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CPD Photography

Serving the Canyon Lake/Hill Country area. I specialize in family portraits and senior portraits Welcome to CPD Photography!

My name is Chris and I've been a product designer for the last 20+ years. During that time, I've also been a photographer for friends and family taking prom pictures, senior pictures, family portraits and even an impromptu wedding. I'm excited to offer my skills to the Canyon Lake community and surrounding Hill Country area. A little about my new business:

You know how people say, "don't quit you

r day job"? Well, I'm not ;) I still enjoy designing products and I love the people I work with so my 8-5 during the week isn't going away anytime soon. That said, my new photography business specializes in outdoor, natural light photography, and I find the best times for shooting is typically late afternoon/evenings near sunset. Locations can vary depending on what you like. If you have a scenic home or property, I can come to you. Otherwise, there are tons of scenic public spaces here in the Hill Country where we can meet. We can also travel to the San Antonio or Austin areas but keep in mind that there may be an additional fee included to cover time and milage the further we go from Canyon Lake. Typical photo sessions last in the 30-60 minute range but if we run over a bit, it’s probably fine provided I don’t have another appointment. We can stay at one location or travel to as many as you'd like during your session time. Wardrobe changes can also happen as often as you'd like keeping in mind the session time and location as some places may not have rooms to change clothing. If you'd like to schedule a longer session to cover multiple locations or changes that will surpass an hour, we can do that as well. During your session, it helps to have someone with you to help combat stray hairs or clothing that get caught in the wind, help with any wardrobe changes, prop hand offs or possibly providing some shade or additional light with some reflectors I will bring. I have an assistant that I made 16 years ago that I can sometimes bring to help but she's not always available. Once your session is complete, I'll take the images back and sort through them. I'll get them cleaned up within a few days and send you a link to see the digital proofs. You can then choose up to 8 shots and I will get you full sized digital images with a release so you can take them anywhere you like to make prints. No more picking packages and trying to figure out who in the family gets the 8x10's vs the 5x7's. You can print exactly the amount and sizes you need at the quality you want. If you need help picking a place, I have several options to recommend. If you like more than the 8 included in your session, additional images can be purchased. Sound like something you'd be interested in pursuing? Give me a call or message me to talk through the details. I'd love to capture some moments with you and your family!

08/30/2026

Little late today getting out the Snapshot Sunday image, but there was much to be done before the sun got too high in the sky. That and there was cake to go with coffee this morning so, you know.....

Anywho...I tried using my new toy this week to see if I couldn't get a few humming bird pictures but they were being shy. These berries on a vine didn't seem to mind me and the camera getting up close. I like the one red berry that wasn't afraid to ripen on its own, even though all its friends hadn't even begun. Hope you live your lives the same as this berry and don't wait for everyone else. You be you! To quote Winston Churchill, "Kites rise high against the wind, not with it."

08/23/2026

It's going to be another day over 100 here in South Texas today, though we aren't quite as South as we usually are on this fine Snapshot Sunday. We're spending a couple days with the youngest in College Station this weekend and will make the trek back home later this afternoon. I'm told we may get in some bowling before we depart though. Hoping y'all have a great finish to your weekend. Enjoy a little pop of color with your coffee this morning. This honey bee certainly did while collecting some pollen on its legs.

08/16/2026

Good day everyone. It's looking like another beautiful Snapshot Sundays out there! Going to be close to 100 again here in South Texas. The only thing blooming right now is our bush on the side of the house and it was covered with pollinators. There were lost of honey bees but also 3-4 bumble bees. This one, as it turns out isn't actually a bumble bee. It's a carpenter bee but she's about the same size as the bright yellow bumble bees that were also buzzing the flowers. Carpenter bees are solitary, meaning they don't do the communal nest thing, however there are instances where mothers and daughters will share a nest. They tend to build nests close to other carpenter bees and they all get along, but they enjoy their alone time at night. Their nests are usually burrowed into wood, bamboo or other hard plant material. You can spot the entrance as its usually a perfectly round hole. Have an amazing day!

08/09/2026

Welcome everyone to another Snapshot Sunday! I'm going to sneak out in a little bit and wash a truck that hasn't been clean for over a month now. Hoping your day will be more exciting. Today's image features a good dad feeding his teenager who doesn't seem to be able to figure out how to land at the feeder. The young bird was sitting below the feeder and dad would bring seeds to it but later would perch on top of the feeder calling it to fly up to him. He was teaching his kid how to come to the feeder and get the seeds slowly. Two days later, his kid was able to land on the feeder perch and eat on its own. That's a good papa teaching some life skills!

08/02/2026

Good morning all and welcome to another Snapshot Sunday! We had some rain last week so our Texas Sage went crazy with its purple flowers. This bush is also called the "barometer bush" as it blooms within days of high humidity or rain. The scent is amazing as it's a bit like grape Kool-Aid. There were about a half dozen honey bees dipping their bodies into each bloom and grabbing some nectar so naturally, I was drawn to them and started trying to get a shot of some honey bee butts when I came across this even smaller spider just hanging out on a petal. Insert the Forrest Gump line here about the box of chocolates.

Also, Happy Birthday to my beautiful wife! It was a couple days ago but we're celebrating with the family again tonight.

07/26/2026

Good morning! I've been chasing this little man for the last month or so. He comes to the feeder and enjoys some seeds, often holding his ground when our cardinals are on the feeder at the same time. He would wait for me to get the camera and as soon as I started creeping toward the window, he would take off. Well, I think he finally took pity on me and allowed me a few minuted to get as good a shot as I can through the window. For those that don't know, this is a male Painted Bunting. The females and young males are more of a greenish yellow to blend into their environment, but not the full grown males. These guys are pretty much every color of the rainbow. They are however pretty reclusive and tend to hide in heavy brush so they are hard to photograph. They are also on the decline (numbers wise), as humans are taking more and more of their territory. They aren't endangered yet but not trending in the right direction. Going to keep our feeder full and make this one comfortable. Maybe he will bring his girlfriend by for a snack :) Happy Snapshot Sunday!

07/19/2026

Good morning! Hope everyone is starting their Snapshot Sunday off with some sunshine and are 'wildfire smoke' free! This week was a rainy mess as we got over 6 inches over four days so my time behind the camera this week was a bit hampered. I took the time to learn something new though and give you the result of my first "focus stack" attempt. When photographing something small, it's hard to get everything in focus. If you try to get a close up of your dog that has a long snoot, you can either get their eyes in focus or the tip of their nose, but not both. In order to get it all, you can try to focus stack, which is a technique where you take several pictures of your subject at different focal lengths and then merge the "in focus" parts of each image into one picture with software. I focused on the closest cone on our bald cypress and then took 20 pictures where my camera focused a little bit further back on each shot until I captured the cones at the back in focus. PhotoShop stitched all the images together to get a single shot with all the cones in focus for me. This old dog can still learn a new trick! Have a fabulous day everyone!

07/12/2026

Good morning, and welcome to another gorgeous Snapshot Sunday! We had some awesome rain yesterday (2 1/2" here in Helotes) that was much needed. I think the local wildlife also appreciated the moisture as well as a slight temperature drop. Today's image is of a female Fiery Skipper. These little guys are are about an inch long and can be found from South America, all the way up to just over the boarder into Canada. When resting like this on is, they leave their wings in this position to capture more of the suns warmth (or so the science hippies say as they can't really talk to them). They feed on nectar as adults but when they are in caterpillar mode, they often feed on Bermuda grass and are considered a pest. Hope y'all have a wonderful day!

07/05/2026

Hope everyone enjoyed the holiday yesterday. Happy 250th America! Today's image is of the business end of a Giant Robber Fly (promachus giganteus). These guys get to be almost 2" long and have some bitey parts hiding behind their mustache that injects a paralyzing venom and digestive enzymes into their prey (mostly dragon flies and cicadas). Bites can be painful to humans but they don't typically bother you unless you start the fight. This one was interested in seeing its reflection in my lens and is clearly smiling at its good looks. Hope y'all have a great Snapshot Sunday recovering from some good food and fun times yesterday!

06/28/2026

Alright, first things first.....yes, that's exactly whats happening. Que the Barry White soundtrack. After chasing these Pipevine Swallowtail butterflies for weeks without success, they finally let me get a shot of them. They are one of the more skittish butterflies I've come across and capturing them on a flower has been difficult. The male in this image is the one holding onto the branch and his pheromone release looks to be successful as his pretty lady said yes. These two were actually flying around while connected like this which isn't typical but was impressive. They found this spot to finish their courtship and stayed together for about 5 minutes before breaking things off. There are times butterflies can stay together for more than 16 hours like this so if you come across some butterflies while they are mating and want to help set the mood with some Barry, maybe set his album on repeat as they could be a while ;)

Have a great Snapshot Sunday y'all!

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