An Interview By Jessica Koslow

Helene DeLillo brings out the best in everyone around her. As a supermodel said, "Helene makes me feel comfortable and confident in front of the camera."

Helene shares a few personal testimonials. One editor pointed out, "Your images are sensual and seductive without being distasteful." Another client said, "Helene brings a relaxing energy to the set." And it's as a close friend called it, "One of Helene's strongest skills is being able to see the softness and beauty in everything."

This gift is especially important in the world of digital photography. "When I present my work, people really appreciate that there's not a hardness about me," explains Helene. "I'm feminine and that comes across in my photographs." Her images have appeared in magazines like Rolling Stone and Entertainment Weekly.

Her passion for clicking a digital shudder is only matched by her passion for clicking a mouse. In school she taught her instructors how to use the first Macintosh computers while they taught her traditional graphic design, photography, and darkroom techniques. Helene's first experience teaching digital imaging technologies was while working with Robert Goodman on "A Whale's Song," the first book ever desktop published. She spoke at trade shows about the revolutionary desktop-publishing techniques of Adobe Photoshop 1.0 and Pagemaker 1.0. These software programs have since transformed both the publishing and photography industries.

She continues, "I started out working with other people's images doing retouching, layout and design." Her digital imaging skills deepened as she retouched some of the most famous faces in the entertainment and fashion industry. Drawn to making people look their best, it was only natural that she started shooting professionally more and more. As an elite member of the Photoshop Dream Team, it's not surprising Helene's a master of the entire digital imaging workflow - from the point of capture to the point of press.Many manufacturers rely on Helene as an expert to test their digital cameras and software before they are released to the public. Companies like Adobe, Apple, Eastman Kodak, Iomega, and Nikon also hire Helene as a presenter to demonstrate how to create digital images using their technologies.

"Photography is about capturing the richness in my environment. Whether it be makeup artists putting makeup on a model's face, a hairstylist doing a model's hair or a model on set. The most important thing about a photograph is capturing the soul of the subject. You can tell a lot about a person when you look at the image - you can feel what's happening inside of them. It's not just about the externals - the styling, the hair, the background and composition. It's an intimate connection with the subject so when you look at my photographs, you feel something."

Growing up in Hawaii, it's no wonder Helene has an eye for beauty, color and texture. Her childhood bedroom overlooked the Pacific Ocean and had glass windows for walls. During a full moon, her swimming pool glistened silvery gray. Surrounded by palm trees, even her high school was a tropical, magical place. It's an old mansion complete with fountains that was brought over from Italy and rebuilt on Diamond Head. Years later, it's provided the perfect backdrop for photo shoots.

"My success comes from the family and friends in my life" reveals Helene. Helene concludes. " I love capturing things that make people feel good."