User:David Louis Harter

David Louis Harter was born in Burbank, CA, in 1944 passed away October 06, 2015. He moved to Corning, CA, with his parents in 1949.

David attended grammar school and high school in Corning—graduating from Corning Union High School in 1962. He moved to Chico, CA, in 1962 and attended the University of California there.

David began performing as a lead guitarist and vocalist while in high school and continued his musical career while attending CSUC. David achieved popular success with a series of rock groups and very nearly got that “big break” hoped for by everyone, but that did not happen. He continued performing in the Chico, Sacramento, and San Francisco areas until 1992.

David had begun taking photographs as a hobby while in high school. He learned that his stature as a rock star allowed him access to performers on a level that would otherwise have been very difficult. He honed his photographic skills—augmented by photography studies at CSUC and the Academy of Art University in San Francisco. His photographs of rock musicians were published widely, and he quickly became as well-known for his photography as he was for his guitar playing and singing.

David built a professional-grade darkroom and enjoyed the control over the final images this allowed him.

While at the Academy of Art University in 1969, David bought his first Nikon SLR body—a Nikon F—and an 85mm Nikkor lens. From that time, he has used Nikon equipment exclusively.

When the Nikon D1 DSLR was released in June, 1999, David bought one as a birthday present to himself. He was a member of Nikon Professional Services—a prestigious group of professional photographers who use Nikon equipment—, and NPS was instrumental in prioritizing the delivery of this long-awaited and highly-sought-after digital SLR. He moved to a Nikon D3 DSLR when it became available in 2007, and earlier this year added a Nikon D800 DSLR—again under the aegis of NPS.

David began using computers in 1971. At that time, his day job was that of general manager of a Toyota dealership. After nearly ten years, he departed the automobile business, obtained a real estate license, and took his knowledge of computers into that field. When he decided to move back to Corning in 1992, he launched California Technologies (www.calif-tech.com). He continues today as a consultant and IT specialist, Web designer/builder, and photographer. For approximately 18 months, he played guitar and sang backup in the worship team at his home church—Harvest Christian Center (www.worshipinggod.org). He plays his 2011 Gibson Les Paul Traditional Plus guitar and sings for the entertainment of friends and family, and in June, 2012, he began producing music videos and making them available to the public on YouTube.

Embracing small town life, you will find David’s documentation of Corning on his Web site, www.calif-tech.com. From parades to picnics and everything in between, David has captured the essence of a place and what makes life in Northern California so great. Receiving emails from people around the globe, one fan of his work happened upon his Web site 12 years ago. Laura contacted him to compliment him on his photographs, and her email led to a relationship that quickly blossomed and developed into a happy marriage in June, 2000 and continues today.

See California published a profile on David in June, 2012, titled "Corning Ambassador David Louis Harter Makes People Smile." The article may be viewed here:

http://www.seecalifornia.com/traveltips/corning-ambassador-david-harter-makes-people-smile/