More Senior Portraits!

San Antonio really offers great scenery for senior portraits.. the catch is going just at the exact right time, like we did below! 

Senior Portraits

Crosswalk Chicago

Heather :)

first "real" model i've ever worked with; Heather came and asked to work with me, which was an honor. she is extremely beautiful, and fun to work with. i am looking forward to working with her in the future. :)

Canadian shoots pt 2

So I have done two more shoots here in Canada (not as many as I would have liked in total, but I will definitely be shooting more once I get back... after the Dominican Republic).

Here are a few results, and some of my favorites:

Canadian shoots

so i left for Canada on July 22.. and i am having the time of my life, i believe.

i don't feel like typing much now.. but here are two shoots i did last Monday, with hopefully many more to come!

and my favorite:

world cup

the world cup just ended yesterday.. but at least i got my world cup photo shoot completed and edited before Spain beat the Netherlands.


here is said shoot:

The Cellist

another shoot with the phenomenally gorgeous Natalia.

enjoy.

new shoots.

so i don't update this as frequently as i'd like to... and i've given up on updating it often and a lot.

i started a workout program at my brother's high school. i'm gonna try to lose a lot of weight before i go to Canada later this summer... and before i go to the Dominican Republic, after that.

that's two things i'm looking forward to, big time. i just need to get a passport. ASAP.

i got access to my dad's truck, since i last posted. that is great news.

and today i am on my way to sign up for college classes, finally!

anyways, here are a few pictures i've done in the past month, since my last post.

Portfolio, 2

i made one of these videos last year... and i'm exceedingly pleased to see my work progress.

enjoy.

eclipse

this was a last second shoot. i had no plan on doing this.. and it suddenly hit me to try it. and tried it i did.

i think it was a success, to be honest.

new website.. again.

i got many complaints about my last website,  particularly that the pages took too long to load, and that the top and bottom portions were being cut off.

so, i just went back to simple. again.

third website design of the year. and honestly, i'll probably change it again.

i'm thinking about leaving over to livebooks, with their $39 a month websites. if i can get my website onto the first page of Google through them, it would totally be worth it.


in the mean while, enjoy my new site.

www.davidteran.com 

the civil wars

i was recently turned onto this band, The Civil Wars, an amazing duet composed of Joy Williams and John Paul White.

you will love this song, i promise.

Poison & Wine is a musical snapshop about the dicotomy of love - that while it can be the thing that destory syou, it can also be the very same thing that beckons and builds you. JP and I are both married, have been for several years now - and we got to talking one day about what a tug and pull our individual relationships can be. The longer you know someone - and the longer you allow someone to know you - the more the light and shadows inside each person become more vivid. This song was our attempt at beinga s brutally honest about the dangerous and beautiful process of knowing and being known. -Joy Williams, The Civil Wars

Meg

i had the opportunity to photograph an accomplished ballerina this week, something i have yet to shoot. i was very excited, and i'm pleased with this image i got.


i am planning another ballerina shoot soon...i just love the gracefulness of these women.

click on image to view large.

http://davidteran.com/ 

into the ocean

my latest composite...errr, picture.

http://davidteran.com/ 

Lauren

true to my photography style, i shot another sports portrait this weekend - yesterday, actually.

Lauren was an amazing swimmer to work with, and i really hope i can work with her again soon.

tennis

last Tuesday i had a photoshoot with my lovely friend, Natalia. entire shoot was very productive, and i came away with at least SIX great shots.

i am planning to use four of them in my physical portfolio that i am printing very soon...hopefully around April.

so i very much would like to post the entirety of this shoot online, on my website, and on flickr for the world to see... but i promised i wouldn't post them.......at least not till the end of May. i only have permission to use them in my book.

for now, i will honor my promise, and just show one picture.

http://davidteran.com/ 

100 ideas

i used to want to go to photography school. i still do, sort of. i am stuck on the idea of going now, two years from now, or after i have found a wife. i can see the benefits in an online friend - she has progressed so much in six months that she has attended, that alone has almost made me want to go.

it's expensive, though. $100K+ expensive, for just three years. not including room and board. but she swears it's completely worth it. said it would open up my style. and i quote: "when i see your images, i see the same stylization in each one. visually it gets dull to me, lots of super dark shots with sporadic lighting. i just tend to think it's over done these days."

that hit me like a ton of bricks. i knew that i was stuck in this rut...but i don't know how to get out, i want to change this style, this "dark style" that i have. i'm tired of it. i have a shoot thursday (hopefully..! the first since my accident...) and i am already planning on lighting it the same way.

this is completely frustrating.

ughhh.

anyways, in hopes to break this rut, i am going to do 100 different ideas.

randomly. we'll see how this goes. 

my ideas, via keri smith. 

shutter island

was phenomenally brilliant. 

that's all. 

