Today we’d like to introduce you to Christian Turner.
Christian, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I taught myself photography 5 years ago, and I fell in love with shooting live concerts here in Atlanta. I shot them for a year or so until transitioning into wedding photography. I have been photographing weddings domestic and abroad ever since then.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
It has been fairly smooth because I am extremely driven. I am fiercely independent, and it was easy to dive deep into something I feel in love with. The struggles I faced were due to a lack of a creative community. I didn’t have any other established photographers helping me with the business side of things or teaching me technical skills. I learned through my mistakes, and I’m grateful for that because it taught me how to seek out “a better way” whenever I felt stuck. I learned to think for myself, and I learned how to problem solve.
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the Christian David Photo story. Tell us more about the business.
I am a wedding photographer. I shoot engagements and weddings both in the United States and internationally. I specialize in creative wedding photography. My goal with my business is to photograph ordinary people in ordinary places in the most creative ways possible. I’m not anti-tradition I just do things in my own way. I don’t follow trends. I won’t shoot a Pinterest-perfect wedding that’s both overexposed and devoid of color. There’s no problem with that style it’s just not me. I lean towards warmer tones and tend to edit how I felt and remembered the day. I like extremes. For instance, I love both vibrant colors and moody black and whites. I love super wide portraits where my couples are just part of a scene as well as super tight portraits that give you a feeling of experiencing exactly what they are.
I am most proud of my international wedding work. I have shot weddings in Mexico and Costa Rica, and I’ll be shooting in Aruba later this year. On a shoot, whenever I’m faced with a new shot I often imagine 5 other photographers there, and I ask myself “what’s the one shot they’re not getting?” That’s the mindset I work with, and I think that’s what sets me apart.
Has luck played a meaningful role in your life and business?
I don’t really believe in luck, but I believe that there are serendipitous occurrences. These sorts of experiences are providential when the person has done good work ahead of time. I like the quote by Chuck Close “Inspiration is for amateurs — the rest of us just show up and get to work.” Now I know you asked about luck, but I find this pertinent. I don’t see catalytic moments of growth in my business as luck rather as a natural progression of my cumulative efforts over years of hard work.
Pricing:
- Wedding (Full Day) = $3,800
- Wedding (6 Hours) = $3,300
- Second Shooter (Wedding add-on) = $600
- Engagement Shoot (2 Hours) = $450
Contact Info:
- Website: https://christiandavidphoto.com/
- Email: christiandavidphoto@gmail.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/christiandavid_photo/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ChristianDavidPhoto
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/CDPhotoTweets
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/christian-david-photo-atlanta
Image Credit:
Photos of me was taken by Cameron Flaisch Photography
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