Jerry Ghionis Boston Seminar | Jules Ko Photography
About a month ago, in the midst of an already swamped time frame of moving, and photographing more family portraits and weddings then I could keep up with, I took a giant step to invest into my own photography education. I attended a 5 day training seminar with a Jerry Ghionis, an Australian photographer who is commonly noted as one of the top 5 photographers in the world, but easily the best in my humble opinion. I don’t follow that many big names in the industry. I either feel overwhelmed by their scale, or feel like I can not relate to them, but somewhere and somehow, Jerry Ghionis surfaced on my radar, and I’ve been a very ‘devoted’ follower. It didn’t hurt one bit either that he married the lovely Bostonian- Melissa whom I already had a little girl crush on when I heard her speak at a local conference 2 years ago.
Jerry has a charismatic, fun, genuine personality. But all of this would not matter if my personal craft and view on life remained the same after studying through a nearly 30hr seminar. In fact, after attending his 5 day seminar, I had more conviction in my work then I ever did. And as I started incorporating more of the things I learned from him, I began to have more ‘glee’ on photography then ever before. I’m extremely grateful for him for teaching me to see and feel differently, or even put a finger on things I was not able to clarify on my own.
Right before the seminar, I had felt like I had come to a small cross road. A very exciting opportunity approached me that I was very flattered by, but would have required sacrifice from my own business. During the mentoring session, Jerry and Melissa helped to put this opportunity into a greater perspective, and equipped me with knowledge on how to handle my business and personal life more clearly.
Few of the key points that rings in my mind aside from the technical skills I learned from him, are his convictions behind his work. He said something to the point of: ‘If an image is going to be priceless tomorrow, shouldn’t it cost more today?’ In other words, the special moments I capture are meant to be priceless and outlast lifetimes. The discerning clients will realize the differences in my work versus the next photographer or photography studio, and treat their wedding/portrait photography as investments into their future appreciation.
The other point that hit home for me was, ‘if you don’t spoil your self, you won’t know how to spoil your clients.’ The class thought back to a splurge item we bought, and I thought back to my car. I purchased my car within a year out of college monthly after 9-11. I wasn’t in the most financially confident place- I was a contractor without the guarantee of being hired on as staff. The old family car that was given to me was deteriorating and my parents were worried for me to be stranded in my long commutes. While I could have bought another used car, or the entry level new car at the dealership, I bought a car that stood out to me in design and features, and emotionally I connected with. It was a luxury purchase at that stage of my life, but I knew it would be worth the splurge to me. Now nearly 10 years later, that car has moved across the country with me, and has never given me a wink of trouble, and I love it today as much as I loved it the day I drove it off the lot. It actually saddens me still that someday I’d have to give up that car for one that can take a baby car seat. I may have spent 5 month’s salary more than I needed to for a car that had all the necessary functions, but this was a one time purchase that had emotional investment for me, and brings me back to Jerry point, I spoiled myself, and I have absolute no regrets 10 years later now. High end boutique photography has even more importance than the car I purchased, because it will grow old with my client’s families, memories, and even be part of their legacy.
A great example of spoiling my client would be having to design and produce a beautiful wedding album for them, so that the client doesn’t have to spend 40 hrs of their already busy schedule developing an album that the consumer grade online print lab is going to do a low quality job on, knowing that this album will be cherished throughout their anniversaries, and past their life time… or to save a busy mother from designing and printing her Christmas cards so that she can spend more hours with her family.
These are random pockets of thoughts rushing through my head after learning from him, but I must say, after digesting a lot of the information he taught, the bottom line is, that I see things I didn’t see before, and I have more joy in my work then ever before. And this all must be seeping out somehow… while I cringe at some of my past works, I am producing works I’m more proud of and connecting more with my current and future clients~ As Jerry often says, “if you want to be a better photographer, be a better person.”
Below are some of the images I’ve taken after the class. Though they don’t relate to people and emotions, I’ve used techniques I had not used before to create these images.
Another awe inspiring artist, Chihuly’s exhibit at the MFA… what a mastermind! and what a visual feast! Seattle, I appreciate you even more for being the home of Dale Chihuly!
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