The people you love today, may not be here tomorrow. Love today.

Emma & Kurt are my new friends, whom I met recently when they chose me to become their wedding photographer. I love them both dearly & cannot wait to photograph their wedding on the 10th of December this year on the central coast. Here’s an insight into the love that flowed during their time with me a few weeks ago around manly beach.

Over the years, hundreds of people have chosen me to create images on a day that could be the most important day of their lives. The reasons why I think they’ve chosen me has changed over the years. Once upon a time I believe it probably had more to do with the fact that I was really really cheap than people liking the photos they thought I could take. I think after the events of the past few weeks, I have learnt more about why people may hire me these days.

Over the past few weeks it has been my responsibility to find a wedding photographer to photograph our wedding. You may think it’s funny, but it’s probably one of the most difficult decisions I’ve ever had to make.

I found myself weighing up whos images were better suited for the wedding that Cath & I were planning, what finished product Cath & I would like to receive in the end & most importantly and I can’t stress this enough.. who I trusted most! Of course, budget also played a role.

The photographer can really make a huge difference as to how much you enjoy the day, the memories you have of your wedding & the enjoyment your guests have too.

I ended up nailing it down to 3 or 4 photographers whos work I adored, whom I would trust with our wedding photos & whos prices I could reason.

One thing that is very evident in the industry is that there is a huge difference in how much they cost & the quality of the images. I think back to what I was charging when I started and I can explain to you why I was charging what I charged back then & what I charge now. When I started I think I charged about $500 & spent weeks working on the wedding photographs. It was because I needed to. The originals looked pretty crappy & I was so scared to show the originals. These days the editing I do is more styling than photoshopping as I get it right in camera. I made some pretty horrific mistakes. I hope the people knew what they were in for.

If you are paying very little for a professional wedding photographer you have to ask yourself why they’re charging what they’re charging. If they’re charging $500 maybe it is because that’s all they think they’re worth. Also, large studios with lots of photographers may also be more competitive when it comes to hiring them for your wedding but once again that may come at a cost. Do you know if the photographer you’ve hired will actually turn up or will they send another photographer from the studio? Do you know that the images that you saw on their website will be anything like the photographs your photographer is able to create because often with these larger studios the images you see may have been taken by a photographer that doesn’t even work at the studio anymore. I’m not saying that choosing a larger studio is a bad choice, it just may be though if it’s an ill informed one.

Working by yourself does have it’s challenges as well though. I write 100% of the emails. Edit 100% of the images. Take 100% of the images. Meet with 100% of the clients. Answer 100% of the phone calls. I do it all. It certainly does make for a more intimate relationship with the client, but it means I have to be on top of my game 100% of the time. If I make a mistake, it’s MY business that suffers. If I were to have an unhappy client it’s my business that suffers. I find this means that my clients get the very best that I can offer.

The thing though that small studios can generally offer though is passion. I love photographing people in love. I love spending time with people who are passionate, in love & excited about life. I am extremely excited every time I pick up my camera & those of you who have seen me photograph have seen how I just don’t want to put the camera down. I love creating images for people that will take them back to a time in their life that they want to be taken back to.

My prices for wedding photography start around $4000. The things that are listed on the price list really don’t reflect what I offer at all. Above anything else, I feel that what I offer is an experience. This is something I just don’t know how to communicate in words. It’s something that I see & feel time and time again with the people I photograph. Together we create a space for love to be free to be expressed & for precious memories to be savoured.

When Cath & I get married in December I am so excited to have a photographer who I fully trust to take the care required to photograph our wedding. Someone who is passionate about photography, someone who I know will give me the best they can give me and someone whom I will love having there with us enjoying our special day. Thank you Simon

JD

On the 17th of January I left Armidale with a group of friends on my way to a Christian Youth Leadership conference in Katoomba called NextGen. I pulled over and bought some oil as I thought the oil was low. It was. We went on our merry way and I noticed Smoke coming from the engine and the exhaust. We pulled over & called the NRMA to help us out. 5 hours later we were back on the road. They said I put too much oil in the engine. I have no clue about cars. On the 18th of January, we finally got to Katoomba after having to stop in Sydney overnight because of the massive delay. We turned up late to the conference and I had no idea where to go for the first group meeting. I saw a beautiful young lady walking towards me and thought she looked like a friendly soul so I told her I was lost and asked whether she knew where I needed to go. She was very helpful and helped me find exactly where I needed to be. Later in the day me and a few friends decided to head into the city of Katoomba to go to a Cafe. Just as we were about to go, I saw the same girl and asked her if she would like to join us. The girls name was Catherine.

