Hexham & District Photographic Society

J.P. Stones has spent the last 5 years photographing the same group of Mexica, or Aztec, dancers. In that time he learned how connected the Mexica are to their mythology. To stories passed down across generations. That’s when he decided that, as these stories were so vital to Mexica culture, they needed to play a bigger role in his portraits.

This is a talk about what happened next. About how a desire to tell stories visually, ended up changing his entire creative process, and the way people react to his photos. Using examples from his cultural photography work in Mexico, JP Stones explores different ways to improve that emotional connection. Including how myths and character archetypes can be harnessed for better storytelling.