BIOGRAPHY

Renee Cascia is photography brought to fruition. From her earliest youthful visions of moving to California, opening a photography studio (minus the chimp she planned on having as a pet), and capturing the world and its inhabitants through a fusion of light and reflections, Renee has cultivated the gift of eternalizing her subjects through film.

Both her education and experience speak worlds to her level of professionalism and the creative energy that flows between her eye and her focal point. After completing her Bachelors of Fine Arts in Photography from the State University of New York at Buffalo, she studied fashion and photography at the Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT) in New York City. Aggressively seeking to have photography permeate her future, she worked as an assistant photographer for acclaimed Fashion Photographer Norine Perrault.

Reveries of California still floating before her, she took her photography to San Diego, and worked as a staff photographer for The Home Depot Supply. For three years with that company, she was the primary photo liaison for all print and web projects. Honing her talent for fashion photography, she then worked as a staff photographer for one of Los Angeles' top fashion retail companies, Shopintuition.com. In 2007, she realized her dream of having her own studio, sharing her gift for visual arts in West Los Angeles.

Clients of all industries, from ELLE magazine to Time, Nike to Conde Nast, have turned to Renee for her imaging mastery. Photoshop is her second love. She has advanced knowledge of color correction, photo compositing and retouching, and has extensive experience with professional digital SLRs, 35mm, medium- and large-format cameras, and view cameras.

As well as being an accomplished photographer, Renee is also highly active in her community. As a volunteer Photography/Digital Imaging instructor for the Center for Exploratory and Perceptual Art (CEPA) in Buffalo, NY, she taught photography, artistic design, and basic darkroom skills at Buffalo's Boys and Girls Club. She assisted student photographers and journalists in the production of "Buffalo: Portrait of a City," a collection of photos and interviews that was translated into murals and published in a book. Inspired by this project in New York, Renee presented the idea to picART of San Diego and brought to life the West Coast version, by combining photography, poetry, painting and writing. This program was taught at The Boys and Girls Club of Linda Vista, Logan Heights and the World Beat Center in San Diego. Renee was trained at the Center for Creative Renewal in the subject of Art Therapy for At Risk Youth. Funding for this program was provided by the Rancho Santa Fe Foundation, where Renee also taught photography at the Rancho Santa Fe Community Center.

Expanding her dexterity from a single-frame environment to photography in motion, she collaborated in many film projects, including involvement with The Ricecooker Video Multimedia & Film Productions, Inc., in Buffalo, NY. She assisted in the creation of documentary films for the Women's Pavilion at the Pan Am 2001 celebration. Renee lent her talent in various aspects of the production, including research on the individuals and locations in the films, and still photography for the film "Voices of Difference: Stories of Immigrant Women."

Renee is a member of the American Association of the University of Women (AAUW), the American Society of Media Photographers (ASMP), and Canon's Professional Services group.

Renee's infectious enthusiasm and energy leap from behind her technician's eye directly to the subject, producing more than simply remarkable images. Her down-to-earth personality, undeniable talent and personable air combine to explain why she is an industry favorite among fashion designers, entertainers and artists.