Laura Brunow Miner, 28
Founder, Pictory

With Pictory, Laura Brunow Miner is out to prove that the Internet is a suitable platform for beautiful art. In the process, the Dallas-born graphic designer is redefining online publishing. Miner’s 10-month-old website, for which she works as editor and sometimes designer, is devoted to photo stories—thematic showcases of up to 40 images selected from work submitted by photographers. Although the stories are primarily told by the images, brief captions of text tell more. Past themes include water, fathers, and ex-lovers. “I have an understanding of what photos elicit interesting stories,” says the former JPG Magazine editor.

Drawing inspiration from The Boston Globe’s The Big Picture, the showcases features large photographs set on a black background. The result is something as richly designed and impactful as a traditional print magazine feature. To achieve the look, Miner collaborates with a different designer for each theme.

Miner also organizes an annual Phoot Camp, a sort of summer camp for photographers. “There’s a special sort of bonding that happens between people before they’ve brushed their teeth,” she says, explaining the creative collaboration that the retreat fosters.

Up next for Pictory: the possibility of a book and a grant program for photographers. “I love curating,” she says. “It’s my role in the creative ecosystem.”