Tag Archives: St. John

A Villa wedding on St. John

March 15, 2010 – 1:17 pm

Do you want to go in style? You may want to think about a villa wedding on St. Thomas or St. John in the Virgin Islands.

Although the day was a little cloudy, the view was to die for. This “little” villa is a bit pricey I’ll grant you. At 16K Sq. Ft. it rents for north of $4K a day. But boy you get your moneys worth. The are a very large number of villas available on both St. Thomas and St. John

Here is a shot of the bride at the entrance to the villa. Paula and Jeff were a great couple to photograph, and very gracious. Thanks folks … it was fun! Oh ya, and the food was pretty good too.

Photography from a wedding on St. John.Over looking a villa on St. John

By Gary | Posted in Wedding photography | Also tagged , , , , | Comments (16)

How to select a photographer

November 2, 2009 – 3:52 pm

Basics on selecting a photographer:

1) A camera does not make a photographer. Just like a typewriter does not make a writer. Here in the Virgin Islands we have many people that charge money to use their cameras that are not “photographers”. You would be better served buying a camera for Uncle Bob and have him shoot your wedding.

2) look at background and training. Are they a member of a professional organization? Are they certified? At present there are only 3 certified professionals in the islands.

3) Portfolios are a great way to view the photographers best work and to judge if their style fits you. But be aware that even an amateur can have a good portfolio. But can they reproduce what you see on a regular basis? In most cases not, as what you see happened by accident. This is something only a well trained pro can do. A good check is to view complete weddings that have been posted online for their brides, or wedding albums they have designed. This way you can more accurately gauge how consistent they are. There are only a few pro’s here that allow you to see this. Why? Because they have nothing to hide.

4) As in anything, you get what you pay for. Be leery of included photography in packages without being able to see samples/portfolios from the photographer the planners are using. Many times they hire a photographer for $200 and charge the bride $800. So you are not getting an $800 photographer, just a $200 one. Good professional photography is not cheap. With the cost of pro grade equipment and the hours spent after the wedding editing and retouching the photographs, designing albums etcetera a pro will put in another 40 hours of work on an 8 hour wedding shoot.

5) If you have never purchased truly professional photography before, you will be WOWED with the results and have something special for generations after the ceremony.

Selecting a photographer and being comfortable with that decision is not easy, but a very important step. It will be one of your largest investments. But a little homework and some looking around will net you photographs that you and your family can truly enjoy for a long time to come.

Cheers,

Gary

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The wedding of Jason and Kimberly on St. John

January 13, 2009 – 11:00 am

It’s always nice when some one wants to try something different. Kimberly
called me up and asked if we could take a second hour and shoot at the
Annaberg Sugar Mill ruins before the ceremony at Trunk Bay. Sure, I said .
why not? I have shot there before and it’s a very interesting setting.

An ironic twist was also in the cards for the day. I had just applied for a
large equipment lease, literally hours before I showed up to shoot. I found
out that Jason worked in the equipment leasing field. I was wondering how
hard it was going to be to get the lease with all the tight credit stories
in the news. He said it would be easy. His company had seen no real decrease
in available funds for loans/leasing. When I returned from the shoot I was
already approved!
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coleman0015

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The wedding of Meagan and Ryan on St. John

January 12, 2009 – 3:42 pm

Meagan and Ryan were married at Trunk Bay on the island of St. John. It was a wee bit cloudy that day. For some reason the light on the island, even on an overcast day can be quit nice. Any way it was a lovely ceremony and a great couple. Meagan is a part time portrait photographer.
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bishersullins009

By Gary | Posted in Wedding photography | Also tagged , , | Comments (0)