A few weeks ago I had the pleasure of meeting Joni of Studio ESS Photography at the Cheesecake Factory for happy hour! I love meeting new vendors and especially ones that love what they do! Joni is sweet, artistic, and without a doubt loves her job! Get to know more about Joni, as she tells us more about Studio ESS Photography!

Mandi: How did you decide to get into photography?

Joni: I was always a creative kid. The older I got, I realized that I was most skilled at having an eye for style and composition, rather than creating a drawing or a painting. So when I picked up a camera, it became pretty apparent that it was the right tool for me to express my creative side. Plus it just sounds cool to say “I’m a photographer.”

Mandi: How would you describe your style?

Joni: At studio ESS, we (myself and my studio partner Sab) describe our style as artistic, lifestyle, and sometimes fashion inspired. A lot of buzz words are thrown around when discussing wedding photography. Lately it’s “photojournalistic”, which we do a lot of when shooting a wedding, but we definitely direct our subjects a little bit during the portrait sessions, which isn’t considered photojournalistic. We get the candid shots in during the portrait session, but we just like to make sure everybody is in a visually pleasing set up, so when it and if happens, it’s perfect! We also love to light, we use natural light for most of our shots, sure… but when we see a need for it, we often set up an off-camera flash, or a studio light that we bring on-location. 

Mandi: What would be your dream person/event to photograph?

Joni: Charlie Day from It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, ideally dressed up as Green Man and on the set in Paddy’s Pub with the gang. It just sounds like a great time!

Mandi: What’s your favorite part of your job?

Joni: Creating works of art. I am in love with the creative aspect of my job. I am passionate about making images that people will still want to have on their wall 50 years from now. I really love meeting new people and getting to know them, but I enjoy photographing them even more.

Mandi: To you, what is key to creating a successful event?

Joni: I think they are a number of things that can make or break an event, especially a wedding. One is having realistic expectations. For the photographer, it’s much easier and more likely to get amazing images, when the client books the right amount of time realistically needed for their event. The setting is a big one. Little touches can make all the difference. Having a wedding planner (like Champagne for example… : ) I’m truly not trying to kiss up here, but when I walk onto a wedding site and am greeted by a wedding planner, I definitely breathe a little easier. Having one person who is the point of contact for every vendor is big in making sure things are communicated correctly, and that the day goes smoothly.

Mandi: What do you do when you’re not doing what you do?

Joni: Pretty normal stuff. Hanging out with my husband and dog. In the winter, both Sab and I enjoy snowboarding, in the summer camping, which doesn’t happen too often since it’s our busy time of year. Eating good food, enjoying good Oregon beer. The usual.

Mandi: What sets you apart from other photographers?

Joni: We are both formally trained and have been doing this for years. Besides experience and training, we have a very modern, fun and sometimes edgy style. We hold our standards high, so you can expect awesome photos from us, and we will deliver. Also, we are both great with people. We love our clients, we want to know their birthday’s, anniversaries, kid’s ages and their dog’s name. Our hope is that the wedding is just the beginning of our relationship with our clients. Often people get to know us and our work, and we become their photographers for life. That’s what we’re all about.

Mandi: Anything else you’d like to share with our readers?

Joni: In addition to Wedding Photography, we specialize in Fashion Bridal Sessions, which is similar to a “Trash the Dress” session. We don’t call it that because there is no need for the bride to destroy, or even dirty her wedding dress for the session. Basically it’s a session that a bride and groom will book with us that isn’t held on their actual wedding day. The idea is to get killer photos in totally unexpected unique locations that they could never get on their actual wedding day simply because of time and location constraints. We spend a few hours going to a few awesome locations and setting up fashion styled lighting, all to get some truly one-of-a-kind works of art.

We’d love to be considered for your photographic needs. We don’t just take nice pictures, we create works of art. Check us out on the web @ http://studioESSphoto.com, keep up with us on our blog @ http://blog.studioessphoto.com, or on Facebook @ http://www.facebook.com/studioESSphoto. We’d love to hear from ya!

Mandi: Thank you, Joni for sharing more about Studio ESS photography with us! We look forward to working with you soon!

Cheers,

Mandi, Rachelle and the Champagne team

Don’t forget the last day to get our 2010 pricing for your 2011 wedding is May 15th, 2010. Contact us to set up your complimentary, no obligation consultation!