To celebrate his thirtieth birthday last month, filmmaker Jordan Taylor Wright (@taylorcutfilms on Instagram) didn’t blow out the candles on a cake or take a weekend trip to celebrate. Instead he released a special Instagram photo for the occasion, portraying himself as an adulthood-loathing Peter Pan flying over London. If that sounds like something out of the ordinary, even for Instagram, you’re beginning to understand Wright’s art already — he specializes in surreal photos and video.
Originally from Bergen County, New Jersey, Wright studied Electronic Media and Film at Towson University in Maryland and is now based in Los Angeles. Now, with his company Taylor Cut Films, interactive content platform IntentOn, and a new book, Wright is flying higher than ever.
Mirroring the efforts of Mickey as the Sorcerer’s Apprentice in “Fantasia,” Wright conjures up the fantastical for his images, and a closer look at a portrait of him driving a car reveals he’s speeding through outer Earth orbit, smiling up through his sunroof at an astronaut. In fact, Wright credits Disney films as the initial spark that ignited this desire to channel his creativity into depictions of “visual narrative.” These grand visions have attracted a celebrity clientele, including The Chainsmokers, Justin Bieber, Jennifer Lopez, and Usher.
Adorama caught up with Wright to learn what tools he finds integral to his work, and how a crazy day in Dubai with Usher helped him to conquer a fear of heights.
Adorama: First things first. What is your gear setup and your usual editing workflow?
Wright: For photography, it’s the Canon EOS-1D X Mark II with the EF 35mm f/1.4L II USM lens. If I’m doing video I use the RED Monstro with the (VV) Vista Vision sensor. It’s the only camera that can currently shoot in 8K at 60 frames per second.
For editing, I’ll use Adobe Lightroom to color the images and Adobe Photoshop to bring the different colors and tones to life, depending on the vibe I’m going for. For example, when I was in Tokyo I wanted to highlight the cold, so I lower the color temperature to bring out the blues. If I’m editing a beach shot, I make the color temperature warmer to bring out the reds and oranges. You just have to know what story you’re trying to tell visually.
I do use “presets” or “looks” that I’ve created. These will also be available for sale on my new site, intenton.io. Taylor Cut University is also launching in two weeks, and that’s where I will teach users how I create my custom images.
Adorama: What would you consider to be elements of your signature style?
Wright: Fantastical and surreal. There’s an element of magic in all of my photos. I like them to be dream-like. They appear like the “real world,” but how it may be perceived in a different sense or imagination, like through a child’s eyes. For instance, I may add planets, stars, birds, or other things to lend a sense of surrealism and wonder, but the photo is of someone or something real.
“For me, filmmaking is essentially photography… Watching Disney movies as a kid, I knew I wanted to be entranced in that world.”
Adorama: Was there a moment you remember first falling in love with photography?
Wright: I fell in love with photography from the first movie I ever saw. I was a huge Disney fan as a kid and was immediately in awe at the concepts of films. For me, filmmaking is essentially photography. That’s why there’s a Director of Photography on film sets who composes all of the frames and images. Watching Disney movies as a kid, I knew I wanted to be entranced in that world.
Adorama: How do you make a living right now, and how big a role does your photography play?
Wright: My living is my filmmaking. I travel and tour with celebrities and brands and create their visual content. However, this question to me insinuates that one can’t make a solid living off of one’s art, but it’s still a living regardless of how much income is received. If you’re creating art truthfully, your living will come from that.
“However long it may take to create a project — to the point where I’m satisfied — that’s how long it will take.”
Adorama: How much preparation do you put into a creation? Can you give an example of an image or video of yours which required a great amount of prep?
Wright: I can spend up to a week simply prepping for a 30-second commercial or project for a brand or celebrity.
A great example is the Usher video I recently created. I spent three days on pre-production. This includes everything from scheduling production, wardrobe, figuring out the narrative, and deciding what props may need to be used. It also includes planning for at least a six-hour shoot day and three days of post-production. Post includes editing and sound scoring, but that depends on the client or project.
I also avoid setting deadlines because you can’t force creativity. However long it may take to create a project — to the point where I’m satisfied — that’s how long it will take.
Adorama: What was it like to work with Usher?
Wright: I still work with Usher. It’s great! Working with any client you should have the same perspective, and Usher and I vibe creatively. He’s very rooted in his creations and knowing what he wants and who he is. You get to meet in the middle and you both look through your lens of perspectives. He’s very creative, and so am I, so sometimes we may have a different perspective or viewpoint, but we meet in the middle. You shouldn’t change your view based on who you are and for whom you’re creating.
“Fear is just the unknown waiting to be turned into love.”
