Street photographer Erik Gustafson raises his 35 mm film camera beneath a downtown mural in a portrait made for the San Antonio Express-News.
Authentic images. Real environments.
Headshots, team days, events, brand and product shoots, and advertising campaigns for San Antonio organizations. Our signature is the environmental portrait: people photographed in the places where they work, create and lead, with a newspaper photojournalist’s eye. Prices are on this page, and we reply within one business day.
We light each scene with intention and leave room for natural moments and genuine expressions, so the place becomes part of the story. The result is imagery that feels honest, confident and deeply human.
The most compelling portraits don’t just show a face. They reveal the story behind it.
I’ve had the pleasure of working with [Carlos] for both photography and video, and he is truly amazing at what he does! His vision and creativity are incredible. He has a way of seeing things that you would never think of and turning them into something beautiful.
Every session starts with a planning call, so we understand who the images are for and where they will live. What scales with each service is time on set, crew and the number of finished images.
Starting at $350
On-site
Starting at $1,800
Our signature
Starting at $950
Starting at $350 per hour
A curated, color-corrected online gallery within 72 hours, typically 50 to 75 images per hour of coverage, in high-resolution and web sizes. Half- and full-day bookings also get 25 to 30 edited images the next morning, and the full gallery can arrive in 24 hours for a flat $250.
Starting at $2,500
Plus licensing
Starting at $10,000+
All services include pre-shoot planning, professional lighting, color and retouching of selected images, and a private online gallery for review and download.
Want the full photography rate sheet? Ask Steffi.
Every shoot, from a single headshot to a campaign, begins the same way: with a conversation, not a camera.
We talk through who the images are for, where they will be used, your timeline and which service fits. Then you get a written estimate with the shot list, schedule and any licensing, so the total is clear before we book.
We scout the location and design the lighting around your people and your space. At headshot sessions we coach every person. At events we work from your run of show and your must-have shot list.
You review the images in a private online gallery and choose your favorites.
We color and retouch your selections, so people look like themselves, never over-smoothed. Event galleries arrive within 72 hours. Headshots come the next business day after your selections, and portraits within 5 business days. Brand and campaign work takes about 2 weeks.
We shoot video and photographs. Plan both into one production, and the same day gives you the video, its short cutdowns and still photos from the same sessions. One crew, one schedule and one point of contact.
The video
I worked with pixelreflex MEDIA on a video and photography project. They were professional, well equipped, and prepared for anything. They captured the spirit of my work in a natural way. The dust, the spinning mass, and the energy of it all.
The video
NPower Texas put our video and photography expertise to work in a single booking. While we filmed alumni stories like Charlie Wright's, we shot the portraits during the same productions, so NPower got both from one crew and saved the cost of a separate photo shoot.
The video
Good portraits happen where people live and work, so we go to them. Carlos will get down on the floor or out on the grass to find the angle.
Three of these were on assignment for Petco Love, one indoors and two in a park. In the fourth, Carlos lies on the wing of a small plane in a St. Philip’s College hangar to photograph an aviation instructor.
Carlos Javier Sanchez is our founder and chief creative officer. He brings 25 years in documentary filmmaking and photojournalism to every shoot. He holds a bachelor’s degree in documentary filmmaking from The Evergreen State College and a Master of Communication (MC), with an emphasis in content strategy, from the University of Washington.
His portraits have taken him into operating rooms, a high-containment laboratory and an oil field. His subjects range from a combat surgeon and an Ebola researcher to Spurs guard Manu Ginobili and Air Force Lt. Gen. Steve Kwast.
His photographs ran in The Washington Post’s Pulitzer Prize-winning coverage of the Jack Abramoff scandal, in a story on former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay.
He was part of the team of record for photography and video for NASA during STS-114, Space Shuttle Discovery’s Return to Flight mission.
Awards
What set Carlos apart, however, was his mastery of environmental portraiture and lighting. His portraits did more than document people; they revealed their stories.
On your organization’s own channels, including your website, social media, press and print, with no time limit. Licensing for advertising and other extended uses is quoted separately.
Yes. We carry commercial general liability, professional liability and workers’ compensation coverage with The Hartford, and a certificate of insurance is available on request.
Yes. Travel outside the San Antonio area is quoted separately. For Zachry Construction, we photographed crews on job sites as far as Durham, North Carolina.
Yes. For a headshot day, a hair and makeup artist can be added from $500 per half day.
Headshots suit leaders, attorneys, physicians and speakers, and a team day fits websites, directories, press and LinkedIn. Environmental portraits are for executives, founders, profiles and annual reports. Event photography covers galas, conferences, awards and openings. Brand and lifestyle shoots feed websites, social, recruiting and marketing, and advertising campaigns are for paid media, print and out-of-home.
A 50% deposit reserves your date, and the balance is due at final delivery. Final images are released once the balance is paid. Government and school clients may use a purchase order in place of a deposit. Prices don’t include sales tax.
Yes. Rush delivery on headshots, portraits and brand work is an extra 25%. For events, the full gallery can arrive in 24 hours for a flat $250, and same-day social selects are $250.
Yes. A second photographer is an add-on at $150 per hour. Tell us on the planning call, and it goes into your written estimate.
Through a private online gallery for review and download. Event galleries come color-corrected, in high-resolution and web sizes. Headshot files are named with each person’s name, in a full-size version for print and a smaller one for your website and LinkedIn.
Yes. We plan both into one production, so the same day gives you the video, its short cutdowns and still photos from the same sessions. For NPower Texas, the alumni portraits were shot during the same productions as the video stories. NPower got both from one crew and saved the cost of a separate photo shoot. See Video and photography.
That depends on the scope of work. Your written estimate spells out the uses included, such as your website, social media, print or recruiting, before we book. Licensing for advertising and other extended uses is quoted separately. Tell us on the planning call how and where the images will run, and we set the terms before the shoot.
Headshots, team days, environmental portraits, events and brand shoots. We’ll reach out within one business day.
