July 27, 2020

Meet Simone Angela Winkler of eyeCatchLight Photography

Local Stories

Today we’d like to introduce you to Simone Angela Winkler.

Simone Angela, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I’m originally from the beautiful Alps of Austria! I’ve always been creative but went into the engineering field and got a PhD in Montreal, Canada. I had long felt that something was amiss and I did all kinds of creative endeavors in my 20s to make up for it, among them music, acting, writing, and most importantly, photography.

I also felt that the work of a scientist was somewhat lonely, deprived of emotion, lacking the need for much interaction with other people. People who weren’t brainy scientists themselves, but instead families, couples, children, all interweaved as one through the bonds of love in our world.

In my last year of grad school, I needed to create some form of income as a poor student and I put an ad online for my photography. And there you go, believe it or not, my first gig was to photograph some marketing images at the Black Eyed Peas concert at the biggest concert venue in Montreal. This was the beginning of eyeCatchLight Photography!

I started out with lots of event photography assignments, marketing imagery for magazine covers, headshots, product photos, and much to my liking the request to accurately photograph visual art for reproduction. I loved the latter because it involved a lot of technical thinking and because it brought me so much closer to the art community in Montreal.

Today, 11 years later, I’m in California with a studio specializing in portraits and custom made art for clients’ homes. But more on that later!

We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
When I started doing photography next to my engineering work, many people told me I should forget about being both an artist and a scientist. But thankfully, I did not listen. I’m different from others and always have been. Much like many artists, I like color were others like consistency, I like variety where others go for one focus. I like adventure, the unconventional, but most of all, the unconfined.

11 years later, I own both a professional portrait studio and an engineering firm and am so very happy. I’m also a professor in engineering at Cornell Medicine! I share my time between creating beautiful portraits and being an engineer/scientist, helping medical technology succeed.

I’ve often thought that I don’t approach science like many others – I tend to work much like artist’s work – in bursts of energy and with creativity, independently. I approach most questions from a place of intuition.

It took me until my mid-30s to find the environment and particularly the self-confidence to go after this rather different approach to live life, but I’m never looking back and I truly found happiness in what I do after years of trying to be like the rest of the world. Never again!

So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the eyeCatchLight Photography story. Tell us more about the business.
eyeCatchLight offers portraits and wedding art for your home. I also offer branding sessions that really make you as the rising entrepreneur shine.

Of these, I probably most enjoy the creation of newborn portraits and the portrait projects in the majestic Californian nature.

When photographing a baby that’s only as old as a few heartbeats combined, I get goosebumps. These little individuals completely and entirely thrive on love. There’s no pain yet and no clutter, no facades and no worries. There’s sunshine, love, simple needs, and simile ways to satisfy them. I think we could all learn so much from a newborn!

On the other hand, creating portraits in majestic places like all-encompassing redwood forests, crashing ocean waves, singing flower fields, is like a dream come true. It brings me and you as the client closer to nature, showcases your bonds of love on a canvas that was always meant to be what we’re all made from. It means the world to go to these places with you!

What I love most is that I specialize in printing these majestic portraits as wall art or as albums and folio boxes. Too many things these days are digital, they disappear in a drawer on a USB stick or on a hard disk or cloud. And we don’t look at them enough! It means so much to be able to match my wall art to the interior design of your home and your personality. What fun to create your new mantlepiece or a carefully curated treasure chest of printed memories!!

Has luck played a meaningful role in your life and business?
I think that with 11 years of experience, I have an understanding of how to achieve the result that you are looking for. It is important to ask many questions and to guide you along each step of the way. I try to be the version I would like to see the world act as a whole: a person of kindness, calmness, and support. Ultimately, your new friend – when you’re just becoming a part of the eyeCatchLight family.

In my studio, the portrait experience starts with a design consultation, where we plan clothing, location, style, and other details to your liking. During the portrait session, we take a lot of time to achieve a relaxed and joyous atmosphere that is reflected in your portraits! After the session, we meet for a reveal and ordering appointment, which is when clients see their images for the first time. It is not uncommon for me to experience very emotional reactions here – the best reward of all!! In this appointment, we design clients’ albums, wall art collections, and more, and portraits are either hand delivered or picked up when they’re ready.

I can’t wait to meet you soon and create your personal art!

Contact Info:

Website: https://www.eyecatchlight.com
Phone: 831.600.8729
Email: [email protected]
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/eyecatchlight
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/eyecatchlight

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