From the beginning, I’ve always had a foot in both photography and video. So much so that when I went to college, I decided to double major, earning dual degrees in photography and video production. I thought, if I’m spending all this money, I might as well make it worthwhile. I knew having both backgrounds would be invaluable, and it has been. There were days I’d go from sound design class to studio lighting class, and my brain got used to interchanging photo and video so much that it became second nature.
![Chrissy Jamie photographing wedding.](https://cjamie.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/28108/2024/07/cjamie_jazweddingbts-4_small-1024x683.jpg)
At the end of my time in college, a friend was getting married. Initially, I was just doing her photos, but then COVID-19 hit, and everything changed. The wedding was still happening but was extremely downsized, which meant her vendors also had to be downsized. A couple of weeks before the wedding, she asked if it was possible to record her ceremony for all the family and friends who couldn’t be there (she knew I also had a video background). My original plan was to just set up a camera on a tripod to record the ceremony and that be that. However, due to my overachieving nature, I found myself taking small video clips here and there. Then I thought, what if I gave her two versions of this video: the ceremony recording as she asked, and a little highlight film with whatever footage I had. She loved it.
The Evolution
![Chrissy Jamie Photo and Video team](https://cjamie.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/28108/2024/07/cjamie_jazweddingbts-31_small-1-1024x683.jpg)
I didn’t immediately start offering photo and video packages, but I did start offering a video add-on to my photo packages. For just a couple hundred dollars, I created a short 3-minute video. This quickly became a popular add-on, and after a few weddings, I felt ready to fully jump in and start offering photo and video packages. However, there was one major downside: doing both was just a lot. There were always just two of us: me and my second shooter, with me hopping back and forth between photographing and recording. I quickly realized this wasn’t sustainable. For one wedding, I decided to bring on a friend to assist me, and he took it upon himself to capture some clips while holding my other camera. Those extra clips not only leveled up the film but also birthed my new way of capturing photos and videos on your wedding day.
Now, I’ve expanded from a team of two to a team of three (plus an assistant sometimes). One person focuses on photos, one on video, and I switch back and forth while leading the whole shabang. With each wedding, we become even more in sync with each other, ensuring a seamless experience that allows you to still feel a part of your day while we document it all for you to enjoy for years to come.
One recent bride, Cara, had this to say about my team:
“Chrissy and her team were fun, kind, and patient and made everyone feel totally at ease. I loved having the photo and video combined in the same team; they worked so well together and with us.”
At the end of the day, that’s why we do what we do. So let us do it for you. Inquire here 🙂
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