Joee Wong | International Wedding and Lifestyle Photographer

Home of International Wedding and Lifestyle Photographer - Joee Wong

Congratulations, you're getting married !

Thank you for visiting my website. As you can see from the weddings I have been photographing around the world, my style of photography produces images that are timeless, organic and pure. As most of my readers know, I am very selective on the type of couples I work with and my couples invite me to their weddings specifically to photograph storytelling images.

A lot of people ask what kind of photography I specialize in. My answer is this: I don't specialize in weddings...I specialize in relationships. Your wedding is all about relationships and the most important are those with your family and your new spouse. As a happily married father of 3 adorable children, you don't have to worry about me missing these moments. I feel them and I freeze them with each frame I take.

They say that talented photographers make you LOOK. But great photographers make you FEEL. I want these images you see on my site to connect with you on an emotional level. I'm a strong believer that your wedding images should evoke the incredible emotions and love that took place, not showcasing the current trends in imagery. A trendy photograph is dated. Substance will always stand the test of time.

Thank you again for visiting. I am really excited at the opportunity to hear about your story.

Warmest Regards,

-Joee

talk: +1.416.219.9401
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Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/joee.wong
Twitter: http://twitter.com/jwphotoca

Photo Credit: Kevin Fung Photography

Tuesday, April 29, 2008

Is your photographer an Award Winning Photographer ?

Posted in Business No comments

I just received a call from a good friend of mine from New York. We were just catching up and just started talking about life and business. One of the things he asked me was if I submitted any of my images to any magazines, contests, or joined any associations recently. He knows I am not really into that type of stuff, but then he asked when I’m going to be an “Award Winning” photographer and I just laughed at him. But he’s all about status and keeping up with the Jones’ and he’s still trying to convert me from my humble ways.

He also happens to be one of these “Award Winning” photographers and was rewarded that title by winning some contest at some convention about 10 years ago. I told him, like I did 10 years ago, that (1) these things costs me money, and (2) the only people that should be judging my work are my couples. If my couples love my work, that’s all the recognition I really need. My reward — more and more referrals. And it cost me nothing. On a side note, he has not entered any contest in the last 10 years. He doesn’t need anymore since he’s already won a contest, right ?

There’s one site that is well known in the industry that has contests every quarter for different categories and if you place in the top 20, you are awarded with a little ribbon beside your name. So when I checked out the sites of these top 20, everyone has “Award Winning Photographer” in their bio. Go figure.

My business model has always been the same since day 1 — to ensure my couples (and their friends and family) are getting the best experience with me. I am not really concerned about what other photographers are doing, how many weddings they are booking, or how much they are making. And I know there are a lot of photographers out there that spend too much time doing that. I just keep doing what I’m great at and run the business the way I want it run.

So when it comes down to booking your photographer, does it really matter that they are labeled an “Award Winning Photographer” ? Do you ask to see their award winning images and ask if they placed first ? The only things that should matter are that you love their work, style, and most importantly, their personality.

But I will end this post with a little tooting of my own horn…I recently entered a contest I was voted the World’s Greatest Dad