Meet Preston Utley

Today we’d like to introduce you to Preston Utley.

Every artist has a unique story. Can you briefly walk us through yours?
I fell in love with photography in high school. My friends started skateboarding and I myself was not terribly good at it, but still wanted to hang out with them so I “stole” made dad’s old SLR out of his closet (it was collecting dust anyways) and started photographing my friends. From there, I took every photo class my high school offered and knew from that point on that I wanted to be a photographer. After attending college, I landed a job working for a small newspaper with a 15,000 circulation and after five years of photographing food reviews, kindergarten classes, town council meetings, high school basketball games, I was ready for a change so from there I transitioned into wedding photography. All while doing my best to make as much personal work as possible.

Please tell us about your art.
I carry a camera just about everywhere I go and take pictures just about every day. In 2013, I was wondering what to do with all this work and made my first volume of an ongoing self-published project called “The Snapshot Diaries.” This project is not necessarily Preston’s year in review but more open for interpretation, more esoteric, more like a visual poem.

We often hear from artists that being an artist can be lonely. Any advice for those looking to connect with other artists?
With social media, it certainly is easier to find like-minded people… the only issue is they might be halfway around the world! There are always wonderful networking event and attending exhibitions and lectures is a great way to meet artists. As a photographer, I make it a point to take one workshop a year and always end up meeting/making some great new friends.

How or where can people see your work? How can people support your work?
People can view my work by going to my Instagram @thesnapshotdiaries and visiting my website. Instagram is the best way to stay up to date and I announce when the book is available for sale through Instagram and email newsletter. The books sell out quickly and this will be my 6th year producing a self-published book.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.thesnapshotdiaries.com
• Email: prestonutley@yahoo.com
• Instagram: @thesnapshotdiaries

Image Credit:
Preston Utley

Getting in touch: VoyagePhoenix is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.