OKAY, SO A BUNCH OF STUFF.

Just as a forewarning, this blog may be a long one, 'cause I have a lot of stuff to talk about.

1) Fridays make me happy.

2) I just got accepted in the WPJA, specifically, the Artistic Guild of the Wedding Photojournalist Association. I know that doesn't sound mind-blowing or anything, but it's a fantastic association for wedding photographers who specialize in fine art photojournalism, and it's by invite only and last week I got an e-mail saying I've been invited to join! A lot of other wedding photographers I really admire and respect are part of the WPJA, and it's an honor to be a part of the same caliber of photojournalists as them. And to any visitors who are checking out my work because of a WPJA referral, welcome!



3) While in France last month, Girlfriend and I traveled with some really good friends from Fresno, Chelsea and Eldon. The rumor was that Eldon had bought a ring and was planning to ask a particular important question while in Paris sometime. So one night while enjoying some wine and dinner at an awesome little Parisian restaurant by the hotel, Girlfriend made a terrible face at me while I was taking pictures of passing Parisians, indicating that something was about to go down. This picture was taken right before the one below, which is one of those truly emotional moments that makes me thankful to be a photographer:



I've shot plenty of weddings, and I've shot a lot of engagement sessions, but I've never had the opportunity to photograph an actual proposal, and at the risk of sounding melodramatic, I must say it was an incredibly special, magical event. So Chelsea and Eldon, congratulations! When I have some time to process the rest of the Europe pictures I'll be sure to have a separate little section for the proposal.

4. On Tuesday I quit my job.

5. Wait...what? Okay, so here's a little backstory to the life of Ryan Jones.

I love photography, and have felt that way for a few years now. But it was a hobby and never anything I could realistically make a living at. Plus, when I first started I was afraid of photographing people, so I pretty much stuck to taking pictures of trees (that was the first photo I ever took), my dogs, and assorted, random crap. Along the way I started taking pictures of friends, eventual girlfriends, and finally, my first "wedding" in July 2006 for my friend Rayan, who already had paid a real photographer, but wanted a few candids of her and her girls getting ready. I liked it, and it was fun, but all the while I still had a full time corporate job with Longs Drugs.

After Ian and Aubrey's wedding in February 2007, I slowly started getting more inquiries about weddings, and fast forward to today and my one-time hobby has put me in a place where I can do what I love and make a living doing it. So on Tuesday, after five years of employment with Longs, I quit my job and will be officially, a full-time professional photographer starting July 2008. I'm so incredibly thankful for all the people who have trusted in me to shoot for them over the past year, and all the people that have hired me for weddings I have yet to shoot. It's that confidence in my work that has led me to Tuesday's decision, and it's that confidence that will keep me doing this for a long time. I've met so many good people who started out as clients but ended up as friends, and being in that position to interact with so many genuinely good people day to day is a big reason why I feel like this is the right job for me.

6. That being said, the issue of location has come up while figuring out how I'm going to make this happen. So, also in July 2008, I will be relocating back to Fresno (who would have thought?!) and establishing a studio in the Fall/Winter 2008. A lot of my work is back in the Central Valley and it just makes sense to be based out of there instead of having to drive between LA and Fresno every single weekend. There are already some fantastic creative photographers in Fresno (Mariano Friginal and DJ of La Bella Vita Photography, just to name a couple), but the Central Valley is a big place, and I'd like to help fill the need for more creative imagery that Central California could really benefit from.

7. I told you that was going to be a lot, but I'M SO DAMN HAPPY about my decision, and I'm even more excited to make photography my career. Once again, thanks to everyone for your support; it is much appreciated. But I can't make a post like this and not celebrate with some photos, so here are a few more I've pulled from the Europe trip. Enjoy!

Bern, Switzerland.


Paris Metro




How's that for a terrifyingly intense look?

