The Truth About Photography and Skateboarding...

Talent, Positive Energy, Dedication, Persistence, and a big ole' set of fat hairy balls... This is what it takes to be a professional photographer... And for that matter this is what it takes to be successful in any creative field of work... I have been skateboarding for 18 years. I've fallen down a lot in that time but after that many years of persistently working toward getting better at what I do, I can confidently say that I feel like I'm pretty good at it. Fact is, I don't fall down all that much anymore, which is a good thing for a 30 year old man riding a skateboard.

I am finding that being a good photographer is a lot like being a good skateboarder. At first you fall down a lot, you get hurt, you get broken, you get discouraged and want to just say F@#K it and walk away... But you can't! You love it too much, it's who you are, and you know that there's nothing more gratifying than working your A$$ off to land that one trick you've been trying for so long to get and finally having the satisfaction of riding away clean... The business of photography is exactly the same... I don't think that I would have been able to find success in photography if I hadn't have first been a skateboarder... It's a tough business but, in the end, its well worth the time you've put into it!

My name is Christopher Winton-Stahle and I am both a photographer and a skateboarder! Despite the struggles, the hard falls, and the occasional frustration this is my life, my love and it is who I will always be...

Featured Article : VCU - "Where are they now?"

Virginia Commonwealth University's "School of the Arts" recently featured me in a "Where are they now ?" article on the alumni page of their website. What a wonderful honor ! Check it out !

Happy January 2010 !

Sometimes we tend to bite off more than we can chew and the obstacles ahead often seem like too much to swallow. Don't get discouraged or lose hope... Always remember that any obstacle can be overcome with determination, dedication, and careful planning...

Happy January 2010 to all !!!

VCU Massey Cancer Center : Philanthropic Review

We worked with VCU's Massey Cancer Center and Literati Design in producing photography for the latest edition of their Philanthropic Review. This was a very successful shoot for a wonderful cause, a great client, and a very inspiring group of subjects. It doesn't get much better that this. A special thanks to Carol and Andrea! What a pleasure it was working with you both!

A Few Candid Photos of our Dream Team!

Christopher Winton-Stahle : Photography Professional...

Heidi Winton-Stahle : Make Up Extraordinaire

Jenny Mcqueen : Knowledgeable Assistant...

Happy Holidays from Winton-Stahle Photography.

Best wishes for happiness and prosperity to our friends, colleagues, and clients. This photographic construction was custom made for our 2009 Christmas card. Enjoy.

Osage Cottage Website Goes Live.

We worked with Morgan Porter Design Group this summer to create images for Osage Cottage's new website and marketing materials. Osage Cottage is a very sweet little get-a-way rental near fredericksburg, Virginia that I would highly recommend visiting for a weekend if you're in need of a little peace and quiet. Melinda, the owner of the company, is quite possibly the sweetest lady that you'll ever meet and I guarantee that your stay there would be pleasant.

You can check out their website here for more info!


This image was made in the early morning looking down the road from Osage Cottage.

Now Available Online!

The Shutterbug Magazine Article, "New Sales Strategies with Social Media", featuring myself, Chase Jarvis, Margo Pinkerton and John Mutrux, is now available for viewing online! Click here to read.

If you like the images in Shutterbug, be sure to check out my commercial website!

Featured in Shutterbug Magazine!

If you have the opportunity to pick up the October issue of Shutterbug Magazine (released in stores September 9, 2009), there is a great article on pages 44-54 on "New Sales Strategies with Social Media". I'm excited to announce I was interviewed for this article along with 3 other incredible photographers. Chase Jarvis , Margo Pinkerton and John Mutrux. It's a well written article with honest answers, unique ideas for marketing, and a wealth of knowledge that can translate into most any business, especially for those that are self-employed.

The magazine ran quite a bit of my interview and also features four of my photographs as well as a few photos by Chase Jarvis.

The article is available in stores now and will be released online in mid October. I will post a link to it then and have it available on my website, blog, facebook, and twitter so stay tuned!

Please feel free to pass the word along!

To see more of my work visit my commercial website.

A week in Saratoga Springs, NY with ballet dancers.

This past week we were in in Saratoga Springs, New York doing photography for Sun King Dance Company. The following images are a few production stills as well as some of the final shots of a whole lotta photos at the National Museum of Dance .










To see more of my work visit my commercial website.

Dushi Toy Company Product Shoot

This was one of several final shots for a cool product shoot for Dushi Toy Company.

Our little setup for the Dushi Toy Company shoot.

Patrick Bozeman (LeadFoot Designs) is tinkering with the product trying to figure out how we want to position it in the composite.

