It has been a crazy week, starting with a seminar at the Digital Wedding Forum on how to create "SEXY IMAGERY" to an absolutely stunning wedding in NYC to heading up to Hallmark Institute in Massachusetts to give a lecture for Epson. It is 13 degrees tonight so now I am just trying to stay warm! Life is fun and full of excitement!
Kate Davis, one of my many sexy brides
Autumn Looijen, another beautiful bride.
I just did an amazing portrait session with a recent bride & groom in Marco Island. There destination wedding was in Carmel so we thought it would be fun to do a session close to their home. It wasn't just fun, but also really HOT.
Such beautiful people with so much passion for one another. I love my clients! Thank you Sarah and Kevin Mihailoff for being so amazing together. And thank you Curt Littlecott for your help with the shoot, you are always such an inspiration for me.
I was fortunate enough to be interviewed by Adobe's George Jardin and he published a podcast about my vision and work. Interview is currently posted as podcast #47 on George Jardin's blog .
As written by George:
"The podcast was recorded on Wednesday November 21st, 2007 at Catherine's family home in Lafayette, Calfornia. Catherine sits down with George to have a conversation about how her personal work inspires her wedding photography, about her personal approach to working with people, and how having the opportunity to work with people from many different socio-economic backgrounds makes it all worthwhile.
Duration: 32:18
The podcast can be downloaded from my iDisk at:
http://idisk.mac.com/george_jardine-Public?view=web
This podcast is labeled “20071121 Podcast - Catherine Hall” in the Public directory.
Or, it can be found on iTunes by searching under Podcasts for “Lightroom”. The RSS feed is:
Here are a couple samples from our last John Deere shoot in Florida.
Just finished working on some images for a musician's CD. It was a fun shoot!
July 21, 2007
Hollister Ranch, Santa Barbara
Heather Wall and Andy Katsev met in
San Luis Obispo while she was attending Cal Poly, and he was working as a
realtor. The perfect pair it was, one woman's search for housing for her final
year at college, and another's search for the perfect tenant to fill his
listing. After she moved into the neighborhood, where the couple still resides
today, they crossed paths many times. One day when Andy was strategically
walking the dog passed her house, Heather made the first move and invited Andy
over for salmon fish tacos. Andy, who was raised in the Midwest, never
says no to home cooking and couldn't resist the offer. From that evening
on the couple was inseparable. After courting for six months, Andy surprised
Heather and asked her to be his wife, on Valentine's Day in romantic Cambria.
The wedding festivities were designed
around the location, leaving no doubt that it had to take place at Hollister
ranch, where the brides parents had just completed building their Mexican
Hacienda style home, on100 acres of pristine Santa Barbara property. The event
was so extraordinary because it not only celebrated love but also the, easier
said than done, completion of Heather's parents dream home. When it came time
to planning, the natural beauty of this outdoor setting was enough on its own.
With that in mind, the couple planned to a non-traditional wedding that took
advantage of such an incredibly unique venue. They wanted their wedding day
simply to be a festive party, where everyone would feel comfortable and get the
most out of the amazing setting.
Heather's personal style set the
theme by wearing cowboy boots, as did the rest of the wedding party and most of
the guests. At four o'clock in the afternoon the guest lounged on hay bails,
and a handsome nine piece mariachi band played "El Niño Perdido" as the
unrehearsed father walked his daughter down the isle. At this point the event
came alive as guest whistled and screamed with joy, the groom and groomsmen
removed their cowboy hats and bowed to the bride while the bridesmaids
simultaneously curtsied. The couple chose to be married by a witty close friend
that illustrated to guests the humor they both share.
The vibrant colored flowers and bright Mexican serapes lied across the tables in an enclosed courtyard for the reception. The wedding party entered the courtyard reception through an arched door with a bell over it. When it was time for the bride and groom to enter, Heather's brother, along with a few delighted children, rang the bell several times by pulling on a long rope.
This month I was featured in a WEDPIX article produced by WPJA (Wedding Photojournalist Association). The feature focused on how to avoid trendy image manipulation that dates images and albums.
THE REAL THING:
TRUMPING IMAGE MANIPULATION
We’ve all seen them: vignettes and faux hand-tints; cross-processed images that overwhelm the senses with an unreal look; a heavy-handed use of flairs, starbursts and diffusion effects; cheesy frames. They cry for attention, hijacking the image in the photographic equivalent of a velvet Elvis wall hanging.
Where is the value, the poignancy, and the essence in these photos?
Today’s digital post-processing tools can be a force for good in the right hands, but can create visual mayhem when used without the proper judgment or in lieu of an essentially good image to start with.
Wedding photojournalism is all about the image and how it captures the moment and emotions. Any manipulation in post-production should be undertaken very carefully, beyond the temptation to incorporate trendy effects at the expense of the visual and documentary essence that make an image great in the first place.
