Top Family Photographers Perth - Adriana Catalano
Finding a great family photographer to photograph your family at significant times in your life is not easy. You are wanting a photographer that is highly experienced photographing all different families, cultures and personalities and has the ability to bring out the best in them.
Adriana is one of those photographers who is gifted in making people feel very comfortable and understanding who they are and how they want to be seen. She has had years of experience and clearly loves what she does.
We had a moment with Adriana to ask her a few questions about how she ended up photographing family portraits as a profession. Questions below…
Adriana Catalano - Zest Photographer
1. Tell us a little bit about yourself and where you got your start in photography?
I started in the Photographic Industry when I was 22. It was 2003 and my first job was as children’s portrait photographer with Pixie Photos. It was back in the dinosaur days of film where we still had to change big canisters, and you would not see the finished product for a few weeks as we would send it off to be developed.
For my 21st birthday I bought myself my first camera a Nikon N75 and I started shooting everything that moved. At 25 years old I was employed by Gary Levy who opened a first photography studio in Midland, and this is where I believe my career and passion for portrait and family photography truly began.
Under the guidance and mentorship of Gary Levy I was taught to strive for the very best in my career and personal life, I was able to hone my attention to detail and learnt how to capture emotion, connection, and the uniqueness of each family I was lucky enough to photograph.
2. You specialize in photographing children and family photography, can you give us some background on family photography and how this became your niche?
I was introduced to family portraits when I started my photography career at the age of 25. I decided that this would be the niche I wanted to develop professionally as it showed the love and connection of the families I shot, and I was able to relate to those feelings of love and joy so easily.
I lost my father at the young age of 19 and I personally had very little photos of him.
When I create these beautiful pieces of art for my families, I feel like I am able to give them something so valuable.
I have realised as I have grown in my career that the cliché is so true, “children grow far to quickly, our pets leave us far to soon and you only have memories left when loved ones pass away”.
Family portrait photography is a way of being able to hold on to our loved ones and the connections you share with them forever.
3. What is your favourite part about a family session?
My favourite part is meeting with my families before the session and finding out more about who they are and what they are looking for from their session with me.
Spending time developing ideas together gives me the opportunity to create something unique for them. I love meeting the little children and seeing how they interact with their parents and watching their beautiful little personalities come out in the shoot.
I also love the chaos that some family session creates especially with children around 1-3 years of age, who may be a little more energetic than parents would hope.
Inside the chaos, I know I am getting beautiful moments and I get to giggle a little when parents come out of the design consultation and say “how did you ever get all those beautiful photos?”. It makes me smile knowing I have given them an experience which they will never forget.
4. Being in front of the camera can be uncomfortable for many people. How do you coax a nervous family to relax and trust your direction?
I am a little bit of a clown when it comes to my shoots, I tell silly jokes to relax my families and allow them to enjoy each other’s company rather than focus on how to pose or where to stand.
Learning about the little things that they do with their children to get those genuine expressions are the things that help relax my families the most.
5. In this digital age, we are constantly bombarded by visual stimulation and imagery. How do you decompress or where do you seek inspiration?
I am a single mother, so time is not always on my side. Kira, my 10 year old daughter is my other world and when I am not being creative in the studio, I am being creative finding ways to entertain her. We love cooking together and she is very artistic, so we draw together.
We also love to have movie nights where we put a mattress on the floor, lots of yummy snacks and watch cartoons and movies in our pj’s.
I find my inspiration from the photographers around such as my Zest collegue Jessica Truscott, and through following photographers whose work inspires me such as Sue Bryce and Lisa Visser who are Fine Art Photographers.
Mostly I find inspiration from my clients who teach me that no one family is ever the same as another and their photography session should be treated as such.
6. Do you have a preference of using natural light vs studio light?
I am asked quite often about outdoor photography versus studio photography.
For me, I specialise in studio portraiture which is something that I love as there is less to consider when shooting in a studio with your light source solely coming from a flash unit.
Photographing in the studio allows me to focus on the dynamics of the family or children in front of my lens and to manipulate the light to focus on what I want to show.
I find families are more relaxed in a studio environment as there are less distractions and it gives them the opportunity to be fully engaged with each other rather than the scenery around them.
7. You are a very successful and award-winning photographer. What do you attribute your success as a photographer to?
I attribute my success as a photographer to the team around me, to my clients who have allowed themselves to be guided by me, my mentors and photographers who have helped shape me along my career and who have shown me how to see photography as an art form, as more than just a photo.
I attribute my success to a drive and passion I have to be better than I was yesterday.
I have been blessed with a long career as a family portrait photographer and I feel lucky to have won the awards I have as I know not all photographers get that opportunity in their careers.
8. What advice do you have for families looking to come in for a family portrait shoot?
A family photography experience will be something that you will treasure forever. Do your research and make sure you have put effort into looking through examples of images that speak to you and will represent your family.
Research photographers and make sure you select a photographer that is experienced photographing all types of cultures, personalities and people over their years.
Think about your children and how you would like to see them in these images. If you put in the effort, then you will get so much more out of it, and these will be important memories for your children in the future to see how much love you have for each other.
If you are interested in booking a Zest Photography newborn, family, or children’s portrait photography experience, call 0862453150 or email us at info@zestphotography.com.au.