Usher is also a genuinely fun person. Here’s one example: One time in Dubai we were scheduled to go on a helicopter tour after filming and, on the drive over, Usher kept teasing me by saying we were going skydiving as he knew I was afraid of heights at the time. I kept saying that I would stay in the car if so, until he finally said he was just joking with me. When we arrived at the helicopter facility, the pilot said, in broken English: “This is where we also do Skydive Dubai.” Usher replied to say that he’s always wanted to go skydiving, to which the pilot replied, “Okay, you’ll go skydiving!” They harnessed him into a parachute and, when Usher looked over at me, his eyes said, “I’m not doing this alone.” I smiled and said, “okay, let’s do it.” We ended up jumping out of a helicopter at close to 12,000 feet and it was one of the best experiences of my life.
Fear is just the unknown waiting to be turned into love. I was so happy to have stepped out of my comfort zone that day with Usher.
Adorama: You often work with photographers to create portraits of yourself, or other images, and then edit them into what you’ve termed a “visual narrative.” How do discover the photographers with whom you collaborate, and how involved are they in building the concept for the final image?
Wright: I find the photographers that I work with on social media or meet them on trips. There’s really no specific way, and it’s kind of how life presents it. I’m coming from my perspective and they have theirs, but the more open you are to collaboration and understanding their perspective, the more magic can happen.
It’s always a very open dialogue. I will send a photo with a rough idea to whomever I’m working with, like, “this is the caption I’m thinking of and here’s what I’m thinking for visual effects,” but I’m always open to dialogue and feedback.
Adorama: How long might it take, from initial shot to finished creation, to produce one of the images like those you share on Instagram?
Wright: Sometimes it can take a day, sometimes two or more days. Timing is the least important part of this. However long it takes is however long it takes. Don’t rush creativity. I emphasize that some people on social media tend to feel the need to post regularly because they think that’s how you get success on the algorithm, but this can come at the expense of quality. Just allow yourself the time you need, with no deadline to create your vision.
“The notion of seeing the word as a child is seeing the world through innocence. There’s no fear of judgment. It’s the only way to create art because you’re creating for the sake of creating, not worried about judgement or how others will perceive it.”
Adorama: In a caption on a recent Instagram, you noted: “I still continue to see the world with the same eyes and perspective as I did when I was a child.” How do you believe this approach has benefited your work? How may it have hindered it, too?
Wright: This belief definitely hasn’t hindered it! I would even go so far as to say that when everyone creates their art they are tuning in to their inner child. The notion of seeing the word as a child is seeing the world through innocence. There’s no fear of judgment. It’s the only way to create art because you’re creating for the sake of creating, not worried about judgement or how others will perceive it. Children can look at the ground like lava, because they don’t have that notion that it’s really just carpet. We all have childlike notions, but it’s tapping into them that’s key.
Adorama: You favor using your Instagram captions to expound on life, sharing snippets of affirmation or philosophizing on everything from overcoming fear to the power of vulnerability. What do you hope your followers and fans take away from these thoughts you share?
Wright: I hope they understand that at the essence we’re all the same. We’re all living and sharing life and reality together and doing the best we can at our current state of awareness. We all want to express ourselves and to not have any fear of doing so. We need to allow what we’re feeling to be expressed to the world, with ego removed. We need to live with joy, not stress or anxiety. Even though viewers are seeing my art on a platform that stands upon the notion of likes and follows, they are the least meaningful part. Seeing the world through other people’s lenses is what’s important. I want my followers to express themselves truthfully and build meaningful relationships.
Adorama: You’ve published a physical book: Forever in the Infinite Now. What have you been able to do with print, that you cannot in the digital realm? In other words, why publish in a finite way (only so many pages, only so much space in the book, only so many books) when your career has been so heavily in the digital realm?
Wright: Digital is in the ethers. If all of a sudden the internet stopped existing and WiFi and connectivity is gone, then it’s gone. We have a physical body, so tangible things are physically important. Even the writing process is a cathartic release. I wouldn’t say it’s “finite.” A video is technically “finite” as well.
I didn’t approach this project with the thought of just releasing a book. It was releasing thoughts in a journalistic way, which helped me, so I can go back to it at any time. It’s easily digestible, and hopefully it will help others like it has helped me.
Adorama: What’s your single favorite photo you’ve captured and shared, and can you tell the story behind it?
Wright: I don’t have a favorite anything. Every new creation I love just as much as the one before. I will use my latest birthday post as an example. I always felt like I resonated with the concept of Peter Pan as someone who never wanted to grow up and instead wanted to live in Neverland, a place of magic and wonder. It goes to show that it isn’t time that’s moving, but that’s simply your perception.
I’m no different now than when I was six. In space, the sun and the moon are still rotating. We see it as day and night to help us cope. Allowing ourselves to feel that sense of newness in every moment can make you a kid forever and be at peace with the unknown. This mindset can make your life more pleasurable because you have no fears or worries. It’s my job to express this in imagery.
Check out Wright’s full Through the Lens episode below:
