Photographer in San Marcos

On a 10-acre swatch of picturesque land, experienced photographer Rolland Krueger plans, poses, and snaps pictures, capturing key moments for couples and families. With nearly 50 years of experience as a portrait ace, Krueger wields his camera confidently, assuring subjects that if they do not enjoy the photographs, he will either take more at no extra charge or turn himself into a monkey's uncle. Each one-hour photography session at the indoor-outdoor studio is preceded by a planning session, during which an unlimited number of smiley subjects can discuss wardrobe and style preferences. Following shoots, Krueger lightly retouches photographs to prepare them for printing. Subjects choose the photographs they'd like to receive in hardcopy ($125 for first 8"x10" or smaller; $89 for duplicates of same pose) and represent them in Congress.

As a teenager, Lyndsay Lyon surrounded herself with photographs: clippings from magazines covered her room, schoolbooks, binders, and lockers. It wasn't until after high school, however, that Lyndsay tried creating her own. Like her favorite photos from her youth, Lyndsay's work relies heavily on natural light, which illuminates the engaged or newlywed couples fitted into her frame. She mixes playful poses and emotional candid shots at every on-location session, which results in images she edits and assembles onto CDs.

Action Photos sends its pro shutterbugs to capture events of every ilk, from sports events to award ceremonies, and dispatches photo booths so guests can record their own self-portraits. Solo subjects or groups of attendees pile into red-draped photo booths at weddings and other soirees, beaming genuine smiles or infusing shots with creativity by imitating famous pieces of architecture. All rentals include unlimited photos and high-quality prints for each guest, and Action Photos also emblazons the bottom of each photo strip with the event name or a corporate logo. A booth attendant ensures the line is moving along and supplies subjects with a variety of props. At the end of the night, booths are whisked away by staffers into the same cloud of purple smoke whence they arrived.

Nowadays, almost anyone can pick up a camera and call himself a photographer. But husband-and-wife team Mario and Gayle Guerrero have the experience to warrant the title: they opened Sunlight Portrait Artist in 1985, and have captured thousands of shots of weddings, newborns, and high-school seniors in the years since. Mario is a certified professional photographer by the Professional Photographers of America, and Gayle served as her family photographer while growing up. Today their panoramic skill set covers photojournalistic, editorial, and classic styles as well as Photoshop skills.

After more than 30 years in business, Holland Photo Imaging boasts a mastery of a diverse range of photo techniques from yesteryear to the present day. As a full-service film-processing lab, it staffs image wizards who can touch up digital photos from a recent wedding or digitize age-old prints of family members posing with Santa Claus's accident-prone predecessor, Wayne Claus. A Noritsu 3212 printer produces high-quality images using Kodak Prime chemistry and Kodak Endura Professional papers. Hobbyists and professionals alike can reserve the studio's rental darkrooms to develop their own work or hold clandestine laser-tag matches.

Photographer Julia Vie named her studio in honor of her mother, who nurtured Julia's creativity from a young age and encouraged her to pursue her aspirations. Now, Julia helps other women feel powerful and beautiful with full-service boudoir photo shoots, instead of teaching them how to operate a jackhammer while wearing a hoop skirt. She helps her clients select the most flattering hairstyles and outfits while keeping shoots relaxed and fun, blending the discovery of inner strength with expressions of outer beauty. Julia strives to transform the way women see themselves, cultivating confidence, radiance, and poise.