Do I Still Photograph & Film Weddings?

Hello, it’s been a while! My online portfolio has suffered a bit over the last few years but it’s time I change that. I just completed a redesign of this website and am working to get it updated with more recent examples of my work.

Am I still shooting weddings?

The short answer is, Yes! I did scale back a bit over the last few years as I directed my focus on growing my other company Hill Media Group and also spending more time on my YouTube channels. I love shooting weddings and don’t believe I will ever stop altogether, I just shoot less these days. I enjoy having the bulk of my weekends free to spend with my family. We spent the summer of 2019 traveling all over the North-western United States in our RV, for two entire months. It was amazing. Photography has actually given me the flexibility to do that. Though I didn’t shoot any weddings while we were traveling I created a lot of content for my YouTube channels and spent a lot of time behind the camera capturing our beautiful country. It renewed my desire to just grab my camera and go off exploring to see what I can find.

Going forward I would like to book more weddings for the remainder of the 2019 year and going forward. Though a lot has changed in the industry of wedding photography and videography there are some things that have remained the same. One of those big things being that it is still difficult to find honest and trustworthy photographers and videographers out there. As camera equipment becomes more affordable, people jump into the industry not having what it takes to capture a wedding and deliver images and video to their clients in a timely manner. I see horror stories online all of the time. It’s sad.

So yes, I am still shooting weddings but I have changed the way in which I offer my basic services. In the past, I would push to have an extra photographer and an entire videography team. It was great to have that much coverage but I don’t think that most people want that much coverage. I find that my couples want a range of photos that represent their wedding day well. That means maybe around 250-350 photos, not 1,000+. Most people also do not need hours and hours of their wedding to watch in 4K video, they simply want a nice short film to replay the highlights. This is what I am now offering and it will make my services much more affordable.

Are You Still Doing Destination Weddings?

Heck yes! I love destination weddings. I have been lucky enough to photograph and film weddings all over the US, Hawaii, and Mexico. Living close to Yosemite National Park, I have photographed weddings there and all over the foothills of Northern California. Having just traveled to Glacier National Park, North Cascades National Park, Olympic National Park, Boise National Forest, Challis National Forest and countless State Parks in Montana, Washington, and Idaho, I can’t wait to have an excuse to go back. Its an honor to get to capture weddings at such beautiful places.

What’s this I hear about Montana?

A large portion of our summer trip was spent in Montana. Over the past year, I have fallen in love with this state so part of our trip was to get a feel for it. We spent three weeks in Kalispell and Whitefish. I absolutely love Montana and would love to relocate to somewhere in that area such as Bigfork or Columbia Falls. Modesto, CA is still home and will always be. It is where I was born and raised. Whether or not we end up relocating I will still book clients in California and anywhere else in the US just as I have been while based in Modesto. I have been photographing weddings and events all over the US and in Mexico since I started my professional career. Every year I am driving or flying to Seattle, Boston, NYC, San Jose, San Francisco, and more. Being located in Montana, if that happens, won’t change the fact that I can still hop on a plane and capture a wedding or special event. I do it all of the time. Just follow me on Instagram and you will see it in my stories from time to time.

What’s Next, Jerad?

I will be spending even more time with cameras in hand as I have relationships with three of the major camera manufacturers now and have been shooting content for them. I plan to publish more tutorial and educational content on the Ditch Auto YouTube Channel, so make sure to check that out.

Much of the stuff that has really consumed my time over the past few years is not as time-consuming anymore. Thankfully I had hoped it would turn out that way. It was by design that I was able to travel for two months straight with my family and still have a home to return to when we completed our trip.

I will also do my best to update my portfolio here more regularly and my Instagram account for my photography.

If you or someone you know is looking for a photographer, please reach out. I would love to be a resource for you.