David J. Stana, M. Photog., Cr. Photog., CPP
David J. Stana, M. Photog., Cr., Photog., CPP
The Rest of the Story
David J. Stana holds a distinguished, multi-decade background spanning professional photography, film production, and commercial media presentation. A Certified Master Photographer (M. Photog., Cr. Photog., CPP) and a former Certified Technology Specialist (CTS, AVIXA/InfoComm — retired), David has always worked at the intersection of image and technology: as much a systems designer as a visual storyteller. His career as a producer, director, cinematographer, and staging specialist has been built on a single throughline — visual storytelling, delivered through whatever technology the moment demanded.
Origins
David’s passion for photographing America’s natural beauty began in 1975, when he set out as a young man to learn photography while exploring the country. After four months on the road capturing thousands of images, he discovered not just a love of photography, but a calling to document the landscapes that make America extraordinary. Over the next eight years, he completed an ambitious personal goal: photographing every National Park in the continental United States — a foundational journey that shaped both his artistic eye and his technical mastery.
Corporate Production & Visual Innovation
As President, Producer, and Director of Photography for Audio-Images, later A-I Productions, Inc., in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, David spent 16 years building one of the region’s premier audio/visual production, staging, and media presentation firms. He has consistently worked at the leading edge of communication technology: in the 1970s, before video became a commercial standard, he pioneered computer-based multi-image presentations using complex multi-projector slide synchronization and wide-format panoramic display techniques to create immersive, high-impact visual experiences. In the early 1980s, as corporate communications shifted to motion media, David was among the first to bring high-end video production and cinematography into corporate communication strategy — producing executive broadcasts via satellite and delivering training programs and nationwide marketing campaigns. Through A-I Productions, he delivered these solutions to major Fortune 500 corporations, healthcare networks, and academic institutions, including AT&T, MetLife, Alcoa, Snap-On Tools, Zurn Industries, 84 Lumber, Cornell University, Westinghouse, the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, the National Council of Community Hospitals, and The Coleman Company.
Building His Own Path
After deciding to sale his corporation in Pittsburgh, PA. And move to Frisco, Texas. David went into the audiovisual (AV) technology industry and became a CTS - Certified Technology Specialist and Completed CTS-D Advanced Design Coursework, and working as a Sales Engineer for AVI-SPL, the largest AV systems integrator in the world. But working for someone else didn’t stick - David has spent most of his career as his own boss, and he soon left to start a new company, Silver Star Pictures, built around his true passion: Photography: There, he created unique children’s portrait studios while applying his business-to-business media expertise to executive portraiture, commercial imagery, and architectural photography for prominent municipal and corporate clients, including Raytheon, Neiman Marcus, Texas Republic Bank, the City of Frisco, and Boys & Girls Clubs of America.
Credentials & Recognition
Master of Photography (M. Photog.) — Professional Photographers of America, the organization’s highest professional designation, achieved by less than 1% of photographers worldwide
Craftsman Photographer (Cr. Photog.) — Professional Photographers of America
Certified Professional Photographer (CPP)
Certified Technology Specialist (CTS) — AVIXA/InfoComm (retired)
CTS-D Advanced Design Coursework
Photography Work exhibited at the New York Museum of Modern Art (Nikon Award)
Multiple International Photography Awards Natural Color Camera Club — Image of the Year Award
International Telly Awards and a Matrix Award for corporate video production
His technical range spans HDR, panoramic imaging, light painting, and time-lapse photography — techniques that let him capture the full drama of a landscape or the polish a corporate client expects.
Philosophy
David’s operating philosophy has stayed constant across five decades: listen to the client, exceed creative expectations, deliver on communication objectives, and honor every budget. That commitment to craftsmanship has earned him decades of client loyalty across two very different worlds — corporate America and the natural landscape.