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New website for Paula Watts Photography!

Hello all! I’m so excited to announce the launch of my new website! Check it out!

I’ve taken some time (behind-the-scenes), between photoshoots, client meetings, emails, taxes (whaaaat, what’s that?!) blogging, bookkeeping, being a mommy to an adorable 2-year old, moving houses, being a wife, killing it at Crossfit (haha.. that last part is laughable), keeping up on social media (what’s this stories thing I need to do?)… okay, clearly a lot… to find and curate images that speak to my style, breadth of work, expertise, and experience. I’ve narrowed the galleries down extensively, but hope it gives my viewer (you) a quick and beautiful walk through my work. My passion.

Enjoy!

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Casino Photoshoot California Logistics, Logistics, Logistics

The logistics of a professional photoshoot for a casino might surprise some of you. You might see a nice image like this one in an advertisement and think “oh, the photographer caught a nice moment”. For this image, we had a very tight shooting schedule and had a few images/angles/setups we needed to accomplish before the salon opened for the casino customers. We needed to photograph the inside areas first so we had a very early call time that morning. The last image at this location was this image.. the models exiting the salon as if they just had a wonderful time at the spa, pampered, happy and on their way.

Between the salon manager still needing to run the front desk (answer phones, etc) and setting up lighting against a very specular and reflective background (can we say marble facade, glass doors and glass waterfall feature), we had to act fast and we had to act well.

This final image is the culmination of my assistants sneakily hiding lights, moving lights in different areas for multiple exposures, having the hotel manager duck behind the desk while on the phone, the models moving 2 inches “pretending to walk” and give multiple facial expressions and looking at multiple exit locations, and finally blending the best of all of those scenarios in one.final.image. Sigh. Phew. And on to the next.

A solid take away… when choosing a professional photographer, don’t underestimate their working knowledge of tight shoot schedules, a great team, and pro knowledge of lighting for every scenario.

Commercial Architecture | Exterior Photography

Commercial Architecture | Exterior Photography

An impending summertime means a busy architectural photography season, giving beautiful conditions for lush landscaping, mild exterior weather and gorgeous summer skies.

This beautiful recreational park building designed by the talented Nathan Good Architects was photographed last summer in The Dalles, Oregon. With a simple, yet elegant form, Nathan Good and his team created a structure that is modern, beautifully symmetrical and multi-functional.

As the photographer, it was necessary to show multiple angles and different lighting situations for the architect and his colleagues. Again, mixing and controlling the natural light and the artificial lighting elements is key when taking good exterior images. In addition, the photo shoot had multiple funding partners who all had specific needs for the final imagery. Combining the necessary elements of a good photograph with the requests and requirements for each client was crucial.

// If you are in need of architectural photography services from Paula Watts Photography, please don’t hesitate to drop us a line. We are currently scheduling the summer months in California and Oregon with a limited schedule, so please make your requests soon in order to ensure your photography needs are met. Looking forward to hearing from you! //

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North Rim Residence | Interior Photographer

North Rim Residence | Interior Photographer

I was hired to photograph this beautiful North Rim residence, designed by Mount Bachelor Design Studio. It was a great project with a clear vision of design and style. For some of the images, it was imperative that the outside view was shown clearly through the windows. My job as the photographer was to execute that while balancing the interior mood and lighting quality. This first image below, for instance was an important image to show off the beautiful exterior surroundings and the accommodating outside seating. In addition, for this project specifically, it was important to my client for the imagery to include the beam work seen in both the living room and kitchen. As the photographer, taking into consideration the needs of the client and finding the perfect angles can sometimes be a balancing act, but overall, combining the technical aspects of my work mixed with the creative vision and eye makes being an architectural photographer fun, challenging and never stagnant.

Hope you enjoy the final imagery.

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Belluschi Residence | Portland Oregon Architectural Photographer

Belluschi Residence | Portland Oregon Architectural Photographer

My last post discussed the importance of lighting for all types of photography. I used a before/after example from my photo shoot at the Belluschi Residence in Portland, Oregon for Oregon Home Magazine. For this post, I wanted to show some of the interiors, including the kitchen, living room, and interior of their beautiful yoga studio.

What is especially unique about this property is that it was originally designed by the famous architect, Pietro Belluschi. Once purchased by Mike McCulloch and Maryellen Horkheimer, they wanted to keep the original feel and space as initially intended, but with some modern updates. Mike being an architect himself, kept the transition seamless. Maryellen is a master gardner and landscaper, and together the home is now not only a comfortable living space, but also a scenic garden retreat.

The marriage of architecture and its surroundings made it feel like there was no distinction between inside and out. The rolling landscape was either in your window’s view or you were enjoying the tremendous space the family built for outside living. I wanted and needed to capture that as the photographer, lighting the rooms, making sure the windows show the exterior view as well as maintaining the warmth of the interiors.

