So Jeles Photography - Wedding Photographers at theweddingring.ca - Brantford & Area Online Planner, Referral Service & Vendor Network

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So Jeles destined to book up fast thanks to competitive pricing and a fun, relaxed approach

Reviewing Tara Jeles, Owner & Photographer @ So Jeles Photography

Tara Jeles, Owner and Photographer at So Jeles Photography, uses a fun, relaxed style of shooting to capture wedding days, though you can also see a bit of her own artistic vision in each image. Tara is young, fascinated by weddings, and uses a refreshing energy to take on each wedding that comes her way (most of which, do so by referral). Shooting mostly in digital format, she told us, "It’s the emotions of the wedding that keep me in the wedding business. It’s capturing the love and excitement as

people begin a new life together... and I get to be a part of their special day and the start of that life together."

Going into her second season of photography, this professional photographer was already fully booked for the year as of February 2008. She has worked with brides in London, Barrie, Peterborough, Haliburton and even Jamaica.

When we saw Tara's online availability calendar filling in so quickly with weddings, Trash the Dress sessions and maternity and baby shoots (among other things), staff at The Ring thought we'd better update local brides on all of the great reasons to book So Jeles Photography as far ahead as possible. Let us explain...

Personally speaking...

Tara has been shooting weddings for five years, but has always been interested in photography. She was eight when she got her first camera while on vacation with her family at Disneyworld. She remembers taking pictures of anything and everything and being overwhelmed by the ability to capture a memory forever. Tara's hobby of taking photos was something she never gave up, which eventually led her to capturing memories for friends and family as well as brides and grooms in the Brantford area.

"You always remember the first wedding you shot," says Tara, recalling details from the first one she did. "It was a gift for a friend whose photographer cancelled at the last possible second." Since Tara was known by most of her friends and family as an amateur photographer with tons of talent, her friend asked for help. "That was where everything really started." The next nine weddings she did were for friends and family. Word of mouth led the way to more and more weddings while Tara studied both fine art and photography. She considers herself a career student, and continues to study her craft regularly.

A fun, romantic, casual style

From looking at her portfolio, you can see that Tara's photos are posed to look slightly candid in a fun, romantic, casual style. "The couple should feel relaxed in the shoots and remember the fun they had once they can look back at the moments in film," she says.

Tara poses the usual portraits that are so necessary for documenting the facts and for appeasing parents or guests who may want more traditional photos. She can work from a shot list if you have specific requests and she'll attempt to get as many of the details as possible so that you won't agonize over the perfect table setting and then not get a picture of the final look. But in the end, your album is designed to show off the as-it-happens photography that So Jeles Photography offers.

Weddings with Tara...

With Tara Jeles you get the best of both worlds when it comes to format. Tara originally began her career working with film photography until she was eventually persuaded by the freedom and potential of digital photography to switch. "I still offer film to people who want it," she admits. "I couldn't bear to part with my film cameras after using and loving them for so long!"

When shooting in film only, Tara offers prints of course, but also scans all images to CD so that you can look at and share your images with family. In addition, you walk away with ownership of your own negatives - unique in this day and age.

Better yet, the CD of proofs should arrive within one to two months of your wedding day (depending on how busy Tara's season is). "I love to deliver the pictures to the couple, feeling the anticipation then giving the bride and groom their pictures and watching them relive their day all over again."

Tara has been hired for a variety of different styles and budgets of weddings, including several destination weddings. In November 2007 she shot a wedding in Jamaica, and then photographed the reception that took place this January back here in Ontario.

Brides (and grooms) just wanna have fun

Couples who choose Tara Jeles for their photography often end up being long term clients and friends. Tara said that it's probably her 'Trash the Dress' sessions that have most of her couples coming back for more after the wedding. She takes the now-husband and wife out in their formal attire to pose in a variety of fun and different locations. Tara says it's a lot of fun and a great excuse to wear the dress again, or to do some of the shots that might have been a bit too risky on the wedding day.

"Bellies and babies sessions also have me really busy this season too," said Tara, referring to maternity and baby portrait sessions. "It's wonderful to see the bride and groom as husband and wife and then mother and father..."

Packages and pricing

Even though So Jeles Photography is certainly no longer considered 'new' to the business, Tara's packages are the lowest we've seen in a long time. This makes her a great option for a bride with a lower budget. This also means that she'll book up very fast.

Starting at $450 and going up to only $1600, each of her packages include all-day coverage and unlimited photo shoot sites. With these packages are 4x6 proofs in an album, one hundred to four hundred photos, negatives and a CD of images (among other things).

An engagement photo session is $65 to $85 plus taxes and includes the images on CD and an 8x10 print of your favourite shot. The engagement photos are often used for your reception table at your wedding or for your newspaper announcement. For Tara, she uses the engagement session to help her get to know you as a couple and in front of the camera. She can gauge your style and personality while you do the same with her.

So Jeles Photography's album options are flexible and depend entirely on your wants and needs as far as your take-home memories are concerned. Tara is happy to work with you to create something you'll love for a lifetime.

detailsdetailsdetails

• Initial meetings with Tara are often at the location of the couples choice. Tara will bring an assortment of her work for you to look over.

• Once you’ve selected your package and booked your day, a deposit of $ 50 is due. This deposit ensures that no one else can book So Jeles Photography, as Tara only takes on one wedding per day.

• Your balance is due the day of or before the wedding.

• Most people book So Jeles Photography 6 months to 12 months ahead of their wedding date.

• Package prices are subject to applicable taxes.

Inotherwords...

"Thank you so much for all your hard work - the pictures turned out beautifully. You have an incredibly good knack at knowing which poses will look good in which setting. Because of your work we have many images to look at to fondly remember the celebration of our marriage. You are so friendly and professional and efficient. We would have been so disorganized without you. You were so much more than a photographer. You became wedding coordinator and friend. Thank you too for paying attention to the details. I was thrilled to see the pictures of my shoes, the bouquets, place setting, the boys tying up their ties, etc. And we loved that you took pictures of guests - it rounds out the pictures beautifully and helps us remember who was there (believe it or not, the whole day sort of felt like a blur). We all had so much fun with you. Thanks for everything." - Bryan & Michelle

"Tara, ... we picked up the pictures. There is not one that I don't like. I really love the ones that we did at the park... The grandparents' photos turned out beautiful. I can't wait to show his grandparents those ones. Thank you so very much, Tara. The pictures turned out even more beautiful than I could have imagined. You have the talent which makes pictures look great, but you also have the artistic flair that takes photography to the next level and makes the pictures beautiful." - Alicia & Greg

"We want to thank you for so much - the photo session was so relaxing and enjoyable, I would not have imagined it any better. It showed through in the pictures too. Speaking of pictures... they are amazing. You captured every happy detail and aspect of what we were feeling. We couldn't be more pleased." - Sanu & Audra

"Thank you so much for being our photographer. Your patience and great ideas were appreciated!! Thank you for helping us in making our wedding day full of wonderful memories." - Adria & Bruno