I have been building my photography business for a few years now. I thought I would like to shoot pretty weddings, for people who are in love, that want images with feeling and an artistic style. Special pictures for special people.  What I have encountered, about 30 percent of the time, what looks to be like a rude email. “What are your rates? I am on a budget!” No Dear so and so, no Thank you, no sincerely and most importantly, no I love your work and it is exactly what we are looking for.

I received an email yesterday along those lines, with another similar to it, that said, I only want to communicate through email. My response, delete delete! I am not a desperate photographer or artist. I do it because I love it. I don’t have to make a living at it. I only have to create work I am proud of.  I am free to choose whom I want to spend time with, whom I want to photograph. I can’t express how great it feels to be free.  People don’t understand, I have to like my subjects in order to capture great pictures. Why? Because I am going to bring my perception of my subject to the image. Ansel Adams said, the image is a marriage of the subject and photographer. I don’t do email because I need to hear the tone of my client’s voice. Voice tone says everything. I can determine from the first conversation whether it is yes or no for me. If we like each other, then we meet and the deal is usually sealed. I am interviewing them too. 

Once I did a wedding for a bridezilla. Once and final time. I knew it when I booked her, but I thought it would be OK. I was with her for 9 hours and that was doable, but I had to look at her face in the editing room for another 40 hours. Every time I looked at her I was in a bad mood. Never again. 

For this reason, to stay true to my compass, I have taken on the job of managing our local chamber. Which allows me the creative freedom to work with whom I want, when I want? The condition of  my job is the Board’s flexibility to allow me to photograph weddings, they were very generous with me about this. My issue is time. I must be discerning about how I spend it and with whom.

Dave called me a few months back and explained he was a photographer from Chico. Creative imagery is very important to him.  That he has also photographed weddings and that he was looking at the regional talent and he found that my work impressed him most. We had a great first conversation and then a really nice meeting where I met Karen. I felt great about them after our meeting and we booked each other for their October wedding.

I  realize with this attitude I won’t be shooting 6 weddings a month for a thousand each and I really don’t want to. What I am and will be doing is one or two a month for for 3k to 5k  and working with people I want to spend time with and who also want to work with me. Maybe I sound like an ass, but I have worked very hard for a long time to find this sweet spot.

I am confident I can shoot anyone, but I can’t shoot for everyone. My clients know who they are and what’s more important is I know who they are and we like it like that. They are looking for special pictures and I am looking for special people.

Beau was here last week for his senior portraits. I photographed his sister a few years back. What I like so much about portraiture is I am given the task of capturing the person’s essence and seeing them at their best. Setting them at ease is key, having a camera in your face is daunting to most. This takes a little time and finesse and a genuine openness on my part. At 46 allowing a person to see me is OK. I am what I am and am OK with that for the most part. This allows them to be the same in my presence. It is such satisfying work that given I didn’t need to make a living I would do it for free. I never tire of people and I am always happily surprised by what I find.

I saw Beau as beautiful and talented. We will see great things from him. An exceptional guitarist  and self taught; I know the kind of dedication that takes. I felt honored he allowed me to see him so that I may document this moment, a passing of a mile stone, his senior year, for all in his world to remember.

Gulp Gulp I always get choked up getting to see people in their stages.

Beau’s pictures are some of my favorites so far and I know, I say that about all the boys.

Mike and Alexia contacted me through the Knot and we booked the wedding over the phone. We photographed their engagement session at Sutro Heights above the baths at Ocean Beach in San Francisco a few months ago. When I found out their wedding details I was completely excited to be able to document their wedding. It seems the wedding was designed to be sweet, beautiful, tasteful, classic, chic and without airs. The Hastings house boasts stunning gardens with a clean cottage to get ready in and has the beach as a backdrop, the Farallon Restaurant’s Beluga Reception Room at The Kensington Park Hotel doesn’t get any more classic, tasteful and quintessential San Francisco than that. Completely up my alley and the thing that synced it for me was Alexia said they liked my work because it felt alive the other work they looked at seemed soulless. I think it’s still one of the best complements I have ever received. I respect her politics tastes and her amazing education. Alexia and Mike are a wonderful couple who seem to operate on courtesy, partnership, mutual respect and an honest friendship. I learn a lot about people at weddings and Ian I left wanting to be more like them. After hearing Alexia’s mother’s speech about how her daughter chose a husband I wanted my daughters to learn from Alexia. Ian and I also enjoyed them immensely. It’s a day for us either will soon not forget.