switchfoot acoustic set

there was a sweet switchfoot acoustic set at best buy today. for as short as it was, i am actually glad that i went. 

i got there at 10:50am, half expecting the place to be empty.. or maybe i was hoping for it to be empty.

alas, that was not the case. when noon rolled around, it looked like there was about 250-300 people there, easily. 

anyways, SF arrived at 12, and opened up with mess of me, played dare you to move, and then closed (i know, short set!) with hello hurricane. 

as short as it was, it was fun, and worth the wait. 

between dare you to move and hello hurricane, jon and the group answered a few questions from the crowd. 

one of them was the following: "what's your favorite song to play live?"

jon: "definitely vice verses...and it's a shame we don't have time to play it!"

i quickly shouted out: "play the first verse!"

surprisingly, jon tuned to drop D, looked at me, and started playing vice verses... and then asked "it goes something like this, right?" and that is how i got this picture.

after the show i waited about an hour and a half for switchfoot to sign almost everybody (or so it seemed!) anyways, right before they walked out the door, i snagged a few autographs, and this picture with one of my favorite lyricists of all time.. jon foreman. 

new website

so i know it's only been a little longer than a month since my last website revision.. but i think i'm gonna stick with this one for a good while. along with the new website, i made a new "logo" or design... 

i got tired of the serif font fast. 

i was going for very modern, and very simple, with absolutely no learning curve. as simple as i thought the last website was, people had trouble navigating the portfolio section. 

this shouldn't be a problem this time. also, this site is "SEO" (search engine optimization) friendly, which means HOPEFULLY i'll be showing up on the first page of google within a few weeks. 

here was my inspiration. obviously mine leaves a bit to be desired, but i honestly couldn't afford $1000 to make the site, and then another $17 a month just to host it. 

mine doesn't look exactly like it.. but i think i like mine better anyways. 

check out my website! 

gymnast

another shoot i did in houston, that i just to around to editing this week. 

obviously not a nike ad, but i thought it looked good enough to warrant it... obviously i'm biased, though. 

click on it to view it larger. 

needtobreathe

somebody posted a status update with some lyrics: "this is my desire, consume me like a fire, cause i just want something beautiful". 

normally i'd just ignore it, but i loved the lyrics so much i had to google it, and find out who sang it.

i actually liked the youtube clip i heard, and proceeded to purchase their latest album.

go get it. it's amazing. 

so i almost died this past Monday

yep. on monday, february 8 of 2010 i flipped off a bridge in my lancer. :/ 

and i walked out without a single scratch on my body. the only reason i am here is because of God's miraculous and loving hand of protection. and wearing my seat belt probably helped. 

anyways, here are a few pictures. 

my car landed parallel to the street, on top of that concrete slab near the graffiti. i can safely say i am truly blessed. 

i wasn't even driving fast...driving extra slow specifically because the roads were wet, and i still flipped off the bridge. i fishtailed, lost control, and flipped off the bridge. 

suffice it to say, it was a very scary moment. but God spared me, i can fully and confidently claim. 

custom photographer

before i begin, let me CLEARLY STATE that i did not write this article... i GOT IT HERE. i just love what it says, and get asked this question all the time.

Why Does Custom Photography Cost More?

Digital technology is brilliant. The digital revolution has brought amazing flexibility and amazing amounts of control for the photographer, the hobbyist, the professional, the amateur. With flexibility comes a price though. Camera equipment is still considerably more expensive when you factor in its’ lifespan, the need for additional resources for processing those images, the time it takes to get a usable image and the effort that goes into all of this.

Even though you pay $1.99 for a print at your local drugstore and paying for film is pretty much a thing of the past (although you still pay for memory) you may be wondering why you may pay upwards of $40, 50, 70, 90 for a custom photography print. Some photographers hear this statement every once in awhile:

“How in the world can you charge $60 for an 8×10 if it costs me less than $2 to print at the local drug store?”

The answer is multifaceted and has a lot to do with the time, aforementioned equipment costs, artistic vision and reputation of the photographer, expertise and the usual costs of running a legitimate business.


TIME of the CUSTOM PHOTOGRAPHER:

Approaching it from a time standpoint, for instance let’s imagine if you will that you have hired a photographer who has work that you love and that is traveling an hour to your on location session.
Time break down:

session prep time (30 minutes-1 hour, includes equipment and back up equipment checks + vehicle checks)
one hour travel time to session
15-30 minutes prep time at client’s home
90 minutes-2 hours with client photographing subject
1 hour travel time from session
30-45 minutes uploading time from digital cards from camera to computer
30-45 minutes time spent backing up the original images
2-5 hours editing time to present you with a diverse gallery of edited images
1 hour prep time getting ready for ordering
2-3 hours time with client for ordering images
1 hour sorting through and checking order
30 minutes-1 hour prep time for delivery
30 minutes-1 hour getting order shipped
any additional phone time or time needed for add on ordering, shipment issues, quality issues
As you can see, average client time for a session ranges from just under 13 hours to 19 hours dependent on the photographer’s level of service. This is time dedicated only to your session. When the photographer charges $150-$300 for the photo shoot you are not just paying for the two hours of session time, you are paying the photographer for 12-19 hours complete time for your session.


