Pentaxian Profile: Teresa Brubaker

Pentax sports photographer since 2009

By PF Staff in Pentaxian Profiles on Sep 13, 2021

I am a professional sports photographer who also does portrait, landscape and wildlife photography. Starting in 2009, when I received my first Pentax digital SLR, the K20D, as a birthday gift from my husband, I began shooting high school athletic events where my husband taught and coached, as well as where our children attended/competed. As an inner-tier suburban, very diverse school, it had many athletes who had never had any photos of themselves competing in their sports. Before long, I volunteered to provide photos for all of the athletes for no charge through my photo web page, as well as do sports collages for the teams that either my husband coached or our children participated. I also photographed many high school musicals and graduations, providing all of the photos at no charge on my webpage.

Once our children graduated, the teams/school decided that they would like to pay me for my photography services so I could continue to provide the photos to the athletes/students, which continued to be free for the students and parents to download and use as they wish. My heart and desire was to continue to be a blessing to the students/parents, especially those who couldn’t afford to purchase photos, yet somehow build this into my full-time job.

After high school, all 3 of our children went to a university where they each played 4 years of college soccer. I started photographing their games, as well as track meets, providing the photos at no charge to the athletes, coaches and parents. The university began using my photos in their athletic news media releases and promotion. Once our children graduated, the university decided they would hire me to cover sporting events for them, using my photos for their social media releases and articles. I continued to provide the photos free of cost to the athletes and parents via my website. Fast forward to 2018, while I was photographing a college conference championship track meet and an NCAA National Championship Track meet, a webmaster of a national Cross Country and Track & Field website asked if I would begin to photoshoot for this website.

Currently, I am a contracted photographer and provide photos (both action and team) for the original high school with whom I began, as well as other high schools in the area, for the original university that my children attended and the other universities in that conference, as well as the national website for XC, Track & Field. I have traveled to many indoor and outdoor NCAA National Track & Field Championship meets for photo coverage. Through my contact with the athletes and parents at the high schools, I have been asked to do many senior portrait sessions and some family portrait sessions. In my private time, I enjoy landscape and wildlife photography on our family backpacking or travel trips. I am also learning how to do astrophotography. My photos are still free on my website to students/parents/coaches.

Using Pentax in a sea of sports photographers, almost always male, who only use either Canon or Nikon, I am frequently asked why, often mocked and given many side-ways glances for my use of Pentax. I always tell them and the 1000’s of students I am in contact with regularly that Pentax has some of the best glass in lenses, the best build/weather sealing and the best pricing/value, by and large. The quality is consistent and can be trusted.

What inspires you?

God’s creation and His people, blessing others, and spending time with my family.

How did you end up with Pentax?

My mother gave me a Pentax K1000 for my college graduation. I have been very into photography since, taking that camera and then my upgraded M-series film camera all over the world as we led youth mission trips. Once I got my Pentax K20D, I was able to do more sharing of the photos, not having to buy the film or paying to develop it. I currently own and use regularly a K-5, K-3 and now the K-3 Mark III. I gave my daughter my K20D.