My name is Catherine. I am interested in photography and painting. I use Elinchrom studio lights on white and black backgrounds and an EOS 40D Canon camera for my pictures. I prefer using ambient lighting for most of my portraits. I like creating an organic and fresh look to my photos.

I lean more towards portrait photography. For me, being able to capture a moment is the greatest feeling in the world for me. I especially love candid photos. You get a sense of realness about the person you see in the photo, personal almost. That's when you start feeling some kind of personal connection through what the photographer was trying to express.

I see can see myself doing very simple photographs without any very advanced editing skills. Some photographers that inspire me are Ansel Adams, Richard Avedon, and René Magritte. I would have to say Richard Avedon is my favorite because he is able to capture moments that we do not necessarily find flattering in some parts of us but draws us into the photo somehow and that is what inspires me about him.

When you go back to the beginning of my work, there is a picture of a girl that I had wrapped a scarf around and used ambient/window lighting. I used this picture for my exposure assignment. This was about the time I first started pursuing photography and learned the basic techniques of Photoshop.

As you browse through all the other photos that I have taken, you can see my growth over the past months. I am soon beginning to find my own style of photography which consists of black and white portraits. I love how it gives both a simplistic and complex look to the photos, which is very much like my own personality.

I hope you enjoy browsing through all my pictures. You are welcome to critique and/or comment on any of my photos.