REBECCA AND REBEKAH

So last weekend I had the pleasure of shooting my first double header, and both of the lovely brides were named Rebecca (and Rebekah). Below are a couple quick favs I pulled out of the bunch for now, but suffice it to say both slideshows will be pretty awesome.

And a big announcement is coming shortly!

Rebecca and Aaron...






Rebekah and John after taking a quick stop for beer and shots at Groggs.

WEDDING: DOROTHY & ZACH

So here's a little story about Dorothy and Zach's wedding day, as it really sums up how they are (which is: great): We did the First Look and it was just fantastic. Dorothy looked stunning, Zach was clearly impressed with his gorgeous soon-to-be wife, and I got some great pictures of the whole thing. I just hung back with my zoom and let the magic happen naturally. We then took some creative portraits on a big beautiful hill (see below), then went into an orchard area for some more shots. It was just the three of us and everything was going smoothly, and Dorothy and Zach were relaxed and happy and in love and life was good.

Since no bridesmaids, friends, or moms were with us, Zach was left with the honors of helping Dorothy with her dress (which was beautiful), and doing a remarkably good job at it. We finished with the location and went to go shoot somewhere else, so we got walking and Dorothy started saying "Zach, you're doing a great job with holding my dre..." but before she coould even finish the sentence, we hear a RRIIIIIIPPPPPP and look down to see a nice long portion of the dress hanging out by Zach's foot.

A little nervous, Zach picked up the slice of dress, and I joked that "at least your photographer showed up". Under most circumstances I would've assumed that Dorothy would've started balling and screaming and punching Zach in the throat, but what did she do? She laughed. Zach picked up the dress and Dorothy just smiled. No freaking out, no yelling, no crying. She calmly walked over to her bridesmaids and said "well, I think we need some thread" and just chuckled. I was in awe.

So needless to say, I was working with a truly relaxed and amazing couple in an amazing location, and really just had a wonderful time shooting. Dorothy and Zach, you guys are awesome, and it was an honor to shoot for you, and I'm happy to call you guys my friends now. Enjoy the pics everyone...Happy Wednesday.











One of my favorite shots of the day.

BONJOUR

And after a much-needed but hardly-relaxing vacation, I'm back from France and I'm still speechless going through all the pictures that were taken over the past week. If you're a photographer and have the chance to go to Europe, please go! Even though I took a few thousand pictures, there's still about a million that I didn't take. And being a big history dork it was incredible to visit these places that all had such a big impact on the Western civilization. So anyway, I'll be working on these shots over the next couple weeks, but here's a few for now. Next up later this week, Dorothy and Zach's beautiful wedding in the surprisingly gorgeous Lindsay, CA. Enjoy the little preview, and if you've called or e-mailed over the last week, I'm starting to return all your messages today. Thanks for your patience!

Notre Dame - 3 shot panorama


One of Notre Dame's famous stained-glass windows.

Baguettes with guys named Pierre.

That's right my friends, I'm off to Paris. I'm taking a much-needed vacation to the City of Light with my lovely little lady for the next 10 days and will have little to no access to both my phone and e-mail. So keep those e-mails and phone calls coming; my responses will just be a little delayed. As one would expect, I'll be taking MANY, many pictures of the next week and a half, so my travels will be well-documented. Expect one hell of a slideshow when I get back!

Have a wonderful week back here in the States; I'll say hi to the Moulin Rouge for you all.'

-Ryan

ENGAGEMENTS: JENNIFER & MATT (PART 2)

These awesome people may look familiar from our drunken session at Wilson Creen Winery in October. Jen asked me if we could do an engagement session part 2 at the Olvera Street Celebration, to which I replied: margaritas. Which means yes. We walked around downtown for a bit, and even stumbled into Union Station where I found a cool old guy reading stuff and had to put him in a picture somehow. Jen and Matt, seriously, you guys are a blast to hang out with and I hope you enjoy the pictures as much as I enjoyed taking them. Also, muchos gracias to my good buddy Derek for assisting throughout the day.