Photo Profile : David Center

Like many photographers that you read about; my beginnings in photography were modest to say the least. Point and shoot; that was about it.

Photographs of the kids, or our vacations were things that relatives bugged me about for years to take, and I never really kept up. I never approached them as art, or as something sentimental. I felt I was always too busy.

I picked up a good quality Fuji point and shoot from a retail store for a good price. Snapped a few pics and thought “this is something I can really get into” I started paying attention to what I was shooting, composing scenes far beyond just the kids faces, birthday parties, and vacations.

I was starting to pay attention to everything that was happening around me. I was starting to see things as a photographer. From there it was all about research, and finding out the “how” and “why” when it came to what brings a photograph together.

I couldn’t get enough of reading other photographer’s blogs, advice, and recommendations. I got answers from taking the advice, listening to other photographers, and putting to use what I had learned.

My father gave me my first “real” DSLR camera because he thought it would serve me better than it did him…and I have him to thank for that. It ended up opening even more possibilities for me in the world of photography.

My wife, and all of the other members of my family have all been very supportive as well, encouraging me to keep going, keep improving, and to never lose sight of my goals.

I picked up a used Nikon D2X for a steal of a price and started to take my photos a little further and step out of my comfort zone, stretch the limits of my imagination, and tried new things. The rest is history, to coin a phrase. I’m constantly learning and trying new things.

I try to keep away from my comfort zone to this day because I don’t want to get complacent with my work. I started with floral shots, got more into landscape compositions, and cityscape shots.

I was constantly learning as I went about apertures, shutter speeds, lighting, getting away from the auto button, etc.

I started to pay more attention to the post-processing side as well-learning new software, new techniques, and I’m still learning. Always learning, that’s the key.

Today I work as a professional photographer taking event photos for a local paper and online publication. It’s a huge compliment to me. Inspirations and aspirations are too many to list.

If I had to start with one inspiration, it would be Luke Kaven of Smalls Records in NYC. He’s an absolutely amazing HDR photographer, and he’s the reason I started to get into HDR. If I have one aspiration; it’s to continue to be paid to do what I love, in any capacity…be it freelance, a staff position, or anything that has to do with photography. It is absolute joy to me.

Links:

Web : www.davidcenterphotography.com
Twitter : @dcenterphoto
Facebook : DavidCenterPhotography