Britt Chudleigh
Please tell us about your company:
I am the primary photographer and owner of Chudleigh Weddings (my husband, Peter, is present at dual shooter weddings and is there for support when I'm up to my eyeballs). I specialize in wedding photography that unifies the fashion, photojournalist and art worlds. Really, they are all connected and so it feels instinctual to me to weave these elements into my work.
I find intense satisfaction from being still, quiet and observant enough to elicit natural photographs of my clients and their guests. In order to truly catch moments of honesty and sincerity, people need to feel at ease around their photographer and many have told me how quickly they've become comfortable in my presence. This makes my job so much easier. I won't start shooting until I can tell my clients are themselves. In my opinion, this is how true photojournalistic images are created. However, aside from sincerity and stolen moments, there is another very important element present at weddings. This is the element of art, creation, design....whatever you want to call it. There is so much beauty, art and design present in a wedding. This calls upon my instincts as an artist and as an editorial and fashion photographer. The bride is undoubtedly wearing a gorgeous gown and has gone to great lengths to look amazing, the groom is looking as GQ as he ever will, the food and decor are beautiful and the guests are dolled up and ready to participate in all this beauty and emotion. This simply must be capitalized upon so there will be moments I'll introduce skills, aesthetic influences and attitudes drawn from the fashion & art worlds. The combination of these efforts produces authentic and simple, yet current and fashionable photography that I adore being a part of creating.Appreciative of the qualities of both digital and film photography, I use a mixture of both mediums. This allows me to reap the benefits of both worlds.
Outside of work, what are your hobbies, interests, and activities?
Although not every moment of my life is consumed by photography, almost every moment in touched in some way by my appreciation of art. It hides in every corner of my life from a beautiful little breakfast to the way my shirt hangs on the back of my closet door as I dress. From the snow falling in large flakes on my way to the post office to the sound of my kids singing and laughing in the back seat on the way home from school. Music, food, visual arts, movement and dance, architecture, films, beauty in the world around us, beauty in human beings. Art is such a vague and overused word but it truly is a guest in my life and I welcome it everywhere I go, in everything I do.
Apart from my love of the arts, I also enjoy the outdoors and being athletic and active. I love sports and games, have been know to be a bit of a gym rat and love taking off on a trail on a warm spring afternoon. Very curious at heart and always willing to try something new, I'm drawn to anything that might teach me something new or inspire me. I have the travel bug for sure and hope to be able to do more of it in the future. I am very social but can also really appreciate time alone. My free time in generally spent either doing something social, artistic or active........or taking a nap. Totally love naps but they seem to be a rare delicacy these days. I thank my Dad every day for teaching me to power nap....15 min and I'm a new woman.
Tell us a bit about your family:
I am very protective of my time with my family. I have two children. Hannah is 8. Very lovely, stubborn, quiet, artistic and independent. Don't even try to tell her how to do something......she's already 10 steps ahead of you. Maybe 10 steps in the wrong direction but who cares. She likes to dance to her own song. I always say that I think I aged a decade during the first 3 years of her life as she was always up a tree, around the block or into some foreign substance that made my heart skip a beat, or two or three. James is almost her total opposite. Smart as a whip and completely left brained, he can rattle off the birthdays of everyone in our extended family and loves sticking to schedules. James has always been my "easy child". He follows directions and doesn't make waves. Give him the formula and he'll follow it to perfection. Of course I am in no way biased in saying these two little dears have amazing things to offer this world.
And then there is my Peter. My husband for whom I am so grateful. Strength when I'm insecure, sweet when I'm down, tough when I need a swift kick in the ass and just cute as hell. I adore my family like a madwoman and owe my every happiness to them.
What are the two words that best describe you?
Hmmmm, seriously, two words? I'm sure you can tell by now that being concise is not one of my talents. Ummmm, I really strive for these two. They are kind of the heartbeat of my life. Authenticity & Openness.
What is your favorite...
Food: I'm a sucker for beautiful pastries, cheeses and amazing produce... oh and let's not forget a rare fillet of beef with salt and pepper.
TV Show: Barefoot Contessa. Selling New York. Anthony Bourdain. Thursday night NBC lineup. Seinfeld. CNN & MSNBC. Martha Stewart.
Movie: Nope. Too hard. List too long. I LOVE movies. Even bad movies. Old, new, comedy, drama...love em all. Except horror, unless I want to be pacing and jumpy for the following two weeks.
Book: I'm big into self exploration and growth so a lot of those types of books. I am a super slow reader but love the feel of paper between my fingers so I do love to read. Too many to mention. Same as movies.
Color: Soft, muted colors generally speaking. Food is a different story and is really the only place I love seeing vibrant hues. Otherwise I'm all about the soft blues, creamy whites, desaturated yellows, warm grays. Think East Coast beach. That's me.
Quote: Favorite all time quote and something I try to live up to every day:
"Go confidently in the direction of your dreams.....live the life you have imagined."
-Thoreau
What inspires you personally and/or professionally?
I'm inspired by passion, warmth, love and authenticity. When I see something that has a being's passion behind it I am aware of whether or not it suits my personal tastes and may or may not like it but I am always interested in and can appreciate anything that means something to someone else. Anything motivated by love or authenticity will always have my appreciation and attention. Whether I'm being handed an artisanal cheese that is treated by it's maker like a newborn baby, watching an impassioned documentary, shown a test or drawing by one of my children with pride in their posture, or being asked to sign a petition by someone whose intent and love for the cause is so apparent I can see it in their eyes, I'm inspired.
No comments:
Post a Comment