Join us for the Creative Collective! A rotational art show featuring local artists curated by Finn’s Studio.

The featured artist for April is Houston Wiltsey, a Denver-based photographer specializing in portraiture & live music events.

Houston obtained his first camera in college, using it primarily to shoot candids at parties and document trips with friends. After graduating, he started writing for an alt-weekly in his hometown of Omaha and brought his camera along to photograph the artists he was covering. Really, it was just a great excuse for him to get into the front row of the shows. However, he instantly fell in love with the rush of trying to capture something memorable in such challenging conditions. From there, he began covering larger shows in the area before eventually traveling across the country to document different artists and music festivals.

It was around this time that he started at an advertising agency that gave him access to a studio and the opportunity to shoot portraits there after hours. He found that learning studio lighting, building sets, and understanding the nuances of post-production were entirely new and fun challenges. When COVID hit, those portrait sessions shifted outdoors.

Whether it’s talking through a frame with the person in front of the camera, wandering around a concert hall to get the best angle of a performer, or sitting in nature waiting for the right light, he enjoys the process of snapping a photo more than anything else.

He’s been lucky enough to have his work featured in everything from juried competitions across the Midwest to the Boston Globe.

His favorite photographers include An-My Lê, Olof Grind, Andrew Moore, Alex Webb, Ryan McGinley, and Ken Duncan.