2011

As you can see, I have been taking a bit of a break from posting. I will be back Jan 3, 2011 and will be blogging on a weekly basis on what I've been up to for the past few months. I'm excited to share my work and to hear your feed back! Look for my studio to open in the next few months.

Photography has blessed me with so many opportunities to meet new people, enjoy new families, and attend some fabulous events. Portrait photography is my strength, but I have had tons of opportunities to open my "photog mind". Its enabled me to create some amazing pieces of work. Peace be unto you and yours this holiday season! Be blessed in 2011!

*photo above was taken by Damien Kelly*

Timing is EVERYTHING!!!

Patience and timing are everything! I've been shooting for a while and day by day I am learning so many new techniques picking up the latest equipment (with in budget) and I'm constantly learning that a great photographer is patient and can wait for a shot for hours.

While I attended San Jose State University, I was a staff photographer for The Spartan Daily. I covered sports, mostly football and swimming. You would think that I would have to be quick on my toes to capture amazing shots but to be honest some of my best images came when I was patiently waiting and waiting and waiting. I was so focused that it didn't even occur to me that I had been sitting there for 10 to 15 minutes with my camera pressed against my face. Its as if the rest of the world behind me didn't exist and it was just my camera waiting for an image to preserve a moment in that athletes life. I'll never forget the first time I saw my image in the paper I was more than proud.

The Maternity Glow

I'm a proud mom of a beautiful 2 year old girl, but one of the things that I had to do while I was pregnant was take tons if pictures to show my growing belly and excitement for my first child.
After I delivered her I think I took a million pictures of her a day! I thought about how wonderful this experience is and how I wanted to document it. In the pictures you see above with me in them I just used a the timer on my camera and took tons of pictures.

Thank goodness my daughter loves the camera and wasn't in a mood this day, so I was able to get an amazing image.




I know other mommies to be in my life wanted to share it too. I've only shot a few up until now but this is one of the main reason's why I love portrait photography it truly is the real human experience. Its not posed at all this is me sitting and waiting for a moment and here are a few to share.
Its a blessing to wake up not work, because I do what I love not what I have to do!

*The image of me in the red draping was done Romel Lucus*

Fashion photography

New... Fresh... Passionate designers are what inspire me to capture their garments in a manner that will show the public how talented they are. As I progress in my photography career, it is my belief that fashion and photography are the perfect married couple. Brangelina has nothing on the real power couple; fashion and photography. I was so excited to shoot this kind of renegade fashion show in San Francisco. All the models shown here are aspiring models and they did a great job of showing the garments and showing who they are as models. I tried to capture both the clothing and their personalities.







Headshots are really fun to do. My whole thing is if you really want to be something or you aspire to be more than the average it's so important that you pop and show who you are through a photograph. A photographer can work magic, yes! But it’s up to you as a model to sell yourself! I can't emphasize that enough. But the only way to see who you are is to know it through and through… The entertainment industry is brutal. A thick skin is a necessity, that’s probably why I’m behind the camera instead of in front of it!

Falling back in love...

I was 10 years old when I picked up my first camera. There's something about losing yourself in the art of photography that got me. I know everyone has a story, but as a child I was always looking for an escape, and photography was that for me. It wasn't until I went to college that I actually started thinking of becoming a photographer and making it a career. Now as an adult I have the pleasure of capturing these moments in a persons life that should be cherished for a lifetime.




As you can see I love natural light... I don't really like the harshness of a flash or the over-the-top production of a lighting set- up. I use lights and flashes but when I'm taking pictures of families and events in peoples lives like a wedding a graduation or a birth of a child; I just know how important it is to show the honesty of it all. The pureness of the moment that a light or a set-up stage just can't do. I'm not a photographer that is all about the money and searching for that gig that will make me a quick buck. It’s so important to me that my customer receives a product that you can't get from a friends point and shoot. It’s something others can look at and say wow that's beautiful. I live for that moment, that I can provide love through a photo.

Something Old Something New...

So here is some of my work... This little girl was having the best time in the little water park in downtown San Jose. I was on assignment to find people having fun in odd places when I came across this water park in the middle of downtown San Jose. This little girl was having the time of her life and it made a great picture!
At the end of the day I am a portrait photographer, I love zooming in as close as I can and waiting. What do I wait for? Moments, expressions, gestures. Anything that can tell a story with out words. All of these pictures have a story that with out me writing anything these photo's are worth a million words.



So the last portrait was just about conveying moods in the most extreme set of circumstances, here this subject is showing shock and awe! This is some of my early work so excuse the poor editing :-)! As a photographer its so important to me that I show the real you. How YOU personally want to be know as should be something that you capture. We grow and and change so fast even as adults we see how we mature into the people we want to be. I feel blessed to be able to freeze moments like this for you to share for years to come.

So as I continue on with this blog I hope that you see how I have evolved as a photographer, please feel free to send me your suggestions comments whatever your words help!

Allow me to introduce myself!

My name is Chantera Gunn, I have been a free lance portrait photographer for over 8 years and I am so very ready, and pleased to share my work with you. This is my intro blog so let me tell you a bit about myself. I am 28 years old and currently live in San Jose Ca. I am very passionate about my work and love the fact that I get to wake up every morning and capture events and moments in a persons live that they can share and cherish with others.

I have a photojournalism degree but I am a portrait photographer, so I thought, lets combine the two and start a blog that will show my work and my writing. So thats me in a nut shell I will be posting my past work and updating you on my future shoots to come! I hope you enjoy and write a comment or two back its helps me to know what you think!