Today we’d like to introduce you to Catherine Aranda-Learned.
Catherine, please kick things off for us by telling us about yourself and your journey so far.
As a kid, I was the quirky daughter whose father worked in the aerospace industry, but grew up seeing the world through the eyes of an artist; everything was magical, colorful, and cinematic. After discovering the camera when I was nine-years old with a vintage Brownie my father gifted me, I went on to study art, photography, and interior design in school. My formal career began as an artist for a major animation studio painting Saturday morning cartoons when they were still hand-drawn on cels.
Eventually, I became an interior designer and project manager under an architect in the LA area; working on residential, commercial, and film studio projects. In all I’ve done; everything had to be rooted in the foundations of art: composition, color, perspective, light and lack thereof; really an artistic aesthetic that translated each project into something special for my clients.
Fast forward to today; the juxtaposition of being raised in a scientific home environment, learning film photography in school, the artistic careers I’ve loved and worked in; brings it all home to my love of the camera lens as an extension of the soul I see the world through.
If we take a step back, when I made the move to Vermont (surprise!), for about twelve years, there was no hesitation to seriously devote myself full-time to the power and art of photography. Finally, I feel that I’m living and breathing what I’m supposed to be doing; celebrating each client by capturing life in the art of the everyday; that this, is my purpose.
Family and life brought me back home a couple of years ago, and since then, I now happily provide local SoCal and destination wedding and lifestyle portraiture throughout the area.
Can you give our readers some background on your art?
I’m a fine art prime lens shooter with a thoughtfully cinematic, painterly style. My work covers wedding, lifestyle, and headshot portraiture. For my clients, whether I’m creating a traditional or environmental portrait, I often self-check myself by asking, if I were to walk into a gallery, would I want to see this on the wall? Should I see it on the wall? While not all make that cut, it’s a driving force in motivating my skills and equipment choices to get it right in camera from the beginning.
On the technical side of things’ because of the dynamic range (especially of the sky and sunsets) in my images, it’s often assumed that software is used to change out backgrounds or otherwise manipulate an image; however, shooting with primes and shaping the lighting allows me to control the light and dynamic range, whether it’s high noon, grey clouds, or golden hour; even after the sun has all but disappeared beyond the horizon.
The technical control of light and my tools allow me to create images with visual narratives, but as an artist, capturing the personal narrative is what tugs at your heart and emotions each time you gaze on an image; as if your seeing something new in it each time.
For the client, this means the focus is on ensuring an amazing experience that elicits powerful connections and captures the emotional reflections of those experiences. The “feel goods”, the “warm fuzzies”, the “dreams and aspirations”, the “sadness”, and the “joy”. All those qualities that make us uniquely human. My clients will have not just a visual document, but a personal portrayal; whether it’s light and fun, refined and professional, or fiercely empowering; a representation to the world of who they are as an individual.
What responsibility, if any, do you think artists have to use their art to help alleviate problems faced by others? Has your art been affected by issues you’ve concerned about?
The enduring role of photographers allows us to preserve stories, immortalize who we are, where we’ve been and where we’re going, remind us our childhood, our lives, shared experiences, and our loves. This has been true since the invention of the camera, to the paintings of the masters, and even to the cave drawings on walls. As artists, a professor once expressed that true art is something that makes you think in a way you’ve perhaps not ever thought of before. Those words continue to inspire my creativity and compel my artistic vision.
We document key details of life or a scene that might otherwise be forgotten; those little nuances that bring you back there again; the tactile memories, the full range of emotions. We separate our work by the quality of the storytelling that is more than pushing a button with today’s technology; we know how to use our camera and lens like a paintbrush on the canvas of what is our world, and as our subject is in the moment, we must commit to being in that moment too.
Whether social or environmental, the world is not the same now as when we were children nor when our parents were children. Technology has made our world ever so smaller, and more interconnected. As an artist, I’m inspired to reach out for the “why” of my images; and profoundly honor the privilege of sharing your story in a beautiful way.
As an artist, I am keenly aware of the importance of the world around me and how it touches each one of us. When we have an opportunity to make a positive difference with our art that affects other lives, I believe it is not just our responsibility, but a heartwarming privilege to be a part of bringing joy to others. One such honor has been portraiture that supports our youth; specifically, a particular passion project allows me to give back by traveling to photograph a competitive high school dance team in small-town Vermont every year for the past seven years. I was first privileged to capture their competitive journey from their humble beginnings to becoming state champions in the jazz and hip-hop genres. The portrait work has been environmental headshots, creative posed, and air/action shots. In addition to photographing their dance season competitions, I’ve traveled with them to the New England Regionals and captured those competitions as well. Documenting these students have been a great source of inspiration for me; having come from all backgrounds, yet all coming together as equals to be a part of something special in the most beautiful way. These portraits are something the students look forward to each year, and for my part, the promise and hope of the dreams in their hearts continues to inspire and humble me. It’s my hope that no matter you’re calling in life, that you’ll be likewise inspired by giving back and likewise finding joy in a profoundly unexpected way. As life settles more and more here in the area, I’m hopeful to eventually support a similar group of aspiring youth.
What’s the best way for someone to check out your work and provide support?
Please see my work online at:
https://visualartisan.photography
FB: /VisualArtisanPhotography
IG: @visual_artisan_photography
Please reach out:
Email: catherine@visualartisan.photography
Contact Info:
Image Credit:
Catherine Aranda-Learned
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