Everything from conferences, talks, events, seminars etc.
Out + About
Become a Household Name – FAST!
From The Studio, Out + About 
0
Mon 10.11.2010
Come to New York and attend my seminar about how to promote yourself as a leader in your field at the forthcoming PDN PhotoPlus International Conference & Expo.
For the second half of October, I will be saying farewell to my San Francisco studio and greeting New York City (where I started my career as a professional photographer). While my sojourn will involve some pleasure–like dining at the heavenly Candle Cafe and trolling around the vast art-historical treasures at the Metropolitan Museum of Art–the trip will essentially be all about photography, all of the time.
While on the East Coast, I am excited to lead a seminar at the PDN PhotoPlus International Conference & Expo, one of the world’s most important and definitive gatherings of photographers. Keynote speakers include photography legends, such as Art Streiber, Mark Seliger, Marcus Bleasdale, and Al Bello, among others. Wow.
Wonder what my lecture’s called? You guessed it! Promote You: Become a Household Name in Wedding and Portraits FAST!
A seminar suitable for all levels, I will unpack the world of social media marketing, laying down savvy use of contemporary media, such as blogging, Facebook, podcasting, and Twitter. I also emphasize how crucial it is to get your photography into the world through editorial features, awards, gallery exhibitions, and scholarships. Interested in figuring out how to promote the $%&@ out of your photography? Then, you’ve come to the right place.
Taking place from October 28 through 30, the PDN PhotoPlus International Conference & Expo is only 16 days away (and counting). What’s more, if you register for the conference before October 15, you can snag a sweet deal at a lower price, not to mention FREE expo passes.
So, come on out! I can guarantee this is the single-most best place to make connections with leaders in the field and immerse yourself in virtually every aspect photography–from marketing to artistic techniques.
Oh, did I mention that today’s first enrolled student to tweet @catherine_hall “I love my Epson Printer!” wins a truly fantastic prize!
Can’t wait to see you there!!
How to Craft Exquisite Wedding Photos | TUV
From The Studio, Out + About 1
Mon 10.04.2010
In conjunction with One Fine Day event planning, Tahoe Unveiled (TUV) is hosting a weekend of “splendor, luxury, and education” at the PlumpJack Squaw Valley Inn. The occasion–called A Day in the Mountains–offers brides and grooms the opportunity to enjoy a weekend getaway and develop relationships with some of Lake Tahoe’s finest photographers, florists, planners, and venue coordinators. I’m pleased and honored to be a keynote speaker for this event, at which I will deliver a talk about how to craft utterly elegant, wholly exquisite pictures of your wedding day.
I invite you to read a description of my talk for A Day in the Mountains: “Did you know that it’s a bride’s loss to select a standard hotel room for her bridal chamber? Has anybody warned you against sitting in front of a window during your reception? Have you heard about the critical Golden Hour yet? Are you curious to learn how you can look, well, absolutely stunning in your pictures? In her discussion, Catherine reveals an elite photographer’s tricks of the trade, which will enable you to make the right decisions before your special day.
“Her conversation will be varied, substantive, and-obviously-fun. Please join Catherine for this exciting talk, so that when your once-in-a-lifetime celebration takes place, you have nothing left to do but smile, glow, and be glorious. Here’s to brides!”
I encourage couples to join us on October 16 for A Day in the Mountains!
What Drives Me | International Aperture Awards
Awards, Out + About, Press, Reflections 0
Mon 09.27.2010
I’m incredibly honored that the International Aperture Awards selected me to be a judge for their 2010 photography competition! It is one of the world’s most prestigious online photography competitions and awards handsome cash prizes to the winners.
In order to introduce their panel of international judges to the photography community, they have been conducting a series of interviews. It was my pleasure to chat with their fabulous team, and I thought you might enjoy reading our Q&A, entitled Tenacity, Passion, & Self Belief.
We discuss entry submissions, judging criteria, novice photographers, and more! Enjoy!
How long have you been picking up a camera?
I enrolled in my first photography class, a course offered by my high school arts department, when I was sixteen-years-old. The first image I ever shot and developed was a close-up of a horse’s marble-black eye, with several green farm flies buzzing within the frame in soft focus. At the time, I thought I was a renegade! Looking back, I blush at my naiveté.
Once, for an open house event, my instructor offered me the opportunity to curate a small exhibition of my own work–my first-ever solo show! At the event that night, I overheard a parent ask my instructor what he thought of my photography. “She’s gifted, but she’ll never make it as a professional,” he said. My reaction? I’ll show you, I thought.
