know the people I’m working with. It matters to me that I build a rapport with them, so when I photograph them it just feels natural. I most like doing artistic portraits, editorial-style shoots and love taking slice of life shots. I also enjoy photographing events, which can be more candid and natural. I really just want the opportunity to share compelling stories through my work. A lot of what I do is for nonprofits and charitable events. I especially love when my job involves travel. I travelled with the Himalayan Cataract Project to Ethiopia and had the opportunity to tell stories about the ophthalmologists and the patients whose lives were changed in just 48 hours. I want to create work that is engaging, thought provoking and ultimately that will make a difference.
What professional photographers have influenced your work, and how do you incorporate their techniques into your photographs?
I’m always admiring other people’s work. I really look up to photographers like Ami Vitale. She is a storyteller. I also like Tran Tuan Viet, whose photographs of Southeast Asia are simply stunning. Michael Yamashito is another photographer whose style I admire. And, of course l swoon over Jimmy Chin and his adventure photography. All these photographers are great at sharing interesting perspectives, and a lot of them engage with nonprofits as well — they inform us about important issues happening in our world.
What details do you believe make the best photographs? How do you go about focusing on them in your work?
When you first take a look at something, it gives you an overall vision. But when you dive deeper, you get into the good stuff. One of my favorite photos is one I made of a woman getting a bowl of food in an alley in Vietnam. At first when you look at the photo, it’s a woman simply receiving a bowl of food from a street vendor. But, when you look closer you see her expression, you see the excitement in her eyes, you can feel her anticipation for this fresh bowl of deliciousness.
When you get started in photography, you figure out what resonates most with you and why, and then you get into the details. I was on a hike the other day and just zoomed in on all the little things — like how the light filters through the trees and hits something. I get obsessed with light and shadow.
What are some of your favorite behind-the-scenes moments from photographing for our arts and culture publication?
Oh, there are so many good moments. When I went up to take some shots of Zafod Beetlebrox, I encountered four llamas that were just in the middle of the road and I couldn’t get them to move. I actually had to call Zafod and ask him what the secret was to get them to move. He said to just drive close and they would get out of the way — but I still had to go off-roading a little to get around them. They are curious creatures. I ended up getting a great photo of one of them looking into my car window.
It’s always cool to get invited into an artist’s space. All artists have their own way of setting up their materials and they all have a unique creative process. I feel grateful to be invited into their spaces. I had to be especially careful in Bruce Larabee’s space because of all the finished ceramic pieces. I was trying to be as stealth as possible maneuvering my equipment around them.
Christian of Unchartered was another interesting shoot. We really wanted to get candid shots of these artists and entrepreneurs doing their thing, so with Christian, whose company is survival gear, we headed out on a snowmobile deep into Brighton Estates after a heavy snow. The sun was going down and I was hip deep in snow, but despite how cold it was I loved it. As a photographer and filmmaker, you have such great opportunities to engage with interesting people and capture them in their element. It only makes it more enticing the more interesting the place you have to go to get the shot.
Claire and Eclectic Brew Productions work closely with organizations and local businesses to share stories through film and photography. Claire is currently in production on another documentary and is launching a new online project this year. Learn more about Claire at www.eclecticbrewprod.com, or follow her new social media account @eclecticbrewproductions.