Artifacts

This week, we’re celebrating seeing Distant Era works in print! These works are physical artifacts of our sessions through 2023, and I am so excited to see them.

The Knight of Little Import, by Hannah Batsel (available now!)

I just received The Knight of Little Import, by Hannah Batsel, in the mail. Readers of The All Worlds Traveller may recall the January session with Hannah when we made her knight portrait as an author photo for this book. Hannah wrote a touching dedication in the front of the book that filled my heart all the way up. I held the book in my hand and paged through Hannah’s beautiful work (in which each of her illustrations was created from cut paper), and at last I came to the picture we made together for Hannah’s author photo back in January, and my heart overflowed. The book looks amazing!

The Duchess of Malfi, Babes With Blades Theatre Company

Yesterday, I went to my favorite cafe to work on another publication. I looked up from my table to see the poster for Babes With Blades Theatre Company’s production of The Duchess of Malfi featuring photos from our 2020 and 2023 sessions. Graphic designer Chris Carr’s work really struck me. It’s one of my top three favorite posters that the company has ever done and reminds me of film posters like Suspiria and Psycho. (The show runs at the Factory Theater in Chicago until October 21!).

M-U-M Magazine, Society of American Magicians

Earlier this summer, I received a copy of the M-U-M Magazine for the Society of American Magicians, announcing their new president, John Sturk. John wrote a lovely dedication on the front of the magazine in reference to the session where we made these images in early 2023. You can catch the president of the Society of American Magicians at Second City and all over town!

Print

Print is one of the cornerstones of Distant Era work. All of our fantastical portraiture comes as a physical artwork, with a digital version included. Much of the time that goes into the work goes into making sure it’s fit to print. Outside of photography, I spent years in publishing, between writing books and making them. Physical, tangible artifacts of the work make it more real. Sometimes it’s hard to understand until you have one on your wall. We forget what it’s like to have such artifacts. I feel honored to have been given the opportunity to collaborate on these beautiful works. I am beyond grateful to the artists for sharing the final outcome with me!

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Steven Townshend is a fine art/portrait photographer and writer with a background in theatre, written narrative, and award-winning game design. As a young artist, Steven toured the US and Canada performing in Shakespeare companies while journaling their moments on paper and film. In his transition from stage to page, Steven continued to work as a theatre photographer, capturing dramatic scenes while incorporating elements of costume, makeup, and theatrical lighting in his work. Drawn to stories set in other times and places, Steven creates works through which fellow dreamers and time travelers might examine their own humanity or find familiar comfort in the reflections of the people and places of a distant era.