WHY CHOOSE JLP?
Wedding Photography is a lot more than just photography. Of course you want amazing photography but you must understand the other important aspects as well. A wedding photographer is a friend, psychologist, artist, director, and customer service professional, all within an 8 hour shift. You have a time limit to create the art that your clients expect, but what if it rains? What if there are children who aren’t cooperating? What if? what if? what if? With Over 10 years experience as a main wedding photographer and almost 100 weddings under my belt I have witnessed it all and I am confident to handle any situation diligently and with a smiling face. I like to equate wedding photography to live theater performance art with unknown variables, read below to understand what I mean.
A wedding photographer is all of the following and more:
A master photographer. Someone who is able to create art very quickly, in all kinds of venues, lighting scenarios, and weather situations, with 1 person, 2 people, or perhaps a group of 20 or more people.
A people person. Someone who must be able to make a kid smile, handle the critiques of a drunk uncle, and make a mother of the bride feel just as beautiful as her daughter all within a matter of minutes. Lets not forget being able to fire back a few “dad” jokes too.
A diligent yet courteous professional. A wedding photographer must be able to work and get along with your videographer, your wedding coordinator, your ceremony officiant, your DJ etc… This is what I mean when I say that wedding photography is like live theater. I may only have 10-15 minutes alone with my bride and groom to create the awesome photos they expect before the coordinator is asking to have them back because the DJ must prepare for his introductions while the caterer has food that must be out before it gets cold.
A calm and friendly person. A wedding photographer typically spends more time with the Bride on her wedding day than her Groom does. This means that you should probably at least like being around your photographer. Things do not always go as planned on the big day, and even if they do it can still be stressful. So having someone around who is able to make you feel at peace while still doing their job is a somewhat underrated facet of what a wedding photographer is and does.
A strong voice (when needed). I have found that the most stressful time of the day is when it is time to photograph all of the family and bridal party formal photos. People tend to scatter about with their freshly poured glass of champagne so it takes a stern voice to be able to “herd the cats” if you will, in a timely manner. There is a time limit to this portion of the day, so organizing and posing all these different large groups sometimes calls for a loud stern voice to get the job done. Not to mention that there are sometimes delicate relationships within families that sometimes calls for a little extra attention.