It didn’t take me long to develop an attraction to this girl especially when I kept hearing about all these guys on the same camp that liked her. I decided I’d just back off and let them go. I figured I still had unfinished business with an ex so it was probably wise not to have another girl to think about. So I did my best to ignore her.

On the last day, we were in a rush to leave as I had to come back to photograph a wedding the next day. Just as I was about to leave I saw Catherine talking to my friends. I thought, what the heck I’ll ask her if she uses facebook. She was very eager in her response to let me know how I could find her on fb. I thought, wow this girl is eager I was happy about that.

We both went back to our home towns. Cath lived in Sydney & I lived in Armidale, but had plans to move to Sydney a month or two later.

Then we became fb friends and started communicating through facebook.

Then Cath invited me to a church event that she had organised. It just so happened that I was going to be in Sydney that weekend that it was on. Well that’s what I told her. I was at the Central Coast for my buddy Rayne’s bucks party weekend away and would have to skip half the event to see Cath. Oh how the boys gave me crap about the decision to go. I was constantly heckled for ditching the boys for a girl I barely know.

When I got there, I purposely sat nowhere near Cath. Her identical twin sister Jane (who incidentally is dating a wedding photographer) made room for me to sit opposite Cath at this restaurant and ushered me over. I was trying to play cool. After this we kept talking on the phone & hung out a few more times.

At this point in my life I had absolutely nothing stopping me. I was single & about to move to Sydney in a few weeks and so I just asked her out. That was March 12th, 2010.

Bring it forward to June 12, 2010, exactly 3 months after we started dating. Catherine, my now girlfriend was in Canberra on her Occupational Therapy prac and I decided to go visit her. I handed her a chocolate in the shape of an M. The following day she received an A.. then an R.. then another R..and so on until it spelt out M A R R Y M E.

At this point, it was still a statement and not a question yet. The next morning I picked her up super early and took her back to the place we went on our first date in Cronulla. I had put together a picnic basket with lots of Cath’s favourite foods. I had organised my photographer buddies Matt & Katie to come to Sydney to photograph the proposal as it happened, without Cath knowing they were there photographing us. I pointed them out to her and we ended up making up a story about who these people might be and what they were photographing. Katie became “Nikon girl with Boots” as she was shooting with a Nikon & had some pretty epic boots on.

I made it seem like I was going to propose there by Cronulla Beach, then we simply left and I started driving her home and told her it was just a big tease and that she would have to wait for the proposal.

Then I pulled over on the side of the road out the front of a small handmade chocolate shop called Nina’s that is right near Cath’s place. The time was 8:45am and the shop wasn’t due to open until 9am. I knocked on the door and had preorganised with the owner George to be there & to let us in. He invited us in, let us taste test anything in the store and showed us around the shop. By this time, my friends Matt & Katie were standing in the factory behind the counter dressed up as though they worked in the store & putting together boxes for the chocolates to go in. Then George told us he had something special to show us. He walked out with a treasure chest made of chocolate with a ? on the top of it. He placed it in my hands & I got down on one knee and told Cath, among other things that she was my treasure & I love her and I didn’t even want to spend another day without her in my life and would she please marry me. At this point Matt & Katie have their cameras in hand taking photos & shooting video. Now we can share the story with you

FAQ:
Q. Did she say yes
A. She said yes.

Q. Did I ask her dad?
A. I asked/told her dad. I didn’t want to give him room to say no though

Q. When will you get married?
A. God willing, we will be married on the 4th of December, 2010 in Sydney.

Q. Did I pick the ring?
A. Yes, with her identical twin sisters help.

Q. Did she love it?
A. Yes.

Q. Who will photograph the wedding?
A. The guy who originally trained me. His name is Simon James. We’re so stoked to have Simon.

James and Cath – Engaged! from Matt E on Vimeo.