San Francisco Gala Beauty Captured By Photographer Jason Henry

With couture by Lela Rose, Tom Ford, Pierre Cardin, Carolina Herrera, Nina Ricci, Badgley Mischka, Marchesa, Herve Leger, and Oscar de la Renta, dominating the scene at the 2014 San Francisco Opera Gala, it's likely the real star was photographer Jason Henry who captured much of the festivities for the Chronicle. The San Francisco Opera opened its 92nd season with a cocktail reception, dinner, a performance of Bellini's Norma and an after party. An important element to major events is to document the evening with images that show who attended and which designer they chose to wear for the occasion. However, it takes true talent to give the viewer a real sense of being taken on a journey and truly feel the atmosphere of a room through a camera lens. Jason Henry does exactly this through his impeccable photos that feel whimsical, artistic, and focused, all at the same time. Below is a sampling from the evening [click images to enlarge]. Unfortunately the gallery lacks photos of the singers Jamie Barton (Adalgisa), Marco Berti (Pollione), and Sondra Radvanovsky (Norma) who performed in the opera and surely attended the post-performance festivities in their own regal garments. Go here to see the full gallery of 115 photos of attendees. More about photographer Jason Henry after the jump.

Editorial and commercial photographer Jason Henry was born and raised in South Florida to military brat parents. He got his start in photography by taking pictures of friends as they skateboarded. He attended Indian River Community College from 2003-2005 where he received an Associate of Arts degree in sociology. For the next five months, he took Spanish classes in Valencia and Barcelona. From 2006-2009, he furthered his studies in photojournalism at the University of Florida (Gainesville). His first professional jobs as a freelance photographer were for the Gainesville Sun, Scripps Treasure Coast Newspapers, The Miami Herald, and SLAP Skateboard Magazine. After studying the physical and cultural transformations of the same area his family has lived since 1979, he decided to shake up his views by moving to San Francisco. If he were hiring freelancers, he would look for photographers that "...convey a strong sense of style, aesthetic, vision, voice..." Mr. Henry enjoys to wander around and photograph without being encumbered with trying to create beautiful moments. His current client roster includes The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, Wired Magazine, The North Face, San Francisco Chronicle and NPR. Currently the owner of Jason Henry Photography, you can see his work on his official website, Twitter, Instagram, and Tumblr. [Source, Source, Source]