Today we’d like to introduce you to David Pascolla.
Hi David, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I’ve been a professional photographer on California’s Central Coast for more than 25 years, but my interest in photography started long before it became a career. What began as a love of making photographs gradually turned into a business and the opportunity to photograph people during some of the most meaningful times in their lives.
Over the years I’ve photographed everything from weddings and engagements to seniors, business portraits and families. These days, family photography has become the heart of what I do, particularly extended and multigenerational families who are gathering together here on the Central Coast.
Living near Paso Robles, I’m fortunate to work in an area where families often come together for vacations, birthdays, anniversaries and reunions. Many of my sessions now take place right at the vineyard estates, vacation rentals and homes where families are staying. I love the relaxed nature of those sessions and the opportunity to photograph not only the entire family together, but also the smaller relationships within it—grandparents and grandchildren, siblings, couples and individual families.
After all these years, what I enjoy most hasn’t really changed. I still love creating photographs that feel natural and genuine and that become more meaningful to families as time goes by.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
It definitely hasn’t always been a smooth road. One of the biggest challenges in being a professional photographer for more than 25 years has been learning to adapt as the industry has changed.
When I started, photography was a very different business. Over the years we’ve gone from film to digital, from printed proofs to online galleries, and from traditional advertising to websites, Google and social media. The way people find and hire photographers has changed almost as much as the photography itself.
There are also the normal challenges that come with running a small business—busy seasons followed by slower ones, keeping up with technology, and figuring out how to stay visible in an increasingly crowded market.
At the same time, those changes have pushed me to keep learning and evolving. What has remained constant is the part I enjoy most: working with people and creating photographs that matter to them. As long as I keep that at the center of what I do, I’ve found that the rest has a way of working itself out.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
My work is centered around photographing people in a relaxed, natural way. While I photograph everything from individual families and seniors to headshots and intimate weddings, a large part of my work today is with extended and multigenerational families who are gathering together on California’s Central Coast.
Paso Robles has become an especially popular place for families to meet for vacations, birthdays, anniversaries and reunions, and many of my sessions take place right at the vacation rental or vineyard estate where everyone is staying. I really enjoy these sessions because we’re able to create the important portrait of the entire family together while also making time for all the smaller relationships within that family—grandparents with grandchildren, siblings, couples, cousins and individual families.
What I’m probably most proud of is my ability to make people feel comfortable in front of the camera. Most of my clients aren’t models and don’t necessarily love having their picture taken. I give enough direction so nobody is wondering what to do, but I also leave room for people to interact, laugh and be themselves. I want the photographs to look polished without feeling overly posed.
After more than 25 years as a professional photographer, I think I’ve also learned that the photographs people value most aren’t always the most elaborate ones. Often it’s a simple photograph of a grandparent surrounded by grandchildren, siblings laughing together, or an entire family in one place at one particular moment in their lives. Being able to preserve those relationships is what continues to make this work meaningful to me.
We all have a different way of looking at and defining success. How do you define success?
For me, success starts with being able to do something you genuinely love for a living. I’ve been fortunate to make photography my profession for more than 25 years, and I still enjoy picking up a camera and creating something meaningful for someone.
As I’ve gotten older, my definition of success has probably changed. It’s less about being busy all the time or constantly trying to grow a business, and more about having the freedom to choose the work I enjoy, spend time with the people I care about, and maintain a good balance between work and life.
Professionally, success is also knowing that the photographs I create will matter to people long after the session is over. When a family tells me how much they love their photographs—or I realize that I’ve captured several generations of a family together at a moment that can never quite be recreated—that feels like success to me.
So I suppose my definition is pretty simple: do work you love, do it well, enjoy the life you’ve built around it, and hopefully leave people with something meaningful along the way.
Pricing:
- Family Portrait Session — $550
- Extended & Multigenerational Family Session — $650
- Elopements & Intimate Weddings — starting at $1,250
Contact Info:
- Website: https://davidpascolla.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/davidpascollaphotography/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/davidpascollaphotography
- Other: https://davidpascolla.com/paso-robles-family-portrait-photographer/
