Author Description

Neal Schlosburg photographs spontaneous emotions in a formal portrait setting, using a series of photos to create a story. Our disquieting stories and unsettling feelings are often difficult to express to those closest to us. We're afraid of being judged, thought of as less than. Many grow up believing we don't burden another with our difficulties. That's the way I was raised. Internalizing, ignoring, and pretending emotions don't exist affects our daily lives. They impact our temperaments, viewpoints, and relationships with others. In my life, it made me feel disconnected, especially from those closest to me. "My Pictures Tells A Story" is based on a simple premise. This quote by Jill Bolte Taylor says it best. "Just like children, emotions heal when they are heard and validated." Through my images, my storytellers show how safe sharing feelings can be, and how safe sharing your emotions can be. The goal of "My Picture Tells A Story" was to vividly show that sharing emotions with people you trust is safe, healthy, and healing. I created space for my storytellers to share their stories without interruption, and most importantly, without judgment. Like life, their stories are a pallet of emotions. "My Picture Tells A Story", twenty stories by twenty people, a unique portrait study in human emotions.