We ate a very late dinner at the Farallon restaurant and it was one of the most amazing meals of our lives. I can still taste it.

Beautiful Heather Greene now Upton’s  Wedding in Lake Almanor is finished. It was such a beautiful wedding and day. I feel so lucky I was able to photograph their wedding.

I was wondering if I should advertise in my local Costco Store ad. I thought it worth giving a shot. I’ll try anything once. Liz called me because of that ad and we had instant phone repour. I liked her very much over the phone and so we decided to meet in Chico rather than have them drive all the way to my studio we met at Starbucks. They called me a few days later and I was booked. We met in Chico again and photographed their engagement session at Bidwell Park. It was their I took one of my favorite engagement photographs. Ian and I covered their wedding in June it was such a beautiful day, beautiful ceremony and beautiful bride and groom.

I heard from Jane she was getting married and I couldn’t stand the idea it wasn’t going to be documented in a special way. It was a Sunday wedding, I wasn’t booked and she is my photo shop tutor, fellow community member and fellow artist.

Generally a photographer is usually the last to get booked for a wedding and not the obvious priority until 5 years down the road when it becomes a big regret that it wasn’t covered. I can’t tell you, seriously, how many times I hear  ”I wish we knew how important it was” or “we didn’t really pay attention to style or our photographer sucked” or “we were so uptight , because he was  weird and dominating”.

It’s really an odd industry I have entered into because the buyer doesn’t realize they have a need. Time and time again I see it in regret.

I adore Heather, she’s a lovely girl and I couldn’t let her regret not having had this day documented in the beauty it was presented. She is in love with her Ian, there needs to be a photo of that.

In the case of the wedding photographer,  ignorance isn’t bliss. Bliss is seeing how blissful we were. And with that said I am making a commitment to photograph the bliss in my family more.

So a bit of advice.  

Book a pro photographer even if it’s for just a key few hours. Uncle Ed has a great camera but you are his experimental subjects for his little photo hobby, if it was really just about the camera there would not be a pro photo industry and is that what you really want to be an experiment?

Look at the work this pro photographer does, if you are in love with it,  call them. If you like them over the phone, meet them eye ball to eye ball. Would you enjoy spending time with this person?  Because they are going to be part of one of the most special days of your life?

Heather is gorgeous, that is obvious, but she radiates a sunbeam of happy energy that discounts all the exterior pretty and draws us in. I loved documenting her special day and feel honored she let me pressure her into it! Hopefully she’ll live to be grateful for it. 

Beautiful Heather and Ian 10 years together and now married!

She asked me if I would photograph her with her mother and sister in their favorite style.

I first saw her at a wedding I was photographing. I caught her eyes sparkling with my camera while she was looking at him. I thought, I have to shoot this wedding when it happens there was such great chemistry between the two of them and she’s stunning.

I photographed them in Chico’s Bidwell Park with all the props from her mother’s shop The Plant Barn. I had so much fun!

Vintage grunge with a little country added…..

This week the theme was prom. Beautiful dresses, daughters and life. A time and a place for them to shine and feel beautiful. They are beautiful inside and out.

Her mother worked for me for years while I managed the Bidwell House B and B .  Alli began working summers for us and weddings. I moved on from there 5 years back and isn’t funny…we have one more wedding to do together and I couldn’t be happier about it.

I am so happy to be photographing Liz and Jimmy’s wedding in June in Chico. They are such a sweet couple. I think this may be one of my favorite images ever.