The life of a wedding photographer

Whenever someone finds out what I do for a living they always ask, “A wedding photographer, do you do that full time or part time?”.   I am so incredibly blessed and lucky to be able to called being one of the area’s leading Houston Wedding Photographers a full time business going on 6 years now. In the beginning, it was a struggle. I was working a part time job while at the same time working on building the business and a stable client base. Working seven days a week to include 60-70 hours a week. It just goes to show how much hard work really does pay off.  As a full time Houston Wedding Photographer, I still work a lot. On any given week, I still put in more than the traditional 40 hour work week.

It is different though, getting to do what you love just doesn’t feel as much like work. Don’t get me wrong, there are still moments doing certain tasks where it is most definitely work and I would rather be doing something else. Who doesn’t feel that way at some point. However, there is nothing better than the feeling of putting in a hard days work.  In the end knowing that all that effort went to building my own dream rather than someone else’s.

 

The Growth:  Two Hearts Photography and Films

As my hard work started paying off I started to receive more bookings than one person could handle.   I had found that many talented Houston wedding photographers were struggling to find enough clients. After noticing this trend I created the solution by recruiting local wedding photographers to join my team. Which meant it was time to expand the rapidly growing business, which gave birth to my second company Two Hearts Photography and Films. The Two Hearts Photography and Films team creates amazing wedding photos and videos all around the Houston area.

Houston Wedding Photographers: Locations

Houston has such a huge variety of places for Houston wedding photographers to shoot. The area is beautiful, artistic and with many fantastic locations to shoot beautiful wedding photography. During the eight years that I have been in Houston, I’ve had the opportunity to shoot at so many places all over the city and surrounding area. When it comes to wedding  photography, Houston is one of the best places to get married.  The area has many options to include a city scape, country side and elegant ballroom such as the Crystal Ballroom.  There are alot of great places in the greater Houston area for wedding photography as well. If you’re looking for a beach wedding, Galveston is a reasonable distance from Houston.

Houston Wedding Photographers: Destination Weddings

One my passions is to travel around the word. Being a Houston wedding photographer has given me the opportunity to do just that.  Some of the most amazing times were taking pictures of a couple in Thailand with an elephant, Wrangle Alaska and Sugarloaf Maine.  Every destination has it challenges but also has the opportunity to produce stunning pictures for the bride and groom.  In addition to the pictures from destination wedding I also have a videographer, which has captured amazing footage of glaciers in Alaska that were incorporated into the Alaska highlight video.  You never know where the world is going to take you but with hard work and dedication it has taken me around the world.

 

Lighting And Knowing What You’re Looking For In Your Wedding Photos

As many people may know, there are various styles of Houston wedding photographers. And that’s a great thing because no two couples are the same. Different styles of photography speak to different couples. As a best wedding photographer Houston, I’ve honed in on my craft and have found my style in an ever-changing industry. Although I’m always learning new things, being educated in different lighting techniques is something I’m very proud of.

Here are a few reasons why it’s important that your wedding photographer can use both natural and off-camera lighting well.

1.) The importance of different lighting techniques.

Photographers love the natural light. I’m one of them! But to me, there’s nothing like adding in some creative factors with my lights that I bring to each wedding with me. It’s important for each couple to really like the work that a photographer produces before hiring them. You can see in the images featured today. I was able to create a different look in the same location, one with natural light and one with my lights. And I adore both images! It’s incredibly important that a photographer knows how to use both lighting techniques well seeing as how the lighting and scenarios will change throughout the day.

2.) Knowing what you like better.

Your wedding photos are going to be treasures that you will look at for the rest of your life. You’re going to print them and put them on display for all to see. And you want to like what you put in your home! When you’re searching for your wedding photographer, you imagine that you can see their work in your home for a lifetime. And of course, these are questions that you can ask photographers as you’re searching for the right one.

“What lighting to you use? Natural light or off-camera lighting?”
“Can you do both?”
“My reception is at nighttime, will you be able to photograph that?”

Those are just a few examples that any Houston wedding photographer should be able to confidently answer for you.

Jessi@jessimarriphotography.com

832-329-3042