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vendor reviews: london ontario wedding photographers |
Reviewing Jennifer O'Neil, Owner & Photographer at Blue Iris Photography
Several years ago, staff at The Ring had our first interview Blue Iris Photography Owner, Jennifer O'Neil. Within five minutes, we knew we loved her and her work. Within three hours, we knew we didn't want to leave the coffee table we sat around, which was overflowing with albums and prints of past Blue Iris weddings.
Sitting in Jenn's office with her, we were impressed with every photo that we saw. It was obvious then, and it's obvious to The Ring every time we see Jenn, that she loves weddings and capturing special moments in pictures. "I'm in a great place in my life right now. I love my job. I get to be creative," she told us. "I make great connections with people. Many of my brides become my friends. What's not to love?"
When you hire Blue Iris Photography you get two experienced, creative photographers on your wedding day (Jenn and her assistant), as many hours of coverage as you need, unlimited posed and candid shots of your day, and the right to have fun on your wedding day. If there's a funny moment or a particularly touching one, Jenn makes it her company goal to make sure it's caught on digital film.
Blue Iris is born Jennifer O'Neil has been taking photographs for a very long time, "I've been taking pictures since I was nine years old. I just didn't consider myself a professional photographer back then. I was just the girl at school and birthday parties who was taking all the pictures." Jenn originally planned to make her mark on the world in journalism, but after taking a few photography classes, she was completely hooked. She then went on to take a three year program at Fanshawe College, specializing in digital photography. "My dad was my first teacher and the one that I learned the most from."
Blue Iris Photography opened in 1999 and allows Jenn to foster her different talents. "I love creating images, and watching my work evolve. Photography is my total passion, but I enjoy the business side as well. It's really like having two full time jobs." Jenn now does approximately twenty weddings per year as well as children, family and maternity shoots. She prefers to limit the number of bookings she takes so that she can give each wedding the attention it deserves.
Jenn thought she would end up in commercial photography doing food and product shots... "But weddings are just too much fun and they offer me the chance to be more creative." With weddings as her focus, Jenn keeps inspired by the spirit of such a magical day. "Although I am happily married for eight years, I would love to have a wedding every few years! It’s so exciting to be involved in such an amazing event again and again."
An artist's style The Ring was struck by the unique perspectives and fun approach that Jenn's photographs exhibit. When we asked how she would describe her own style, she immediately said: "Always fun, easy going, unique, and not afraid to try something different. Never boring, pretentious, or cheesy. The images are creative, artistic, and modern contemporary."
Jenn also explained how their approach to photography translates into the style you see in Blue Iris images, "Our personality is casual yet fun... it really shows that we love what we are doing and having fun and this makes everyone enjoy themselves." There is always lots of interaction between Jenn and her couple, wedding party and guests. They want to not only document the day, but contribute to the celebration and ensure the process is a memorable and positive one for everyone.
It's easy to see that Jenn has her own style and personality. When she aims her camera at a wedding memory, she does so with the goal to shoot a moment that doesn't look like one out of everyone else's albums. "I don't copy other photography styles. People copy me," she explains candidly. "I want you to have images with great expression and feeling to them..."
Jenn wants brides and groom who are looking for something different, couples who have a unique style all of their own and aren't afraid to share it. Because with Blue Iris, Jenn says you can expect artistic photos that won't look like everyone else's. She strives to make each couple's photos as reflective of their style as possible. So as each couple is different, so will their pictures be. "No wedding should be a cookie cutter wedding. The wedding photography needs to be a unique reflection of the individuals," she told us. "I love brides who are easy going and trust me to do what I do best."
Getting to know you Jenn likes to do an engagement shoot with couples so that she has a chance to get to know them better as people, how they respond to the camera, as well as what they like and don't like. There's no point in booking a great photographer if you don't give them some direction as to the type of pictures that you are looking for.
How she performs Jenn shoots everything in digital format so that you get a mix of everything that's available to you including prints in colour, black and white and other options. She continually updates her equipment to make sure she can offer her couples a good quality image.