“It is disconcerting to see mediocre wedding photography made to appear ‘fantastic’ as a result of drastic image manipulation,” says San Francisco-based WPJA member Catherine Hall. “Ten years down the road when the novelty of the current special effects fade, the images will lose their impact and become passé.”
A QUESTION OF RESPONSIBILITY
Wedding photojournalists have an obligation to help clients understand what is good and what is going to last. Certain effects are going to impress some people, especially a bride and groom who may not be trained in photography. As an accomplished professional, you have a responsibility to give them something that will resonate years from now with true quality.
Hall points out that couples are spending thousands of dollars on albums that are intended to last a lifetime, and sadly, some of the results are very gimmicky. “Many photographers abuse special effects such as image tilts, altered edges, and opacity fades. There is a time and a place for such effects, but one has to be careful not to overuse trendy techniques that will date the album. The most exquisite albums I have seen and produced are very simple and focus on the images.”
“Theoretically, I could probably give my clients an album that is over-designed and full of special effects,” she explains, “and they would probably like it because they have faith in me and at the time it looks fantastic. But the scary thing is what happens in five or ten years, when the novelty of overworked images is a thing of the past? We have a social responsibility to keep away from trendy effects so that the brides aren’t just satisfied when they’re writing the checks, but satisfied for the rest of their lives.”
TRENDS AND TIMELESSNESS
Trends in image manipulation are not unlike trends with fashion or anything else— they’re always going to shift and change. It’s therefore much better just to keep your photos simple, elegant and about the imagery itself.
“There are always looks that are in vogue, whether cross-processing or something else,” notes Pulitzer
Press Release:
INTERNATIONAL COLOR AWARDS HONORS CATHERINE HALL FROM THE UNITED STATES at the 2ND ANNUAL PHOTOGRAPHY MASTERS CUP CONTEST
An audience of 11,050 photography fans logged on from 89 countries to join the proceedings and view stunning work from the world's finest photographers. The nominated images were selected by a who's who Jury of the most celebrated professionals in art and photography from National Geographic, Musee de E'Lysee, Financial Times to The Art Newspaper and Fine Art Society in London. Jury members reviewed submitted works online over an eight week voting period before making their final selection. Awards were presented in 21 categories to photographers of twenty-five nationalities.
"The Masters Cup celebrates photographers who operate at the highest levels of their craft," said the awards Creative Director, Basil O'Brien. "Catherine Hall's Two Girls, Three Skates certainly represents color photography at its finest and we're pleased to present her with a nomination."
ABOUT THE PHOTOGRAPHY MASTERS CUP
The Photography Masters Cup promotes the finest contemporary photographers to the world's leading art directors, agencies, editors, galleries, curators, publishers, and dealers of photographic art. A celebrated online event around the globe, the annual Winners & Nominee Presentation is webcast live in a dynamic show that honors the finest work with the highest achievements in color photography.
Published In: Modern Bride
Kate Dietrich and Kevin Davis met in Lake Tahoe when they lived there several years ago. It was only natural that they chose this breathtaking area for their wedding. Top choice for a location was the lakefront historical Thunderbird Lodge on the East Shore. This magical stone castle was the playground of 1930's notoriously eccentric millionaire George Whittell famous for his all-night parties (with Bill, his pet lion), colorful celebrity guests and high stake card games. Wedding guests were shuttled to this lakefront location and, before the wedding ceremony, treated to a tour of the unforgettable property including the quintessential rock gazebo and secret underground tunnels.
Soft, feminine accents contrasted by natural, organic elements delighted guests in all the details from the first oh-so-important Save the Date complete to Kate's Wedding Cake. Tahoe tradition was included in the Ceremony by tossing flowers in remembrance of family into the Lake. The Ceremony and Dinner were both held lakeside maximizing the unforgettable views of Lake Tahoe and surrounding Sierra Mountains. The color scheme of salmon, gold, chocolate brown and cream complimented the stone castle and granite boulders perfectly. The famous, crystal clear Lake Tahoe blue water was echoed in the Wedding Favor - a nest with robin blue soap eggs at each place setting. Lake Tahoe's alpenglow (sunset) was captured in their Signature Drink - a pear-melba martini, a stunning salmon color.
Not one guest will leave Lake Tahoe without feeling as if they had been a part of something truly special and magical - the meaningful, loving marriage of their friends in an unforgettable setting. Kate and Kevin couldn't have been more radiant and in love through out their special day.
Feature Verbiage by: Merrily Rocco
Venue: Thunderbird Lodge
Event Coordinator: Merrily Wed
Dress Designer: Monique Lhuillier
Florist: Bellissima Floral Creations
Cake Designer: D'Lish
Caterer: Crest Catering
