As I write this post, I am on a plane flying to Greece for a convention from Las Vegas at the end of another week at WPPI. The day after WPPI ended, Melissa and I finally got out of bed at 5:30pm. To say that WPPI takes a lot out of you would be an understatement. My week here was certainly filled with all kinds of events: I presented two platform programs, spoke for Nikon on three separate occasions, presented 11 demonstrations at my own Ice light/Ice Society booth, I was involved in two short films for the convention, I was a judge on the panel over two days in the print and award competition and sang with the FFB band after the Ignite presentation. Phew! It’s always the craziest time of the year but also my favourite week of the year. Melissa and I had the pleasure of meeting some of you for the first time and we loved seeing so many of our old friends, too!
But I have to say that I am so proud to be associated with WPPI. Their team is slick, professional and personable as well. I want to make sure that I give a huge thank you to Arlene Evans, George Varanakis and their wonderful team for yet another memorable show. For me, WPPI has always been about growth, education and family. A week at the convention really reinvigorates you creatively, sparks that passion for what you love to do and gives you strength for the rest of the year.
Melissa tirelessly spent months tackling logistics as we created our largest exhibit at the trade show as we officially launched the Ice Light this week. The Ice Light is a brand new continuous LED light source I invented and that Westcott created. Our booth featured three gorgeous models: Meleane and Anita were illuminating themselves as they walked around the convention and the stunning Lisa modeled at the booth as she posed and illuminated herself while photographers were able to practice shooting. We also had our largest team ever this year which included some of our closest friends: my former assistant, Sally Sargood; Gail and Nicole who are long time friends and veterans at our booth; a former workshop student, Michelle Campbell; Marco and Liz from Michigan who modeled for us in Paris; Mark and Tiffany who modeled for us and are our close friends in LA; and Tabitha and Miguel who are the sexiest Texans you will ever meet. Thank you guys! Melissa and I couldn’t have done it without you!
Each year, I use WPPI’s print and album competition to reinvent myself. It puts a deadline on my creativity as I challenge myself to produce unique albums and enter fresh prints each year. For this convention, I entered a total of five albums and one of them was easily the most ambitious and difficult album design in my career. I photographed about 20 weddings last year and I knew that I needed a wedding with that “X factor” to have a chance at taking the top honours in the Wedding Album of the Year competition. There was one wedding in particular that I felt had that perfect blend of story, family, emotion, ritual, glamour and the wow factor. The album design itself had to be different enough to make it a contender, though. I thought I would take a risk and create a polaroid collage creating a sense of movement in each spread. It makes a 2D image almost appear 3D. It was like creating a puzzle from the inside out with no knowledge of the final image. When I began creating it, I was in a creative zone like never before. Each image had to be placed individually and carefully. It took me six long days with very few interruptions to produce this album. Since all the images had to be placed into position one by one, a reasonable knowledge of Photoshop would be required. The problem is, I don’t know how to use Photoshop. So I called my good friend Andrew from Fundy Software. He created the base templates for the book and after a short tutorial, his software made it easy to bring my vision to life. It wouldn’t have been possible without Fundy software. Thank you Andrew!!! A huge thank you to Jessica Schembri as well who worked the images for me. (She offers tutorials on her retouching web site. Check it out!)
My inspiration for this design came from the master at polaroid collages, David Hockney, and also the double reflection you would see in a beveled mirror. This album design is truly one of my favourites and it is the most difficult design I have ever attempted.
This is the tenth year in a row that I have submitted an album in the Single Photographer category for Wedding Album of the Year, and I am excited to announce that the following album of Stella and Minh’s wedding (photographed in May 2011) won 1st place! This win marks the 8th time I have won the award in 10 years! I am so proud that I have won 15 out of the possible 30 top honours in the past 10 years. (Counting 1st, 2nd and 3rd places).
Win or lose, entering prints or albums into competition keeps you fresh, sharp and challenges you and others around you to always get better and improve their craft. I have always said that you don’t have to be the best. You just have to be better than last week.
I will be posting more of my WPPI entries here on my blog very soon, including an entire wedding album with images that were taken on an iPhone and presented without Photoshop. That album scored an 85 and I’m so proud of it. But don’t worry…that wedding was mainly shot with a Nikon D3S.
