Photographer: Catherine Hall
In both spontaneous and loosely staged moments, Catherine Hall’s subjects seem to wear their hearts on their sleeves—interacting naturally and releasing their emotions with ease, as if no camera were pointed at them. The result is consistently memorable portraits infused with depth and personality. So how does she do it?
Establish Trust
“I think a big part of it is just being authentic yourself,” says Catherine. “As a businessperson, you make decisions all the time about whether to be totally clear and honest with your clients. If you’re transparent and authentic yourself, then it promotes that behavior from other people.”
“If you’re transparent and authentic yourself, then it promotes that behavior from other people.”
By being genuine from the start, Catherine establishes a rapport based on mutual trust. “When I start to work with them, they trust me and they feel a lot more comfortable,” she says. “I think there’s a mistake photographers make early on because they feel they need to up-sell and be cool. All that does is hurt the relationship and stunt what could be.”
Remove the Pressure
“I think a big part of it, too, is just being comfortable with yourself and not taking yourself too seriously, so that the pressure is taken off the client,” Catherine suggests. “I’m very visually oriented and I will adjust things until I get what I want, but I do it in a way that’s about movement and spontaneity. I try to keep it as loose as possible, so I’ll crack jokes or make fun of myself, I’ll lie in the dirt—I’ll do whatever it takes so the environment doesn’t feel too formal. Then I think what happens is that people just sort of relax into it and forget they’re being photographed. It’s more like hanging out.”
