Today we’d like to introduce you to Catherine Hatfield.
Hi Catherine, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
Growing up in Australia made me curious about people and the stories quietly unfolding around them. Photography started as something to do as I set off to travel the world. A creative outlet, mostly, that turned into something obsessive pretty quickly: a way to actually connect with the people I was meeting and hold onto moments and places I knew I’d never see again.
I started out photographing families and portraits. Weddings came later, and once I photographed a few, I knew that was the work I wanted to focus on. Everything I love about photography sits inside a wedding day.
Fourteen years in, I’ve learned the photos are only part of the job. A surprising amount of the work happens before I ever pick up a camera. I help couples think through lighting, timing, and the small logistical decisions that affect what the day actually looks like. The better the plan, the more freedom people have to simply enjoy the day when it arrives.
The Monterey Peninsula coastline gets the credit, fairly. But what really pulled me here is the way this place makes people slow down. My goal is to make photographs that become part of how a family remembers itself.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
No, not smooth. I built this business while moving around the country as a Marine Corps spouse. San Diego was the longest stretch for being in one place, about seven years, and that’s where the business finally found its footing.
Then my husband retired and we chose the Monterey Peninsula to settle. I’d been building the business under catherinehatfield.com for years, but landing in Pacific Grove felt like the right moment to start fresh. I renamed the business Asilomar Photography after my favorite beach. The rename felt right, but it also meant starting over professionally, in a much smaller, tighter market where nobody knew my name. You can’t shortcut trust. I had to introduce myself all over again and am slowly earning my way onto preferred vendor lists.
Four kids, a Marine Corps spouse’s life of moving, and rebuilding a business more than once has made me good at staying calm when things get complicated. Turns out to be a useful trait on a wedding day.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
The work I’m proudest of spans more than weddings. My ongoing partnership with Curebound, a nonprofit accelerating cures for cancer. I’ve spent years photographing their researchers, the families they’re fighting for, the fundraising events, the people quietly putting in the work behind the science. Those photos help tell stories that actually matter, and being trusted with them has changed how I think about the rest of what I do.
That mindset carries straight into how I approach weddings. I’ve learned that no two days on this coast are ever the same. The fog, the wind, the changing light, the difference between Carmel proper and Carmel Valley, all of it keeps you paying attention.
Can you share something surprising about yourself?
Most people assume photographers are naturally comfortable being photographed themselves. I’m not. I much prefer being behind the camera than in front of it. That’s one reason I connect so well with my clients. I know what it’s like to be self-conscious or unsure of what to do, and I never forget that when I’m guiding someone through a session.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://asilomarphotography.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/asilomarphoto/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/asilomarphoto/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/asilomarphoto/
