Meet Catherine Grassello

Landscape and Nature Photographer

There is so much to love about the small things - a seashell’s spiral, a spiderweb’s delicate weave, a mushroom’s subtle form, a droplet of rain on a leaf or the beautiful construction of a flower. I love capturing the grandeur in the miniscule. When examined closely through a macro lens, these tiny spectacles unveil their exciting, little intricate worlds to me.

Black and white of Catherine Grassello with her camera

I have been looking through my camera lens for decades now, capturing the wonder I see around me.

Sometimes, what is often overlooked, is what I get excited about. A portrait of a single flower can say more in a photograph than the entire garden or field of wildflowers.

I love to photograph the macro world, but it’s not the only way I look at things.

Confronted with scenes immortalized by countless other photographers, I challenge myself: How can I unveil the unseen while honoring the essence of this place? Crafting a novel vista within well-trodden grounds is a photographer’s most challenging task. Yet, when the elements conspire—the light, the weather—it’s as if the universe itself is your ally. In that ephemeral moment, with the press of a shutter, magic crystallizes. It’s an indescribable triumph, a joy known to every true photographer.

I am humbled by and so grateful for the people who have mentored and taught me.

“Life’s little treasures are the greatest gifts you can receive.”

– Catherine Grassello

My Photography Journey

While attending my first semester at Bunker Hill Community College in 1975, I met my first photography instructor. I cannot remember his name, but the impact he had on me remains vivid. At the time, I was trying to determine the course of my career. Based on this one course and the exuberance of this one person, I decided it would be journalism—photojournalism, to be exact.

I did become a journalist, graduating from the journalism program at Suffolk University in Boston. I spent many great years working in broadcast news in the Boston market, where I had a front-row seat to some of the biggest stories of our time. During this period, I forged amazing, long-lasting friendships with my peers. Though I did not become a “photojournalist” by trade, I got to know some of the best in the business. They kept that flame for photography alive in me, and for that, I am forever grateful.

As I revitalized my passion for photography later in life, new friends and mentors joined my journey. Their generosity in sharing knowledge and skills, along with the unwavering support from friends and family, is truly priceless. I’m committed to paying it forward every day.

Ansel Adams, the celebrated American landscape photographer and environmentalist, beautifully summarized what goes into making a photograph:

“You don’t make a photograph just with a camera. You bring to the act of photography all the pictures you have seen, the books you have read, the music you have heard, the people you have loved.”

~Ansel Adams

It is not surprising that Ansel considered love a key ingredient in the whole process. From the moment I press the shutter to the final print, my passion for the process is unwavering. Love, as we all know, is best when shared. This website exists to share my love for photography with you – from capturing the perfect shot to the profound impact an image can have.