COSTS of the CUSTOM PHOTOGRAPHER:

Regarding equipment costs, a good quality professional camera with a selection of good optical quality lenses and digital storage mediums and computer set up can run from $10,000-$30,000 costs dependent on the photographer. Even though you can purchase a really good quality digital SLR for about $2100 there are still other costs related to photography. A good lens for portrait photography can run up $900 to $2500. A dependable computer system with software loaded for business and creative usage can run $2500 to $8000 dependent on the photographer.

Then come lab costs for specialty products. A good photographer knows the lab is integral to their success. Photography labs dedicated to the professional photographer often cost more and offer a range of products that allows the custom photographer to continually offer new, innovative products for you, the discerning client.

Discussion other costs of running a photography business could take awhile so we’ll skip the intricate details. There is of course much more: including costs of running the business, taxes, studio rental/mortgage if the photographer has ownership of a dedicated studio, vehicular costs, costs of advertising/marketing, costs of sample pieces that the photographer will likely bring to your session, etc.


APPLES to ORANGES:

Often times clients will mention to their photographer that X studio in the mall/department store only charges $25 for an 8×10 or they may mention other things related to discount photography chains. The fact is those discount chains make their money on volume, not on customized 1:1 service. According to several articles at the time, did you know that in February 2007 a rather well known discount department store that started in Arkansas closed down 500 of their portrait studios across the nation? The reason is simple, you cannot make money on 99¢ “professional” prints if you do not sell enough of them. Interestingly enough – those same studios that offer the loss leader packages often charge much much more for their a la carte pricing (as high as $40-50 for an 8×10). The whole reason the big department stores began offering portrait studios in the first place was to get you, the savvy consumer, in through their door so that you could spend more money with them in other departments. Your “PORTRAITS” are considered the true “loss leader”.

Going to a chain studio, as a consumer, you don’t have the benefit of 1:1 attention for 2 hours at your home where your child is allowed to explore, play and be comfortable in their home environment, nor do you get the experience that many custom photographers are known for or the lovely captures of natural expressions. You simply get a bare bones, “SAY CHEESE” experience. Keep this in mind when selecting a photographer.


REPUTATION/EXPERTISE of the PHOTOGRAPHER:

Being in demand, being well known for quality work, having a good reputation often costs time on the photographer’s part. Their expertise comes at a cost, their time learning their craft and learning the intricacies of lighting and the commitment put forth on their end to create a persona about their business that oozes professionalism. A great number of photographers go a very long time from the time that they purchase their first good camera to making money at the business of photography. Many photographers, when first starting out, rush in thinking that the business will be easily profitable in no time, how expensive could it be to get a camera and use it to create their dream? They often neglect to factor in the cost of business, the cost of equipment, software, back ups, etc..

Being of sound reputation, a better professional photographer knows that they must always reinvest in their business to create the reputation of being top notch. To create good work good equipment, reliable equipment, back up equipment is a necessity. The photographer who desires to be known as better/best/unparalelled reputation-wise knows that the most important thing they can do for their business is reliability and dependability. This is how reputations get built. Good work often is a wonderful side product of building that good reputation.

I hope this (lengthy) article helps shed some light on WHY a custom photographer is a better choice for your family’s memories. The photographs that are produced as a result of the professionalism and dedication that your photographer has will be cherished for a lifetime (or more) and great thought and consideration should be placed into hiring who is right for your family’s most precious investment.

Special thanks to Marianne Drenthe for the above article.

h-town

so i still haven't figured out if i won that ESPN contest or not. they said that they would announce the winners on or "around" january 1... but come on, it's been a month already! 

anyways. i've tried to stay busy. i would like to be even more busy, though. 

did a few shoots in houston, and have some more stuff lined up, but we'll see how that turns out. 

i stayed with Marcos Witt's drummer for a week while i was in houston.. getting drum lessons and doing shoots.

i'm working on an idea for/with MW, so we'll see how that turns out. i might have some exciting news in the near future...hopefully!

i got my radio poppers since my last post - those are AMAZING. sure, they aren't pocket wizards.. but they still do the trick. 

here a couple of shoots i've done since my last post. i have a few more in the editing bin. 

and a new website

to ring in the new year!

something that i think is much more simpler.

i've wanted this since i made my first website, something this simple, i mean.

give me your thoughts!

www.davidteran.com/ 

happy new years

i hope 2010 is great for all you avid readers! 

be blessed.