Image from the Viceroy, Anguilla website
I had just finished presenting at Wedding 360 and I was more than ready for lunch. Waiting impatiently for my food at the St. Regis buffet table, I secretly prayed that I would not have to engage in any form of conversation. I saw someone approaching me. I clung tightly to my plate, looked down and hoped for an escape. When I realized I was being approached by Virgil Napier of Viceroy Anguilla, the idea of talking to someone suddenly didn't seem all that bad. The next thing I knew I was engaged in an interesting conversation. I put my plate down like it was no big deal-- food didn't even exist anymore.
I was familiar with Viceroy of course,
but was not that familiar with their new flagship location in the Caribbean.
As Virgil described the luxurious Anguilla property I was swept away by visions
of a beautiful resort on the edge of endless white sand beaches flowing into
crystal clear turquoise water. Virgil encouraged me to take a look at the
resort and even consider a visit. He spoke about potentially placing me on
their preferred vendors list to shoot there in the future.
Excited, I ran back to my computer to do
my research! When I saw the resort my jaw just dropped. I was staring at a
tropical paradise. Not only are the beaches gorgeous, but the breathtaking
building is truly a work of art impeccably decorated by Kelly Wearstler. I was not surprised to learn
that the resort was placed on the Conde Nast Traveller HOT LIST for 2010. I
immediately emailed Virgil asking when I could come.
Now, having just arrived in Anguilla
yesterday, my exceptionally high expectations have already been exceeded. Details to follow - I need a little pool time right now.
The Julia Morgan Ballroom is hands down one of the most elegant
and classy places in San Francisco. This majestic ballroom truly exudes
authentic historic splendor. Exquisite decor and detail define the Julia Morgan
ballroom as an incredible venue in the heart of San Francisco.
I know when I was looking for a location for my 1940s themed shoot, the Julia Morgan ballroom was the perfect place (stay tuned for the photographs!).
Not only did the venue live up to all its splendor, but the experience of
working closely with the wonderful Lynda Hylen & Kelly Norman was such a treat. T
Please help me share this incredible venue with others by voting for the Julia Morgan Ballroom as the best wedding venue in this year's SFGate Best of the Bay list.
Every girl loves to shop. And as a total tech geek it doesn't get much better than this. I can't wait to get to work with the great equipment I've chosen, all from industry leaders in the world of lighting technology. Here's what I'm getting to launch my lighting learning:
Strobe - I was immediately drawn to Profoto because of
their incredible reputation as a leader in the industry. Their products are
consistent (with both color balance and burst power), durable and reliable.
Most important for me: Profoto is known for shaping and creating absolutely
gorgeous light.
Reflectors - My first exposure to California Sunbounce
was at a Greg Gorman workshop in Mendocino - btw - his workshops are
AWESOME. I have always admired Greg more than any other living
photographer for his ability to manipulate and capture extraordinary light. At
the workshop I saw that Greg really utilizes California Sunbounce to create his
dramatic portraits. So, I decided to learn from the best and work with their
products too. Plus, California Sunbounce offers tons of great options and is
known for helping many leading photographers emphasize light to create the
right effect in an image.
Lighting Supports - I choose these from Manfrotto for
several reasons. Since I am constantly moving around quickly during shoots, I
need stands that are reliable, durable, and easy to manipulate (I don't want to
lose my awesome, brand new equipment because of tripping over a stand!). Since
these Manfrotto supports are incredibly well designed I know that they will be
practical and easy to use during shoots.
Photography Support - I have owned a Gitzo since age
16 and have never looked back or even considered anything else. I have always
depended on their cutting edge products and finally decided it was time to
upgrade from the durable tripod I purchased in college ten years ago (am I
dating myself?).
Continuous Light - I noticed that many professionals
are using Lite Panels for both video and still photography. I have heard a
lot of impressive things about their products and am really excited to take
work with this fairly new technology. The Lite Panels products very well made,
light weight (very important for me) and eco-friendly making them a perfect
piece of equipment. Plus, they are also cable free, reducing the number of
possible things to trip over at a shoot!
All of these products are made by great brands and I'm
very excited to get started working with all this high quality equipment.
Lighting Journey Blog series sponsored by: Profoto, California Sunbounce, Manfrotto and Gitzo
When I first met Alyssa and Brett I must say I was a bit taken aback. Alyssa looked stunning like she had just stepped off the runway. Together Brett and Alyssa make an incredibly handsome and sexy couple. I was excited to work with them because In 2008, photographing the wedding of their good friends Keisha & Troy still stands out as one of my favorite weddings. Their guests were a lot of fun so I knew I was in for a treat. I was very excited for the engagement shoot and really enjoyed working with this wonderful couple.
