ABOUT KELSON BURNS
Kelson Burns is a creative media professional who specializes in graphic design, product and commercial photography, action photography, portraiture (distinguished by vibrant neon lighting), landscapes, captivating still lifes, and visual storytelling. His portfolio brings together original design concepts, photography, and marketing-focused creative work, with an emphasis on creating visuals that are distinctive, bold, colorful, playful, and impactful.
His creative perspective has been shaped by experiences beyond the studio. With a background as a sponsored skier and professional experience at world-class destinations including the Vail Ski Resort and the Lake Louise Ski Resort in Alberta, Canada, Kelson has worked in fast-paced environments where adaptability, attention to detail, teamwork, and performance are essential. These experiences continue to influence the energy, precision, and sense of movement found everywhere throughout his creative work.
He also holds a degree in Creative Media from Indiana University with a minor in Marketing. Throughout his time at university, his education combined photography, graphic design, art, filmmaking, media production, and marketing strategy together, giving him an understanding of how a creative can communicate an idea, strengthen a brand, and connect with an audience, especially when paired with a captivating idea.
Kelson’s photography has also earned recognition through awards in the state of Indiana and throughout countless photography competitions on PhotoCrowd, and recently one of his photographs was selected by the local news as the Photo of the Week. Beyond his creative work, Kelson has demonstrated the same drive professionally, notably his tenure at the Graduate Hotel in Bloomington, Indiana, where he became one of the property’s strongest-performing employees in guest satisfaction, generating approximately 80% of employee-specific TripAdvisor mentions over a multi-year-long period and substantially outperforming the rest of his team. Simarly, he recieved a promotion to a managerial role after one year at the Vail Ski Resort in 2021 due to his work ethic, accountability, attention to detail, and performance.
Kelson’s photography has also earned recognition through awards in the state of Indiana and throughout countless photography competitions on PhotoCrowd, and recently, one of his photographs was selected by local news as the Photo of the Week. Beyond his creative work, Kelson has demonstrated the same drive professionally, notably during his tenure at the Graduate Hotel in Bloomington, Indiana, where he became one of the property’s strongest-performing employees in guest satisfaction, generating approximately 80% of employee-specific TripAdvisor mentions over a year-long period. Similarly, following his time at the Vail Ski Resort in 2021, Kelson was offered an opportunity to move into a management role in recognition of his work ethic, accountability, attention to detail, and performance. However, he ultimately declined the opportunity in order to pursue his education at Indiana University.
Therefore, whether working with a camera, a layout, with the adobe suite, with a team, or an original campaign concept, Kelson approaches each project with the goal of combining creativity with thoughtful communication, and by creating work that captures attention, communicates with clarity, sparks emotion, and leaves a bold, lasting impression.