While Jenn is the one who runs Blue Iris on a regular basis, meets with all of the couples and does the bulk of the photography, she has an assistant named Romeo Beaulieu who works each wedding with her. "I call him 'Beau'. He's an amazing photographer and a great person," Jenn told us. "I'm lucky to get to work with him. My brides love him!" While Jenn focuses on getting all her 'must have' shots and documenting the important moments, Beau assists her by anticipating any need she might have, and capturing stunning candids as well.
Confidence is key One of the most important things any wedding professional can do for her bride is instill confidence. Blue Iris has earned this confidence after years of successful weddings, countless gorgeous photographs, and a rapport that leaves couples feeling relaxed on their big day. "My brides always comment on how calm and relaxed I am when I show up. This puts them at ease. Photography can be an intrusive thing. I need to show people that I am their friend and I will make them look beautiful," Jenn explains. "Confidence is key in any situation in life. On a bride's wedding day, if I can help give them that confidence, they will stay happy and relaxed. I always let them know everything is going to be just fine and they can count on me, no matter what is going on... When people can loosen up, they're making the best photos."
Packages & pricing Blue Iris Photography offers three different packages to choose from, depending on how much coverage and how many photographs you would like. Most popular is the Gold Collection for $2300. This includes five hours of coverage with two photographers, engagement photos, a beautiful coffee table album, and a high resolution disc with about 450 images.
The Silver Collection is also available for $1600, or the Platinum Collection for $2900. If you are interested in other options that are different from her packages, give Jenn a call and she will do her best to work with whatever requests and budget you have. Custom packages are available to be sure that you get exactly what you want from your wedding photos.
One of our favourite things about Jenn is that she'll do up a complete album for you. Her newest styles are modern coffee table albums with interesting page designs. "So many of my brides and grooms don't know where to start when it comes to putting together their wedding albums. So I'll do it for them. I'll select the best photos and combine them in a book to tell the story of their wedding." Of course, the bride and groom can make any suggestions or changes if they would like.
detailsdetailsdetails • A deposit of $500 is required to book Blue Iris Photography. • Another $1000 payment is due 1 month before the wedding, with the balance due at pick-up. • Jenn is happy to make payment arrangements with you so that you are not worrying about these details on your wedding day. • You should book 6 to 12 months in advance to be sure that Blue Iris Photography is available for your wedding date, but last minute bookings are possible based on availability. • Out of town weddings add $100 per driving hour. • If you want to add extra coverage to your package, you can do so for $200 per hour.
Inotherwords... "Blue Iris photography is everything a bride and groom could ask for when it comes to fabulous wedding photos as well as excellent photographers. They showed up early on the day of the wedding ready to work. They made the picture process quick and fun, taking more than enough quality photos with an excellent mix of tradition and photojournalism. After the wedding the service continued. We got our proofs promptly with hundreds of great photos to choose from, we were happy and our families were happy." - Derek & Melissa "Before even looking at Jenn's albums, we were hooked. We knew that we could trust her personally to take care of capturing the special moments throughout our day. As much as we wanted to know about her, she wanted to know about us. We had a fantastic Engagement Shoot, and Jenn customized a package to meet our needs. Jenn is quick on her feet to work around surprises and she went above & beyond for us (we're talking lying on the ground on a spring day to get a good shot!)... Best of all, we didn't have to worry about a thing." - Juli & Warren "Upon meeting Jenn, I knew I was in great hands. She knew exactly what I wanted and was willing to risk the chilly winter for me to do some outdoor shots. The pictures are absolutely breathtaking, both colour and black and whites. Both the posed and candid pictures expressed the feeling of the day perfectly. We have so many beautiful pictures to choose from, we haven't even picked out which ones to have enlarged. Jenn is very personable, helpful and professional, and I would recommend her to anyone for any type of photography..." - Sheri
Booking Blue Iris... To talk more with Jennifer O'Neil about the Blue Iris style and booking one of their packages, you can reach her by phone at 519-432-4524 or email at blueirisphoto@sympatico.ca. Check out lots more stunning photos at Blue Iris Photography's website at www.blueirisphoto.com.
- The Staff at TheWeddingRing.ca * Prices are all approximate and are subject to change and verification by authorized staff and management of Blue Iris Photography. |
