While I’ve long been an art fan, it’s rare to have the opportunity to call an admired artist a dear friend. That’s why I feel both lucky and constantly inspired by watching photographer Emily Johnston evolve her craft and chase her passions by transitioning from a wedding photographer to focus on her fine art full time. We’ve certainly had some fun shoots in the past {I think this one is my fave}. Now Emily is breaking boundaries with prints of her Instagrams, creating innovative collage work and photo documentary series.  Ethereal, haunting, inquisitive – those are just a few of the adjectives that describe the quiet moments Emily captures.

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We’re so fascinated by what Emily sees in everyday life that allows her to find grace in ordinary things. We love how her lens interprets the world. We could sit and pick her brain for hours. Thankfully, she let us!

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From Emily: “What’s essential to me about travel is the sense of disorientation it procures. That feeling of not knowing where I am, or exactly who I am in a new context allows me to look at everything around me with fresh eyes. It’s something that doesn’t come easily in familiar environments, but even when I’m not traveling, I think of the words of the bedridden Marcel Proust, “The real voyage of discovery is not in seeking new landscapes, but in having new eyes.” So whatever it is that allows you to find that feeling….”

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“About the images in our Holiday Pop-Up Shop: “When I see this image I made in Rome, I think about a different image that I didn’t make. It’s funny how one image can remind you of a moment, not just itself…the power of association! Anyway, inside this chapel there was the most insane 12 foot fresco with a sort of strange blue crest shaped form with these two eyes floating in it. I’m sure there’s some specific historical art context for it, but it’s not one I ever learned about in school and I loved the feeling of discovering new weird spiritual imagery.

The second image is from a simple quiet moment waking up with a cup of coffee at my parents’ place in Paris. It’s always nice to be home in that city, and I seem to find a new connection to it every time. I don’t ever remember such dramatic sunlight like this growing up, but there it was.”

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“I share images that move me and that I want to remember. The ones that inscribe themselves in a personal or shared narrative. I’m always looking for ways to connect things or people. I don’t think diptychs are a trademark of my work, but I like the way individual images interact, when placed together in groups. There’s both an aesthetic and narrative synergy that can happen. That’s what I try to stay receptive to.”

Emily has an undeniable talent of making even the smallest dot of light flickering on a wall captivating. So there’s no question that these limited edition {individually numbered!} travel prints would conjure up endless inspiration gracing your walls! Shop them RIGHT HERE.

headshot c/o Emily Johnston // images via @emily__johnston 

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4 Comments

  1. Is the pony picture for sale? I would like to buy it.