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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.

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Beauty Photography San Diego California

Wow, it’s been ages since I’ve blogged. I wholeheartedly blame becoming a mother (to the world’s cutest baby girl, might I add), but it’s a legitimate excuse. Entrepreneurship is more than full-time gig as you are in charge of every aspect, detail, decision and it’s hard to turn your mind off from ideas, inspirations, and dreams. Adding motherhood to that mix, and well, blogging got pushed to the back burner. Now, that being said, I also wholeheartedly believe it’s important. A kind of debrief from the work we are so passionately creating, as well as a working documentation of the process and behind the scenes nuances that you don’t always get from a portfolio page on a website.

I was fortunate enough to land the Lawless Beauty Campaign from 1650 Agency, here locally in San Diego, and immediately loved the brief. Not only is Annie Lawless taking the world by storm with her new line of Natural AF Cosmetics, but she is a gorgeous model for her brand and so gracious to work with.  From the start, we wanted the look to be something all-natural, both with tonality of the imagery and also minimal wardrobe and styling. For lighting, we definitely wanted bold but also very flattering as it’s for her cosmetic line. I love how they turned out and how they’re being used for her brand.

Young Monks.
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Young Monks.

Don’t miss your chance to enter the drawing to receive your favorite image from this series.

All you have to do to qualify is leave a comment, and we will randomly select TWO people to receive their print of choice.
(US mailing addresses only, sorry)

WINNERS WILL BE NOTIFIED ON WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 13th

young monk imagery Tibet buddhism

emotional young buddhist monk from Nepal

young Tibetan buddhist monk in classroom

Tibet buddhist monk from Nepal

young boy Tibet buddhist monk Dharamsala India

// Want to stay updated on Paula Watts Photography’s work? Click this link to subscribe to her blog: www.paulawattsphotography.com/subscribe //


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Refugee Status. A Documentary Project for Tibet

Tibetan refugees, India, Tibet, Documentary Photographer, Current Affairs, Culture

“Being clear about what we’re doing and why is the first step in doing it better. If you’re not happy about the honest answer to this question, make substantial changes until you are.” Seth Godin. Jan 15, 2013

Not a day goes by when I don’t have the extreme privilege of hearing stories of young Tibetans fleeing the Chinese government’s occupation of their land. The stories are shocking, filled with bravery, a fight for freedom and many times, end in tragedy.  Just today, a friend of mine told me his story of crossing the Himalayan Mountains (as they all do in order to get to India). He told me of being captured by the Chinese government the first 3 times he tried to escape, put in prison and then returned him to his home. The fourth and final time, he travelled for multiple weeks over the mountains, with some dying along the way. Food runs out, the temperatures are freezing, there are unmarked paths with dangerous cliffs. One young man fell to his death during their journey.

I want to help. This has inspired me to start a documentary project of these young adults, coming from Tibet, as refugees, holding on to their culture, learning for the first time about their country’s history (as it is mostly banned in Tibet to learn of their own history), all the while trying to embrace their new surroundings in India, separated from their families and from the way of life they’re accustomed to. A beautiful mixture of tradition and modern appeals. Starting a new life…. with “Refugee Status”.

This is the first image of the series.

(Sengye, shown above, is a young Tibetan man from the Amdo region of Tibet. He wears a traditional fur hat and necklace, identifying him as Amdo. He was raised in a nomadic family (as most are in that region), breeding yaks, sheeps and goats. He fled Tibet on the same night of his father’s return from being imprisoned by the Chinese government for 14 years. They didn’t see each other.)

Please feel free to share your thoughts, input and comments.

THE Shannon Bex

THE Shannon Bex

If you’ve ever had the pleasure of spending some time with Shannon Bex, you would know how beautiful, talented, and incredibly gracious she is. Known for her part in the all female music group, Danity Kane, Shannon has re-created herself to become BEX, a sweet new band showcasing her unique country-pop-soul sound and awe-inspiring dance moves.

Shannon and I met over a glass of wine at a crowded, little wine cafe through a mutual friend, and immediately knew she was going to be an incredible person to get to know and photograph. Luckily for me, she is just that wonderful!

Photographing her for some of her PR and a recent magazine article, Shannon proved to be vulnerable yet strong, a lil’ goofy behind the scenes yet absolutely stunning in front of the camera! Take a look…

Editorial Photographer Portland Oregon

Lifestyle photographer Bend Portland Oregon

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…

M&N Luxury Vacations Professional Photographer Puerto Vallarta

Icon Vallarta Professional Architectural Photographer

Professional Travel Photographer Puerto Vallarta

Oregon Home | Architectural Photographer Oregon
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Oregon Home | Architectural Photographer Oregon

I am super excited to announce the new Oregon Home Magazine is now on store shelves! The cover image was photographed by yours truly, featuring Thomas Lauderdale from the famed Pink Martini in the comforts of his Portland residence. Oregon Home Magazine has undergone some incredible changes in the last few months, revamping the look and feel of its publication to a beautiful, new source of architecture and living in Oregon.

Thomas Lauderdale Pink Martini Portland Oregon Photographer

Lifestyle Photographer Portland Oregon Architectural Photographer

Professional Headshots, Your First Impression | Professional Photographer Bend Oregon

Professional Headshots, Your First Impression | Professional Photographer Bend Oregon

I was recently hired by the lovely and talented Dana Ward of Lime Design to photograph her new professional headshots. In business, professional headshots are very important. They are sometimes the “first impression” when someone is looking for your service or a professional in your field. They can speak volumes about your personality, and even, the quality of your business. Of course, I am a photographer, so I may be biased as to the importance of one’s photography, but personally, I steer clear of any businessman or woman with a pixelated photo, cropped out of last year’s Hawaiian vacation. (facebook excluded)

For Dana’s headshots, we wanted to photograph her in an environmental portrait style, instead of in the studio, to add some depth and connection to her business. We chose The Loft in downtown Bend as a great location for her. She is one of Central Oregon’s premier home stagers, so having an intimate and warm atmosphere went well in defining her as a professional in her field.

What’s your field or area of expertise? Do your headshots help portray your branding and convey the image you want for your business?

Professional Headshots Photographer Bend Oregon

Professional Head shots Portland, Oregon Photographer