And, ultimately, I did.
Did you always know that you wanted to be a photographer?
As a teenager, I always had an inkling that I might become a professional photographer. I didn’t realize it was possible, though,
until I dove headlong intro transforming my passion into a commercially-viable undertaking. Negotiating that first commission
requires courage–you have to believe in your gifts enough to place a worth value on them.
At the end of the day, photography is a labor of love for me. I’ve heard people say that they could never transform their passion into their business, as it would ruin their joy for the art form. I don’t find that to be true. I only fall more and more in love with every day that I spend honing my craft and growing my business. I wake up every morning excited to do what I love.
What is your specialty as a photographer?
I’m attracted to complex, diverse imagery. My editorial work exhibits an inclination towards a dark beauty. My professional wedding photography allows me to find psychological and aesthetic balance in sensual, wrapping light and the female form. It allows me to document the extreme fantasies of beauty.
When you’re not shooting for clients, what kind of images do you like to shoot?
To date, my photography has taken me to over 30 countries. Photography gives me the impetus–indeed, the license–that I need to immerse myself in another culture, learn through experience, and forge relationships I wouldn’t otherwise be able to.
Dear Blog Readers, there’s much, much more! For the full, in-depth interview, please visit International Aperture Award’s blog to finish reading Tenacity, Passion, & Self Belief.
Tofurious is the brainchild of wedding marketing consultant Lawrence Chan, an irreverent social-media innovator at the forefront of this field. As a longtime friend and peer, Lawrence generously invited me–along with other photographers, such as Dane Sanders, Bianchi Sisters, Joe Buissink, Jason Groupp, and founder of Thirst Relief Jim Davis-Hicks–to participate in a state-of-the-industry conference in Los Angeles today and tomorrow (August 4-5). Dismayed by what he calls the “tactical slaughter of one other through slashing of prices, leading to an eventual degradation of the industry….all while the middle-tier is being risk averse,” Lawrence is partnering with Jeff Jochum to form Startup Strategy. Startup Strategy focuses on aspiring professional photographers who lack experience and veteran photographers who might have lost clarity through the years. At today and tomorrow’s conference, speakers and discussion will revolve around how newbie photographers can distinctively set themselves apart and uniquely market themselves, and how experienced photographers can turbo-charge their existing business and find clarity again. I return from LA next week and look forward to some of the pointers I picked up with you! Stay tuned…
I’m caked in fine, white desert dust and rivers of sweat travel down my sunburned, bikini-clad back. The temperature exceeds 100 degrees; the sun is stark against the cerulean sky and its light bounces off the desert floor, blinding my eyes. “How did I get here?” I wonder. “What has brought me, and all of these people, to this exact moment?”
Every September, nearly 50,000 people from all over the world make the pilgrimage to the remote Nevada Black Rock desert to participate in Burning Man, a weeklong arts and culture festival. A unique social experiment in intentional community-building and en masse collective-camping, Burning Man attracts metallurgists, curiosity seekers from America’s heartland, fire artists, corporate lawyers eager to shed their suits, belly dancers, and Silicon Valley execs–in short, anybody willing to approach the distinctive experience with an open heart and mind.
A gritty, money-free event, Burning Man’s celebratory atmosphere, stark landscape, and eclectic attendees are a photographer’s field day. While there last year, I snapped thousands of pictures to document the wildness and beauty of a white-sand desert landscape teeming with art, culture, and freedom of expression.
If you haven’t yet secured tickets to Burning Man, perhaps the opportunity to check out my metal-print photography installation at “Electric Ladyland” theme camp will give you incentive to join me at America’s most influential, alternative arts festival. I will debut large-scale, metal-print images culled from my 2009 Burning Man Album, which Wedding and Portrait Photographers International recently honored with a second-place award in its Album Category.
Metal art is a focal point at Burning Man, and I am proud that this year Catherine Hall Studios’ innovative metal prints will contribute to aesthetic conversation among the thousands of world-class art installations that comprise the festival. Bay Photo Lab, California’s premier metal-prints specialist, is sponsoring the production of the installation. Metal-printing is an innovative process in which coated metal sheets are infused with dye, creating a durable (and desert-resistant!) product.
I still haven’t made the final decision about which photographs to transfer to metal: Can you help? Below are three options. Pick your favorite and post a comment letting me know which image should be chosen!
Is it Mad-Hatters, No-Judgment, or Desert-Cowboy? Your top pick will be featured at Burning Man! I can’t wait to hear from you.
