“Character Conceptual” Studies Imaginary People in Everyday Situations

Character Conceptual images by Kremer Johnson Photography. Used with Creative Commons permission.

Need some inspiration for portrait photography or visual storytelling? If we were to sum up what makes the duo behind Kremson Johnson Photography worth following, it’s their knack for creating characters with unique stories to tell. A lot of their projects show this, but for those who are just discovering their works, we think their set called Character Conceptual makes a great primer.

As the title suggests, Character Conceptual is a series of portraits where Los Angeles-based Neil Kremer and Cory Johnson tell the stories of their imagined characters. Guided by this ongoing theme or category within their body of work, each portrait is a testament to the qualities that make their creative vision exemplary. Playful, quirky, and sometimes offbeat, their style is refreshing and inspiring for any photographer or creative with a taste for visual storytelling.

Each of the characters in this set may be made-up, but the everyday situations they are portrayed in are mostly normal. Odd couples, gender role reversals, people at work, people on holidays, gatherings — we see them all once in a while, but probably not as crazy as they look here. “Beware: some of it is rather campy,” Neil and Cory even cautioned on the set’s description. Still, this absurdity and humor in varying degrees certainly contribute to the unique appeal of each story.

Neil and Cory take pride in their non-conventional approach to visual storytelling, which often bleeds into their commercial work. I imagine that they have to do these conceptual character studies for their personal projects to keep their ideas fresh and their stories interesting. Keeping the blades sharp, so to speak. For followers of their work like us, that’s always a treat.

Want to see more outstanding narrative portraits from Kremer Johnson Photography? Do check out their website and Behance portfolio to see the rest of their exemplary projects.