In the meantime, though, enjoy the winning entry in this year’s WPPI’s Wedding Album of the Year competition. By the way, this entire wedding is now being featured on my subscription based educational web site, the Ice Society If you are not a member, you can browse chapter 49 for free or if you’d like access to all of the chapters, you can join now for $100 off. Just use the promo code: icesale Enjoy!
Here are a few samples of the album. To see the entire album see the gallery below…
Beautiful job on this design! The creativity is nothing like I’ve ever seen.
I saw you a few times at WPPI but chickened out at saying hi. haha I wanted to tell you how much you inspire me, and how both you and Melissa encourage me in my relationship.
I seriously am going to do my best to take a workshop from you this year if you offer it. Until then, cheers!
[...] finally got out of bed at 5:30pm. To say that WPPI takes a lot out of you would be an [...]… Jerry Ghionis Blog This entry was posted in Real Wedding and tagged 2012, Album, first, Nikon, wedding, Year…8 by [...]
Wow, award so well deserved! The album is beautiful, elegant and each spread tells an amazing story. You can see so much in each expression and detail.
Well deserved! Kudos.
Amazing! Very unique and new approach on a wedding album design. Congratulations!
Thank you so much for your comments!
Congratulations Jerry, I’m so proud of you there are just no words. My biggest regret was not seeing you get your award, so I’ll just have to make up for it next year when you win again and I have no doubt you will. To my mentor and my friend, all my love! xo
Eh, seen it.
(lol, totally kidding.) This has to be the most unique album style I’ve ever seen, beautiful! Must have been a challenge to arrange. Incredible end result. Congratulations on the win!
Jerry! This is exquisitely unique and oozes charm. You get a real feel of movement and action. My eyes flitted from one detail to the next on each page with the story unfolding. Amazing idea. Well done.
Thanks for sharing! Quite an amazing concept pulled off beautifully. I love the emphasis that this puts on all of the emotions. Really cool!
Fantastic work and congrats on your awards. Continually raising the bar. RD
amazing! inspiring! outstanding as always! You set the bar higher for yourself and in doing so you elevate others to do the same…Love this piece of wedding art and i am sure the couple went crazy over the coolness of it too!
Much love to Melissa and You- Jerry, my mentor and friend,
Elena
Great stuff! Looking forward to meet you in Stockholm in May
WOW! Totally stunning!!
So happy you enjoyed the album! Simon, your comment describes exactly what I wanted you to see. I may use your comment in the future!
I have no words. This is absolutely amazing!
Just astounding! I am officially astounded. There is so much beauty and story in every spread. I love the way you said you were inspired by a bevelled mirror. It feels like I’m looking at this wedding through a series of mirrors, or perhaps through multiple sets of eyes.
So, what’s it like to be a rock star? No guitar, just super talent – amazing album! Congrats!
I’m not sure if you’re a mad man, or a genius (leaning towards genius…). This is simply amazing… I love it!!
Congratulations on your album design!! It was beautiful and brilliant!! This was my second time at WPPI, but my first time hearing your platform session. I will be a Ghionis pre-board from now on! Your presentation was a highlight of my week! Thank you!!
What an idea!! This album is so amazing and by doing so you have all the freedom to juxtaposed the image in the way you want. Love it to the max. The only one that would be unhhapy is the retoucher, thats like editing ten album in 1
Jerry, next time try LumaPix Fotofusion instead of Photoshop. I am sure you will be happy.
Refreshing concept and amazing as always
This year was my first time attending WPPI and honestly, I was overwhelmed with all the stuff you can see and learn from the all Professionals doing their own presentations. But you sir, you really stood out with your style, technique and humor. Congratulations on the award and hopefully I will be able to see you again on next year’s WPPI and learn something new!
Wow. Every single page invites you to explore and stay for a while before moving to the next. This is one of the few designs that work so well with many images on a spread without being cluttered. A unique and thoughtful process has been done here. Well deserved J. !
as ever stunning owrk…
I like it. A difficult design!!!
Obviously you are not really human Jerry….you are insanely creative and imaginative and a wonderful giving spokesperson always willing to share. Thanks for making photography so creative and fun!!
