Well gosh darn I guess I might be the lucky one! That’s totally cool, I’ve worked with hundreds of people before just like you and it’s all good. During the summer months sometimes I’d have 12 shoots a day, and more that 75% of them were the same. That’s why the pre-production call is the most important: so I can set some expectations for you, set the scene, and set you up for success on the day of the shoot. ❤️

Yup, and these two are the best kind of weddings if you ask me. Both of you actually get to remember the day – A typical line I get from couples after a huge wedding is that they can’t wait to see the photos as they can’t remember anything they just did! – So for me, you, and your spouse, tiny weddings and elopements are the way to go. Not saying I won’t shoot a full size wedding, I’ll do that! Just saying if you keep it on the smaller side, the more you might actually remember. ❤️

Canon R6 and my go to lens is a RF 50mm 1.2 which I’m trying to master over 5 years. Other than that I’d say the next in my kit would be a 15-35mm 2.8 (wide-ish lens) to grab the scene of whatever it might be that I’m shooting and then a 70-200mm 2.8 (Zooom) to get up close and personal with either you or a car flying by at a high rate of speed. ❤️

Na. I don’t like hiding anything from my clients and am upfront with all costs, and even potential costs. So much so that I swear I must lose business because I’m so transparent – but that’s how I like to do business. I don’t like some other methods of hiding editing fees or deliverable fees or whatever else is out there. That’s just not me. ❤️

For me, when I select a photographer for various projects this is the process I go through -

1. Do I like the writing tone on their website?

Something that I think gets overlooked but I always look out for: A lot of photographers love to pump their websites full of adjectives and buzzwords that they think will get the reader excited that they speak their similar lingo. For me, I see that as aiming toward one type of client and that client isn't me. That type of tone is typically how that person speaks in real life - so be prepared if that's something you don't like: you'll be hearing it for hours on end during the shoot.

2. Do I feel an emotion when looking at their photos?

Anyone can push a button and take a photo - it's much harder to do that when the light hits just right, the expression is genuine, the background is complimenting the subject, the details in the photo are there for a chosen reason, and most importantly: a story and feeling is born from the push of the button. Do I see and feel a connection between the couple? Do I see someone inside those eyes? Am I intrigued by this person I'm looking at? Why? All of these are silent questions that arise in my mind when I see a good photo and when I hear some of those, I know I've found a good photographer. If not, and I don't feel something from the photos, I move on.

3. Do I like the person behind the lens and do they fit with my values?

Energy and connection with the person are everything. If I can't get comfortable with them within a minute, then I'm not going to relax when they have a camera between us. If I can't relax, I'm not going to like the results of the photos. So I have to get to know this person enough to understand who they are, where they came from, how they operate, and most importantly how the energy is between us. Kinda sounds a bit woo-woo but it's true - being with a photographer should be like being with a friend.

I hope this isn't too overwhelming! There is a lot more that goes into working with a photographer than might be initially considered, but these are my top 3 that I always refer back to. I hope you find them helpful ❤️

I did! Good eye – It was Jonny Aperture – A business name that I outgrew and didn’t feel like me anymore. My real name is Jonathan Najarian (Nah-jare-e-in) and I think it’s got a nice ring to it when you pronounce it right ❤️