By Mike Tedesco, Pro Photo Community

Going into business with family is something that some will say can be tough, but it has been working for Jerry Ghionis for the last ten years. "My brothers owned a takeout food restaurant in Melbourne, and there was a very small space that had a separate entrance to it, so I leased the space and began my own studio with my brother helping out on the business side." It was Jerry's brother who got him interested in photography. "He gave me my first camera when I was 16, and he had a darkroom set up—I was immediately addicted from the first shot." Looking back at some of his first prints, even with his very limited experience, he realized that photography was his gift. "The pictures, even from the early days, had a natural beauty to them with good composition and natural finesse."

Jerry became relentless with his photography. "I was always photographing something. Streetscapes, landscapes, nature, whatever was in front of me, I wanted to make an image out of it." He was so hooked on taking pictures that he'd literally shoot throughout the day, and would take advantage of any lull to take some shots. "If I was out to dinner with my friends, I would wait until we had all ordered our food, and then I would step outside the restaurant to take some pictures while the food was being prepared." To this day, Jerry still has suitcases full of negatives.

As Jerry's passion and skill for photography continued to grow, he decided to pursue a 4-year degree in photography at the university level. "Photography was the logical degree for me, but I found the classes to be more complicated than they needed to be. All I wanted to do was know how to make someone look beautiful." Jerry wasn't looking to save the world with his photography as many of his classmates were. "I was always interested in fashion, beauty, and movies. I wasn't looking to do the journalist, Pulitzer Prize type of photography. I was getting married at the same time, and I knew I needed to start my career early rather than stay in school."

So after leaving the university, Jerry knew he wanted to focus on the wedding industry where there are always people getting married that need quality wedding photographers. "I was fortunate enough to land an assistant job with The Studio of Photographers in the Italian District in Melbourne. I was so into my job that I worked nights and weekends." Soon after, Jerry shot his first wedding. "I wasn't as nervous as most people tend to be. As an assistant, I had seen enough weddings so if I was in a pinch, I could always emulate the formulas of the photographers I had worked with." In less than two years, Jerry was asked to run the business side of the studio in addition to being a photographer. "The opportunity at my age to do this was so great, and if I was successful it would potentially set me up for life." Jerry was quite successful at running a studio and opened his own, XSiGHT, four years later.

When talking about style and approach to wedding photography, Jerry says "It all stems from what couples want. I ask the bride what is the thing she looks for first when she looks at a picture of herself. In almost all cases, that thing is what the bride feels is her weakest area, so I use that information to help make her look the best that she's ever looked in her life." Jerry is always looking for the right lighting and location. "When I look at a location, I think about a reason for the bride to be in that situation. I always take the shot in my head first; my mind is like a human Polaroid."

So what drives Jerry's images? "I want iconic shots. Every single wedding that I do, I want to walk away with a handful of shots that no one else could have ever taken. This is my legacy. There's an art to it." Jerry works hard to evoke a variety of emotions from his clients. "Getting someone to laugh is easy, but true emotion is harder. In one wedding I had the bride separated from her father, and I asked her not to see her father until she was all dressed and ready. With the father in the other room, I set him up leaning against a mirror, and just before I took the bride into the room I asked her 'are you ready to see your father for the last time as a single girl?' Almost immediately the tears started flowing, and the emotion and result of the image as the bride and her father embraced was perfect."

In addition to Jerry's photography, he has recently spent a lot of time on the road teaching workshops and lecturing at major associations and tradeshows. "One of the tough things about digital photography today is that a lot of photographers are just picking up the camera and shooting and aren't learning the craft of photography, but they are learning Photoshop to clean up whatever mistakes they made. I don't mind filters, but they shouldn't be used to mask poor photography."

When his students or other aspiring photographers ask his advice, he breaks it down to the basics of doing things the right way. "Going back to the Greek translation of photography ("photos", meaning light, and "graphos" meaning drawing), the first thing I explain to people is that lighting is absolutely the most important thing. Whether it's natural or staged lighting, you have to know the scene, what you're trying to accomplish, and where the lighting needs to be to make it happen." Jerry says that early on, it's okay for a photographer to emulate those whom they aspire to be, but it's critical to have some of their own style integrated. "Put your stamp into your photography and no one can take that away from you."

Jerry also advises that you need to identify the genre you want to approach, and be the best at that genre before you venture out into others. "Too many people forget about the education of a photographer. With everything set up for them, anyone can do it. What about a different culture where the bride is slightly overweight and the groom is a foot taller, and it's raining? If you can perform in that situation, you can shoot anything. In wedding photography, you are not only doing wedding photography, but also portraits, landscapes, fashion, and streetscapes." Because of his wedding work, Jerry is doing more types of photography and loves every minute of it.