First blog post on FlagstaffPhotographer.com
Hello World.
My name is Sean Openshaw, and I’m a storyteller based in Flagstaff, Arizona. This blog is one of three connected spaces I use to document, reflect on, and explore the things I photograph—and the stories I try to tell.
- SeanOpenshaw.com — What it looked like
- FlagstaffPhotographer.com — How I got the shot
- PersonalLifeRecord.com — How to organize life's important moments.
I arrived at this intersection of visuals and storytelling by way of an ASU photojournalism degree and the U.S. Army. In 1993, I was hired as a staff photographer at The Arizona Daily Sun, and for years I thought photography alone was enough to tell the full story.
But here’s the truth: the power of the photograph is also its greatest weakness.
A photo is a beautiful representation of a moment, yes—but it’s also silent. Its power comes from the emotion it evokes and the way it invites interpretation. But that interpretation is often incomplete. The viewer brings their own assumptions. The facts are invisible. And the backstory is usually missing.
Take this image, for example:
A dancer performs in the 2022 “A Christmas Carol in Dance.”
You might guess she’s a dancer. You might even recognize her or notice the shadowy Scrooge in the background. But you’d never know what this role meant to her, how many hours she rehearsed, or what she was thinking when she stepped into that light. You’d never know what was happening in her life at the time, or what this performance meant to her future.
A photograph is a gorgeous game of Pictionary—suggestive, emotional, but incomplete.
Pull out one of your grandparents’ photo albums and try to recall the people, places, and reasons behind each image. You’ll quickly realize how quickly those details fade. That’s why I believe so strongly that there’s more to a moment than meets the eye®.
For the past decade, I’ve been working to combine photography with video, audio, and writing to capture not just what life looks like—but what it feels like, what it means, and what we’ll wish we’d remembered later.
What I Hope to Do With This Site
FlagstaffPhotographer.com is my behind-the-scenes space. It’s where I’ll share how I light a gym, how I prep a shoot, how I think through storytelling challenges—and how I try to capture moments with more than just a photo.
You’ll find blog posts, behind-the-scenes breakdowns, and stories that go deeper than the image itself. And along the way, I hope to learn from others who are also trying to bridge the gap between visuals and meaning.
If you’re curious about that process—or if you believe that a story is more than what fits in the frame—I invite you to follow along.
