Bio

     If I had to choose just one word to describe what I  feel about photography that word would be "amazing".   Everytime I do a photoshoot I am  amazed by the beauty that light reveals not just in  people or landscapes but even in something as  quaint as a piece of wood.

     I think my love for photography is the product of  distinct attributes from both my mom the artist and  my dad the preserver of memories.  I find  photography to be the perfect medium to  creatively paint with light as well as the best way to  freeze important moments in time.  My mom  painted on a canvas with oils.  My dad used a  camera to capture the memories of my childhood.

     My first exposure to photography was when I was a small child.  I was out with my dad and he let me use one of those cameras that used 110 film.  I found a squirrel on top of a rock and took about a dozen grainy photos of that squirrel.  My dad was not impressed when he got the pictures back from the lab.

     It's funny, as an adolescent I hated having my picture taken and there was no indication of me wanting to do photography.  However, after high school a friend told me of a nice camera he found at a pawn shop for $200.  He wanted to go half and half for it so we went to the pawn shop together to take a look.  It was a Minolta X-700 with a 50 mm lens and an extra 400 mm Sigma lens.  We mostly wanted to take pictures of our friends and paparazzi-style shots of random people so we bought it, despite not knowing how to use it.

     Neither of us had ever used an SLR before so we asked the salesperson to show us how.  He set the shutter speed to 1/125 of a second and told us to put 35 mm film in it.  So we did.  We didn't even know how to load the film into the camera so the sales clerk at Longs did it for us and we went out to the streets to shoot our first roll of film.  We anxiously had the film developed and were very disappointed with the results.  Only a few photos even turned out.  the rest were far under-exposed.  We bought more film and tested with different shutter speeds until we finally figured out how to operate the basic controls.  It's been a journey ever since.  I've come a long way baby!

     Since that time back in 1991 I have spent a great amount of time studying the works of famous photographers such as Ansel Adams, Herb Ritts and Jim Zuckerman as well as excellent local photographers that I admire such as Michael Seewald in Encinitas.  There works have all been influential to me. 

     I had worked several years for a large portrait company specializing in baby photography before moving on to the position of senior photographer for a busy studio where I shot hundreds of aspiring actors and models of all ages.  As a freelancer I accepted every job offered which included weddings, baptisms, quince-años, sweet 16, fashion shows, family portraits, headshot and model portfolios, landscape and product photography.

     Some of the companies I've worked with include:  Growing Family Portraits, Studio Bellas Artes, Patricia Sturla Studios, and Creative Wave Studio.

     My switchover to digital was made with much reluctancy.  Digital was a new frontier unknown and unacceptable to many photographers.  It seemed like cheating, making it easy for inexperienced photographers to get great results.  However, after speaking with a pro-photographer friend that specialized in editorial and stock photography I was persuaded to try digital.  I tried it, and I loved it.  Digital opened up a whold new world of possibilities.  As a result I became excellent with Photoshop using it to easily enhance and perfect my images and create a more fluid workflow.  

     In the future I wish to have the opportunity to photograph famous actors and models as well as travel to faraway exotic lands.  Travel I love, and whenever I travel I keep my camera close by.  I would also like to have the opportunity to utilize my Spanish and Portuguese language skills and document explorations into the jungles of Central and South America.  Perhaps photograph the discovery of a previously unknown ancient Mayan city deep in the jungles of Guatemala or photograph the annual flooding of the "varzeas" on the Amazon River and its tributaries.  Search for clues of dinosaurs atop remote "tepuy" in Venezuela's Gran Sabana.  Document a kayak trip along the 800 mile coastline of Baja's Sea of Cortez.  Photography opens the door of adventure and adventure is what drives me.  So, whether it involves working with amazing people or visiting amazing places it will always be an amazing experience. 

                                                                                                             - Chad Zuber


Services Offered

        •  Headshot  and  Model portfolios

        •  Portrait Photography

        •  Green screen / chromakey - a technique for mixing two images together, in which
           a color from one image is removed (or made transparent), revealing another image behind it. 
           (See sample below).
   
                                                           

            In image A Andy is skating on the green screen.  In image B the green background was replaced 
            by a shot from Hollywood's walk of fame and now Andy is skating on the stars.

          •  Photoshop retouching and photo restoration  - Call for a quote

          •  Stock photos - http://www.dreamstime.com/czuber_info

          •  Decorative Fine Prints - Coming soon!

                     Call (760) 420-4731   or   email me at:  chadzuber@hotmail.com