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Before & After. Lighting Matters.

Before & After. Lighting Matters.

Lighting Matters. Period.

If you’re a fellow photographer: learn it, breathe it and utilize it to acquire the results you desire for your imagery. If you’re a potential client, looking for a professional photographer to hire for a project: make sure you choose a photographer that has a discerning eye concerning light. Choosing a photographer that knows how to manipulate light to give you the appropriate look and mood for your advertising campaign or editorial spread is crucial.

Below is a before and after photo from an editorial photo shoot I did for Oregon Home Magazine. Adding proper lighting and balancing it with right time of day can turn a dull and mundane photograph into something that pops off the page… And, let’s face it, isn’t that what everyone wants?

 

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Mount Bachelor Design Studio | Architectural Photographer

Mount Bachelor Design Studio | Architectural Photographer

Being in Zambia now has given me a little bit of time to actually post some commercial photography work from before I left. It was such a blessing to be so busy right up until we left, but gave me no time to show anyone what I was actually up to. Here’s a quick look at a home I photographed in Pronghorn for Mount Bachelor Design Studio. The home boasts wide open spaces and French country interior design, with flares of antique hardware, country murals and one large industrial sized fan. Thank you MBDS! It was a pleasure working with you on this project!

Looking for information on getting an estimate for architectural photography? Here’s a great link to highlight some key details and things to consider… http://tinyurl.com/3ffkj4b


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Architectural Photographer | Bend Oregon

Architectural Photographer | Bend Oregon

Once upon a time…

Tucked away in a fairytale village far, far away lived a queen and king… okay, so we’re not really in a fairytale, but this home has all the charm to make someone feel like it.

The architecture models the feel of a late 1800’s Jane Austin novel with modern amenities and living spaces. From movie theater to kitchen nook solarium, to Biblical stones laid in the wine cellar, from library to spiral staircases and mountain views, covering 16,000sq ft., Harrison Design Associates designed the home and didn’t leave out a single detail.

It was an honor and pleasure to photograph this beautiful residence.

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The Bold and the Beautiful Residence | Bend Oregon Architectural Photographer
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The Bold and the Beautiful Residence | Bend Oregon Architectural Photographer

Holy moly, I’m behind on my blogging. Did I just say holy moly? Okay, go with it.

This project below was an incredible project for me. I was able to photograph a handful of professional’s work that are so intricate and so talented, it made my job challenging, but such a privilege.

Often times, I do not get the opportunity to meet the homeowners of these beautiful residences that I photograph because they are often their vacation properties or second residences. It’s an unfortunate side of the job, but you learn to get used to it. With this project, I again, did not have the privilege of meeting the homeowners, however, feel like I can know so many things about them just based on their home. For instance, they value “quality”. Enough said right there. They accomplished that with hiring Kirsti Wolfe Designs, Sunwest Building and Neal Huston Architecture. They felt comfortable enough with Kirsti to leave the design and project management in her hands, and were not disappointed!

Their value for the outdoors and nature is evident as their property sits right up against the Cascade Mountains, with views as far as you can see. Photographically speaking, because of this, it is so important to show the views from the windows whenever possible. The architect, Neal Huston did an incredible job showcasing their views with large windows and expansive ceilings to bring the focal point directly to the mountains. As a photographer, I balanced the natural light from outside and additional photographic lighting to showcase those very important aspects. Architectural Lighting 101.

Details within their home that add to their high regard for quality, yet spurts of playfullness, are things like the onyx bar in their home-pub. Yes, I said it, Home Pub (I know I could spend many-a-nights enjoying that feature), high gloss Polyester red kitchen cabinets (very European in style) with Vetrazzo recycled glass counter tops (a very challenging kitchen to photograph with all the reflective surfaces but well worth the challenge), exotic wood veneers seen throughout their home including their master bath and pub, custom two-story fire place with a waterfall effect emulating the river in Bend, and a floating onxy sink in the powder bath lit by LED lighting against a full wall of recycled mosaic tiles (1 of 10 bathrooms)!  This 10,000 square foot contemporary home with mountain views shows a home can be bold and beautiful!

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Commercial Photographer | Puerto Vallarta Mexico
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Commercial Photographer | Puerto Vallarta Mexico

I recently had the great pleasure of working in collaboration with one of my best friends and fellow commercial photographer, Jessica Grenier for a great company, M&N Luxury Vacations in Puerto Vallarta Mexico. Our job was to photograph M&N’s brand new condo in the Icon Vallarta towers and their new baby girl, the Mystique, a 56-foot Voyager yacht. They are offering this beautiful condo as a vacation rental in PV along with the availability of a chartered yacht (separate or together) and needed architectural and lifestyle photos for their print collateral. For obvious reasons, this was an amazing job and we are so happy with how the brochures turned out (beautifully designed by Flockhart Design, Inc.) Here’s a peak…

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