Winifred Whitfield

Winifred Whitfield is an award-winning American photo artist specializing in "intimate photography. Stating that she "sees the goddess in every woman," Whitfield's intimate portraits reveal "the unique emotion of a person. It is a portrayal, a story about her. It reflects her inner and outer beauty—her essence—and it becomes her personal piece of fine art." Putting her philosophy into action, Whitfield "paints" the images using Corel Painter, a digital art application that simulates traditional media, then ultimately prints the resultant work on canvas and varnishes it.
Biography

An accomplished oil painter since childhood, as an adult she traded her palette for a successful career as a vice president on Wall Street. Living in artist communities and frequenting New York City’s many art galleries and museums fanned the flame of her artistic spirit. In addition to acting as financial advisor on municipal bond issues in California and Washington state, she founded several flourishing businesses in the Northwest (where she was a llama-breeder and a camel-owner).

Her landscaping of the six-acre plot of land surrounding her 100-year-old home, using plants and petals as living media with which to repaint her environment, generated much local press. Llama Rose Farm & Gardens is often used as a wedding venue, and Whitfield regularly makes the grounds available for select gatherings and events.
Career

It was during her tenure as a wedding photographer that Whitfield discovered the possibilities held by digital photography and, employing her business acumen, launched a custom boutique studio/gallery. She blended her love of painting with her expert understanding of the mysteries of handcrafted printing and her mastery of the computer. Consequently, she left wedding photography behind and founded a new business: Intimate Portraits for Women, a division of Winifred’s Portrait & Fine Art Gallery, located in Poulsbo, Washington.

Whitfield claims that the women (and, infrequently, men) who pose as her subjects are in for much more than just a "photo shoot." She intuits their true desires in such a way that it results in a collaborative piece of art that reveals her subject’s inner person. "It is unlike any image a woman has likely seen of herself," Winifred says. In an atmosphere that is warm and elegant, she creates a sense of sophisticated sanctity and trust that inevitably is reflected in the final work. Thus the reason Winifred’s works evoke such a wide range of emotions and moods: she creates fine-art portraits for women as they would like to be seen and remembered. She eschews the traditional view of intimate photography as being something smutty or risque: "Intimate does not mean how many clothes you have off or on," she said. "It’s not erotic art—it’s about capturing what’s within, looking for the moment of engagement."

In addition to enhancing the photos digitally, Whitfield utilizes a Virtual Backgrounds system that, drawing from her background collection of over 1,000 slides, makes it possible for her to change from a grassy field, to a seascape, to a Roman coliseum within seconds; hence tailoring the background to each client’s desire. She is the only photo artist in the State of Washington using this state of the art technology. The technology enables Whitfield to place her clients in settings that suggest vintage Hollywood, romance, power, and pinup. Her techniques have been written about in professional photographic journals. She has also judged several photographic competitions.

"I am doing what I love to do," Winifred says, "and what I do best." Now dividing her time between New York and Washington state, she owns and operates Intimate Portraits for Women from both coasts.
Calendar Photography
* 2010 Kitsap County Master Gardener Foundation calendar (work in progress).
* 2007 Angel Care-Breast Cancer Foundation calendar.
* 2006 Kitsap County Master Gardener Foundation calendar.
Awards
* 2008 Wedding & Portrait Photographers International Print Competition: second place for Individual Portrait category; and Accolades of Excellence (recognizing exceptional performance) for 12 out of 15 prints entered.
* 2007 Wedding & Portrait Photographers International Print Competition: Accolades of Excellence (recognizing exceptional performance) for three out of five prints entered.
* 2006 Wedding & Portrait Photographers International Print Competition: Accolades of Excellence (recognizing exceptional performance) for 13 out of 14 prints entered.
* 2005 Wedding & Portrait Photographers International Print Competition: Accolades of Excellence (recognizing exceptional performance) for 9 out of 18 prints entered.
* 2004 Wedding & Portrait Photographers International Print Competition: Accolades of Excellence (recognizing exceptional performance) for 5 out of 12 prints entered.
Volunteer Activities
* Kitsap County Art Board.
* BASIC (Building Affordable Strategic Innovative Communities) (affiliated with the Kitsap County Consolidated Housing Authority).
Personal life
Whitfield has one daughter, Sharra Whitfield, and is cousin to American talk show host and TV personality Timberly Whitfield. She resides in both Poulsbo, Washington, and Brooklyn, New York.
Education
* University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California, U.S., master's degree in Urban and Region Planning.
* University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California, U.S., master's degree in Social Work.
* Southern Illinois University, Southern Illinois, Illinois, U.S., bachelor's degree in Psychology.
* Various photography courses.
Television and Other Media
* Dawson, Ron. F-Stop Beyond podcast interview, April 25, 2008.
* Northwest Afternoon, KOMO-TV, November 2006.
* The Good Life, Home & Garden Television, February 2000.
Press
* Stoland, Carolyn. North Kitsap Herald, June 4, 2008.
* Morris, Jennifer. "Winifred's Gallery a Showcase of the Soul," North Kitsap Herald, November 28, 2007.
* Kitsap Peninsula Business Journal, November 3, 2007.
* Brownstein, Larry. Rangefinder Magazine, April 2007.
* Sweley, Maura Hallam. Kitsap Peninsula Business Journal, March 5, 2007.
* Sweley, Maura Hallam. Kitsap Peninsula Business Journal, December 8, 2006.
* Beleele, CharMaine. "A Renaissance Studio in the 21st Century," Wedding Portrait Photographers International Newsletter, 2005.
* Beleele, CharMaine R. Rangefinder Magazine, June 2006.
* Tillery, Peg. "Winifred Whitfield: Image to Art." WestSound Home & Garden, Fall 2005.
* Kitsap Peninsula Business Journal, July 11, 2005.
* Byrne-Barrantes, Kathleen. Kitsap Peninsula Business Journal, August 6, 2004.
Speaking Engagements
* May 2009 Professional Photographers Society of New York State annual convention (scheduled).
* "First Ladies of Photography" panel, 2008 Wedding & Portrait Photographers International Print Convention.
* "Steps to Building Self-Esteem in Pursuit of Your Uniqueness as an Artist," 2007 Texas Professional Photographers of America, October 14, 2007.
* "Double Your Self-Esteem—Double Your Income," 2007 Wedding & Portrait Photographers International Print Convention.
* "Nurturing Your Self-Esteem, 2006 Wedding & Portrait Photographers International Print Convention.
Print Judging
* Wedding & Portrait Photographers International Print Competition: premiere category.
* Seattle Professional Photographers of America: all categories.
* Wedding & Portrait Photographers International Print Competition: premiere category.

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