Fairy Tales on Film

Adonye Jaja: I’m a fine art wedding photographer. It’s fairly easy to take a picture that represents what’s happening at an event like a wedding. But I think it switches over into art when you have a little bit of intention or a desire to make it something more than the sum of its parts. 

AJ: Sometimes I get cold calls, but I meet most of my clients through wedding planners. We usually start with a phone consult or a Zoom call. We talk about how their wedding is going to feel and how it’ll look. Then I have them describe their relationship, and we talk about how they want to be portrayed across time, what they want for their visual legacy. 

AJ: It’s probably 98 percent in the moment. I don’t do a lot of editing after the wedding. I’m mostly a purist when it comes to the camera. Sometimes I use Photoshop to remove safety supports [like the ones that kept the bride safe while Jaja took the photo above left]. But I wouldn’t add something that wasn’t there, like a sun flare.

AJ: I’m an available-light shooter or a natural-light shooter. That means I don’t use a lot of artificial light, like flashes. I work with the sun or whatever light is available to me. And then I position the couple so the light shows the beauty that’s already there. 

AJ: I was always taking photos as a kid. In college, I studied psychology and didn’t take any art classes. After graduating, I was in Denver, and I met another photographer. I asked if I could work for him just to learn about photography. One day he told me I was good enough to do this on my own. That night I made a website, and I bought my business license. It was tough at the beginning. I had to learn how to be a businessperson, which is not glamorous, but you have to do it to succeed.

AJ: As an artist, you’re always questioning if your work is good and wondering if people will like it. Learning that I don’t have to care about that, I just have to put it out into the world and let everyone else decide whether it’s good has been a challenge. 

AJ: I love meeting new people, hearing new stories, and traveling. I didn’t travel a lot when I was a kid. Early on, I was at a shoot on a mountain in Aspen, it was snowing, and I got emotional. It was so beautiful, and I couldn’t believe I got to be there for my job. I’ve gotten to shoot at the Great Wall of China, in Mexico, in Canada, and all over the United States. My life is so interesting. I get to go to all these crazy places and take pictures of happy people.

AJ: Pick up a camera and start shooting. Just keep working at it. I wasn’t formally trained, and I don’t think you necessarily need to be. Use your cell phone. Look at light, make pictures, and have fun.