How To Hire Your Wedding Photographer - A Few Tips

April 13, 2016 in Weddings

There’s been a lot of buzz over a recent Facebook post from Singapore with a bride posting a few of the “worst” photos from her wedding. There’s a whole background story to this that I will not repeat here (you can google it) but the conversation that started got me thinking that perhaps many brides and grooms don’t know necessarily where to start when looking for a wedding photographer. As much as I’d like to write an entire book on this, I’m going to provide just a few items to consider…

Hazelmere Golf Course - Keith and Jeanine Get Married

December 13, 2015 in Weddings

That morning, as I woke up, I noticed that the sun was out. This was amazing. It was November. In Canada... on the Pacific West Coast. Just days prior, when I went to check the wedding site, it was pouring rain. That weather was expected. The sun was not. But there it was, gleaming and shining in all it's glory!

However, it was really cold. Frost was still in the air and as I made my way down to Hazelmere Golf Course, where the wedding was taking place, I could see steam clouds rising from the ground as the sun melted the cold morning dew despite the chill temperatures. Regardless, the sun was great to have that day and made for a great day to an already beautiful wedding for Keith and Jeanine.

What I'd Like To Say To Brides and Grooms

October 03, 2015 in Weddings

Dear future Bride and Groom,

If you really love the idea of documentary photography for your wedding then I want to be your wedding photographer.

I'm not about the posed photographs or manufacturing a moment to look great. I'm into film cameras, black and white photography and grabbing authentic moments throughout a wedding day. I'm about waiting and finding those authentic moments and weaving a story through them. I'm about being in the midst of things while doing my best to not be noticed. My photography is about friends hugging a groom, a bride sitting with her sisters while getting make up on, the expression on a groom's face as he nervously waits for his bride, a flower girl staring up at the bride-to-be with wonder in her eyes.

In the midst of all this, as I sit and look at the photographs I’ve taken of couples over the years, I think of this: Time is so fleeting and goes by so fast. Take a moment to breathe and enjoy the moment.

Regardless of whom you choose as your wedding photographer, know that the most important decision you will make is when you say "I do" at the altar to your spouse-to-be. Things fade over time but true love prevails over it all. Embrace your man/woman and love him/her with an amazing passion and keep that flame going even when the sweat pants come out and laundry needs to be done :)

Regardless of how a wedding day goes, know that the love that you've created with this special someone is more important and more rewarding than anything on Earth. Forge it well over the years and may the wedding day be just a start of a beautiful journey together.

Amen.

Sincerely,

-Jonathan Desmond-
Documentary Photographer
and a Member Of The WPJA