Yup, that's me behind the camera.

“LeadFoot Designs and Winton-Stahle Photography created two images to capture the fun and energy of characters from “Dushi Go with Flow” for their creator Anneke Groenendaal. In these images the characters “Dunk” the duck and “Rabbit” the frog are enjoying a beautiful summer day together after a long trip to the states from the Netherlands.”

If you enjoyed this image and would like to see more, please check out our commercial website!

Apparently, it appears that when the parents are away the cats will play. I'm going to give our new kitten, Simone, an "A" for effort for at least trying to learn to use the T.P..

To see more of my work visit my commercial website

A Summer Island Get-A-Way

For the past two years we've been invited by a group of close friends & colleagues to join them for a week on a very small private island near the eastern shore of Virginia. There are no roads to this island nor are there roads on it. To get there you have to take a small motor boat out to it and once you are there.... Well...you're just there to stay for a while. The only manmade structure on the island is one small beach house in which we all stay. The only sounds that can be heard are those of birds and the soft sound of the ocean. When we're there we always feel like we've traveled back in time and are seeing a small glimpse of what the world must have looked like before people came along. This is one of my favorite places to be and is a representation of absolute harmony and perfection. I hope that you enjoy the view.

To see more of my work visit my commercial website.

Charles City Library Website Goes Live!

The website promoting the Charles City Library Campaign has been officially launched! All photography featured on the site was shot on location by Winton-Stahle Photography. For those of you who haven't been following us (get the full scoop here), the Charles City Library Campaign is a community effort to provide a library for the only county in Virginia without a public library.
Please take the time to support the wonderful cause, and of course check out the delightful photographs, at www.charlescitylibrary.org

June Photography

We've been out and about this month, keeping busy behind the camera! Check out Allie: She's getting ready to head to Florida and needed new images for her portfolio. We approached her head shots with a little extra creativity. It's great as a photographer to be able work as expressively as we do here at Winton-Stahle Photography. Be sure to check back soon for more updates; there's plenty of exciting work to come!

Book Release & VPLC 30th Anniversary: "Through Different Eyes: The Faces of Poverty in Virginia"

On the evening of May 28th, The Virginia Poverty Law Center will release an anniversary publication featuring the photography of Christopher Winton-Stahle's photographic series "The Folk of the Blue Ridge" in a coffee table style book titled "Through Different Eyes: The Faces of Poverty in Virginia". The publication is a compilation of many of the pieces that were featured in the original exhibit "Through Different Eyes: The Faces of Poverty in Virginia"that has been on tour with the Virginia Museum of Fine Art since 2006 and includes the work of Christopher Winton-Stahle, Susi Lawson, Scott Neville, and Scott Elmquist..

The Virginia Poverty Law Center (VPLC), an organization based in Richmond dedicated to advocating on behalf of low-income residents of the Commonwealth, will celebrate more than 30 years of dedicated service to Virginians at a reception at 6:30 p.m. on May 28, 2009 at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts. Governor of the Commonwealth Timothy M. Kaine will speak at the event as will First Lady of the Commonwealth, Anne Holton, who will honor Jill A. Hanken, who has been an attorney with VPLC since its creation and Jack L. Harris, VPLC's first executive director. Jeffrey W. Allison, Curator of the exhibit and the Paul Mellon Collections at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, will also speak at the event.

Here's a little bit about the "Folk of the Blue Ridge" - a series by Christopher Winton-Stahle

The American heritage of the farming community is quickly disappearing and in its wake many folks in Southwestern Virginia struggle to support their families and carry on their way of life. Commercial Photographer, Christopher Winton-Stahle was raised in Carroll County, one of the poorest counties in the southwestern region of Virginia. In 2004 he began a personal photographic documentary about his family and the people of his hometown. What began as a personal journey for him to understand his own life there has grown into a cultural documentary of this small farming community and the beauty of both its people and their culture.

"As a native of this community, I have come to know nearly all the folks there. They nurture a strong faith that God will carry them through the hard times of life and that their family will be there for them when they slip and fall. They take care of their own and have few wants and needs beyond what God, their family, and the land can provide for them. This body of work has always been about the great strength and pride of these people. They are the working class poor of rural America. Their strong devotion to family, the importance of their faith in God, tradition, interdependence, and their connection to the land is engrained into their way of life and is representative of who they are. Monetarily they do not have much however, from what I have seen having been raised there, they know of wealth that transcends that of modern ideas of what wealth actually means. They are the "Folk of the Blue Ridge" and I am proud to say that I am a part of them."

*Christopher Winton-Stahle