BEHIND THE CAMERA: MEET BRIAN JARREAU

GET TO KNOW TOP NOLA PHOTOGRAPHERS: MEET BRIAN JARREAU

WRITTEN BY : JESSICA BURKE, NOW WEDDINGS PUBLISHER

If there is one thing that most professional photographers agree on, it’s that incredibly important to get to know the photographers you’re considering for your wedding before you book them.

To get you started we interviewed several New Orleans-area photographers with a diverse range of styles and found out how they got started in photography, what it’s like working with them, who their perfect client matches are and their top, candid advice for newly engaged couples. Read on and get to know these awesome creatives!

If your guests don’t know Brian Jarreau before your wedding, there’s no question they will by the end of your wedding day. This photojournalistic, “semi-formal when necessary” style photographer thrives on being a part of your wedding day, interacting with you and your guests and helping you relax and have fun. His adaptability is something he prides himself on and he makes sure that he listens to what kind of images his clients are looking for and delivers those - along with a great experience.

Brian, a theater major in college, got his start working in the feature film industry, but realized soon that despite the fabulous people in the industry, it was a “soul-sucking job that wasn’t for me,” he shares.

He soon left his home state of Louisiana and the film industry to explore other opportunities. Fortunately, he found his muse in photography while training under a professional lingerie and eyewear photographer. This photographer saw his potential and encouraged him to explore the medium and ultimately Brian launched his own company in 2012. “I had always liked photography,” Brian shares, “but never realized it was an avenue I could be good at or something that I had an eye for.”

In addition to the creative outlet, Brian enjoys the social aspect of wedding photography. “It is an opportunity for me to run my mouth non-stop because if i’m holding the camera, people have to listen to me,” he jokes, “and I love to talk.” “Because I have a background in theater, [wedding photography] gives me the ability to make friends with strangers and interface with people; it was a no-brainer for me.”

Brian loves working with couples who are enthusiastic about the images they see in his portfolio, trust his process implicitly and allow him to “just do his thing.” Trust is a huge factor for Brian. “What I love about couples, especially in New Orleans, is they trust us and trust that we’re going to deliver a good time for them.”

“One of my favorite things about wedding days is that everyone is there because they want to be there; no one wants the day to end. I live for this because I want to be there too - I want to be at your party!” he shares. “We are going to have fun and you’re going to see photos of you having fun.”

Brian offers this advice for engaged couples: “It’s important to know what you want out of the photography for your wedding day. We understand you’re on a budget and we understand you have a limited amount of dollars to stretch in so many directions, but there are so many aspects of your wedding that you will never remember and then there are the images that you will have forever. If your gut is telling you to go with a photographer that you really like and it’s a difference of a couple hundred dollars, find it; find that couple hundred dollars and invest in peace of mind that you know you’re going to get the best experience out of your wedding day - whoever that photographer may be. Nothing good ever comes cheap.”

Finally he advises,”Don’t stress about your wedding day and the planning because it’s all going to come together. When you hire the right vendors, you don’t have to worry,” he says. “We’re going to make sure everything is perfect.”

CONNECT WITH BRIAN JARREAU PHOTOGRAPHY

BRIANJARREAU.COM | (312) 404-7315 | BRIANJARREAU@GMAIL.COM

FB: @BRIANJARREAUPHOTOGRAPHY | IG: @ BRIANJARREAU_PHOTOGRAPHY