Enjoy the session slideshow.
I am very excited for their wedding! Stay tuned for an interesting post; all of their guests are wearing white!
So much of my passion and photographic style stems from my first encounter with Steve McCurry's imagery. Seeing his work for the first time, I experienced a calming realization that I had encountered my ultimate inspiration. This connection defined a place of belonging, revealing stylistic interests that were not being stimulated by my more traditional photography education.
Steve's work truly resonated with me. I felt a connection, an inexplicable understanding in a way I have never felt with any other artist. His worked allowed me to envision where I wanted to go and instilled confidence that pursuing a similarly inspired style was possible.
Motivated about photography and eager to find my true photographic passion, I set out for India on a six week trip of self-exploration with Steve's Portraits book in hand. I spent evenings pouring over his work. His inspiration stirred something within me, and my style began to develop out of this desire to create imagery that like his profoundly impacts people in many ways.
I returned from India determined to pursue photography and moved to New York jobless, friendless and penniless. I did the inevitable, something I had to do if only to say I tried, and pursued a position with Steve McCurry. Astonished, I landed an internship position that influenced my photographic journey in intangible ways.
Working with such a talented photographer was absolutely extraordinary experience that opened the way for the flourishing career I have today. I learned to ask for the impossible and to follow your true sense of purpose. Steve was my teacher before we met and continues to be an invaluable inspiration and an extraordinary mentor to this day.
Lighting Journal entry #1 - Written one year ago today...
I guess it started a while ago when I
realized that for most wedding photographers, myself included, "I exclusively
work with natural light" translates into "I am afraid of strobe." For many
years, I lived by this mantra understanding and celebrating pure, natural
light. However, despite the ability to manipulate this light, I have to admit
that my photography was ultimately being restricted by the oh so glorious Sun.
As an album judge for WPPI over the years, I
watched the albums go through and noticed a trend - flat light. As technology
advances with higher ISOs and cheap digital cameras, people appear to be
skipping over lighting theory. In reality, wedding photographers are probably
the guiltiest of this in the photography genre.
While I have my reservations, I realized I had become quite comfortable and skilled working with natural light. I also understood that to be the best possible photographer for my clients and myself I needed take advantage of all the lighting tools available. This of course, included manipulation of artificial light and thus facing my apprehension head on. It was scary but also exciting.
After all, one of the greatest attributes
of being an artist and a photographer is the ability to always be challenged
and the never-ending opportunity to learn and grow. Last year, I choose to push myself
out of my comfort zone of natural lighting and now I would like to share my journey into the world
of enhanced lighting with a blog series, "Lighting Journey." I hope you enjoy
the ride.
Dear Facebook Friends,
I have decided to streamline my connections on facebook. I value the relationship I have with each and every one of you but with the way that I am currently using facebook, I feel unable to give all of you my appropriately directed attention.
In order to remedy this situation, I have decided to de-friend many people from my personal account. Now before you gasp in disbelief, (I'm not a snob!) please know that my decision is based on improving our relationship on Facebook. In order to better manage my valuable relationships, I realize I need to distinguish between my personal account and my photography oriented Facebook Page. This way I can enhance your Facebook experience by providing relevant content.
My Approach:
In the next week I will be making the following improvements to my facebook approach:
- I will de-friend almost everyone other than family and close friends that I am in regular contact with. Everyone else will be re-directed to my facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/catherinehallstudios
- I will be sending an event invite on Facebook to my followers in order to remind you to switch over to my fan page. I don't want anyone to miss what has happened and end up de-friended with no explanation!
My Reasoning:
When I began with Facebook, it was to keep up with family and close friends. I would like to return to this on my personal account. This will avoid redundant updates and allow me to keep my photography page up to date.
I am doing this in order to be more available to you as a photographer. I want to provide you, my followers, with relevant news that is of interest to you. I won't bog you down with my personal updates and chitchat with old friends. I want to be attentive and do not want to miss important messages from my followers, or from my family or friends. By separating the two, I will be more effectively able to view and answer people.
I look forward to staying connected with you on my Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/catherinehallstudios. You can also keep posted by checking my Twitter account: @Catherine_Hall which I update regularly.
I hope this helps explain what is happening with my Facebook account. I am extremely grateful for your support and look forward to connecting with you on my Facebook page soon!
Catherine Hall Studios has been nominated as one of the Bay Area's best local businesses on the San Francisco Chronicle and SFGate.com's BayList. We are excited to be included with all of the great businesses on the BayList. Plus, who doesn't love a little competition every once in a while?