JENN & JUSTIN’S WEDDING: Second Shooting with Fran Chelico
On Saturday, October 10, I had the pleasure of being Fran Chelico’s 2nd shooter for the wedding of Jenn & Justin, a very expressive, fun and photogenic couple. This is my second wedding working with Fran and I’m looking forward to more next year.
A beautiful October day in Gastown, Vancouver, BC.
Fran Chelico is an extremely talented and successful wedding photographer. It’s no wonder – she has all of the right stuff: an energetic and positive personality to attract and direct her couples, an ability to adapt to changing light, locations, and personalities which helps with shooting on the go, sharp business acumen and professionalism to manage and grow her business, and an easygoing attitude which makes her fun to work with. Oh, did I mention she has a great eye, and beautiful style? She was named one of Vancouver’s favorite wedding photographers by the readers of Metro News and is constantly in demand throughout every wedding season.
Weddings are where I cut my teeth in the world of professional photography. In 1999, while I was studying with the New York Institute of Photography, my little sister asked me to shoot her wedding. This was of course a great honour and I felt a huge responsibility to deliver professional results – I got down to work studied the wedding genre voraciously for the next six months. Soon the word was out and my friends Monica and Ian also booked me – their date: the day after my sister’s wedding, in a city three hours away. When August finally arrived, I was terrfied, afraid I’d mess up my exposures or miss a critical shot. I learned quickly why so many photographers shy away from weddings – they are very stressful and a lot of work!
Fortunately the hard work was worth it – the results were amazing – and I was off to the races, working my corporate job during the day and moonlighting as a professional wedding photographer on weekends. I put up a website, printed some business cards, signed up with Queensberry Albums, discovered and honed my style. I learned that had the most fun, and therefore the most strength, in shooting documentary-style, also known as photojournalism or verité in the filmmaking world. By my fourth season I was busier than I could manage and had to make a decision. I had the momentum to make a living as a photographer with my bread and butter coming from weddings. In parallel however, my career as a corporate citizen was in high gear and was demanding longer hours and more energy. I chose what made sense at the time… and sadly decided to let the photography fade away. I continued to shoot for two more summers, but turned away all but a few jobs reserved for friends and referrals from my favorite past clients.
Three years passed while my expensive gear gathered dust – it made sense to sell it but I just couldn’t bring myself to. In 2007 I picked up and moved to Vancouver then this spring, following an overwhelming heart-felt urge, I left a great job at one of the world’s largest professional services firms and took the plunge, back into the creative world, to study filmmaking. Within three months I had produced/directed my first film, Surviving In The Cracks, which went on to be selected for the Vancouver Short Film Festival this October. I also wanted to start shooting weddings again so I connected with some photographers in town and picked up a few jobs as a second shooter to get myself back on my feet. In addition to my film projects I’ve been shooting with the Powell Street Festival Society and the Downtown Eastside Neighbourhood House, I followed Canada’s Governor General around at We Day, and I’m beginning to teach, assist, and shoot various jobs with a major photography studio in Vancouver. I am back in the game, and this time, it’s with my whole heart.