Fabulous – well deserved – reminds me of Hockney’s Polaroid collages that he was doing in the early 80s. Keep up the cutting edge work ‘maestro’ !
What a cool concept and design! While it took me a moment for my eyes to adjust to the broken up images at first, after getting used to it my eyes were lead across the images naturally creating the feeling of movement, like pages being quickly flipped. There were also spreads that let my eyes rest on the great emotions and images too. I’m looking forward to seeing how you try to top yourself next year!
Wow totally brilliant and very brave congratulations and thank you so much for your ongoing inspiration
OMG, just fabulous! Having seen the chapters on the ice society for this wedding and now seeing the vision for the album it just further cements your ‘total’ approach to wedding photography, how the sum of the parts make the whole, truly sublime! thank you for sharing
Phil
Very unique. Great idea. I would compliment you for “thinking outside the box”, but the saying doesn’t fit with you using so many boxes. So great job thinking of new boxes.
Very out of the box concept. I think it works best when using only one image. Congratulations on your award! Well deserved.
Valentin
Inspirational in every way. Thanks for sharing, Jerry.
Jerry, your work is as always just phenomenally great! This album remembers me the work of an italian photographer, Maurizio Galimberti (http://www.mauriziogalimberti.it – look in the “polaroid collection”). He shoots using a simple polaroid and then phisically joins the photos in to a big poster. You can find some portraits and some location photos done this way.
bye,
Alessandro
Amazing and inspiring!! I too haven’t seen this kind of creativity, its superb Jerry.
wow jerry, this is amazing. takes vision to put something like this together. your award is much deserved, congrats!
[...] What I like about Jerry’s current album is that he’s found a new way to present an old subject (that being weddings). I’m not sure I’m sold on his style here, but I do admire his quest to continually best himself and find new ways of expression. You can check out his album and related thoughts on his blog. [...]
You have a seemingly endless bottom of creativity! Where do you get this stuff from. You must be on creative steroids or something. Congratulations!
Maravilhoso trabalho e merecido prêmio, parabéns Jerry!!
When I saw this for a first look it was only photos by squares and lots have done that: why Gerry Ghionis do this? Second look and, man, it is insane. Fantastic idea, awesome result and wow!… you really are a master among us. Congrats.
simply beautiful and you really got the amazing style that’s something really special gift from god.
just wondering why am i seeing all photos in grid?
Exquisite craftsmanship .Thanks for sharing…
Hi Jerry from the island of Santorini,
you are really amazing. You took wedding photography in to a totally different level. I really enjoyed the video, it is a great pleasure to see you working.
Vangelis
[...] You should definitely check out the entire wedding on his blog. Click here to see the entire album. [...]
Jerry, this album was so beautiful….It took my breath away. You are a true artist.
xo
Nora.
Also, it was great when you accepted the award in Russian.
xo
Nora.
Your photography and album design specifically is truly an inspiration. I am too embarrassed to even post my website link because I don’t feel as though I even compare. I only hope one day I can show my passion for weddings as beautiful as you do.
Very interesting shots, I have to say, I really like it!
I see a little vintage Monte in some of the poses
That is the most unique album design I have ever seen! Nicely done!
wow! seeing your work keeps wedding photography alive for me–so refreshing. I love the creativity with this 3D effect. too cool. I’ve seen collages before, but this is in a realm all it’s own.
This really was a brave decision with an amazing outcome. It takes a little time to figure out how to look at the pictures, but eventually the more you look the more you see!
love the collage approach – super creative
Amazing album. I love it Jerry!!
At first glance, when I saw the first image, I was a bit confused -I didn’t quite get it. Then I scrolled down to the next, and a “wow” escaped my lips. The lightbulb in my head went on and my mind was blown… Well deserved!
Hi Jerry, beautiful and striking album. Can definitely feel the emotion, sense of movement, and nice lighting. Was good to meet you also at the recent Auckland seminar. Can’t wait to receive our new Ice Light.
amazing! love it so much..
Kaleidoscopic fantasy. Birlliant.
Super cool website, and superb photography. I wish to aspire to this type of work and design. Thanks for posting.
Fantastic!!! Thank you for sharing the details for journey in creating this masterpiece. Truly inspirational!
Excellent!! , something different.
Interesting block photos for display
Amazing photos, so beautiful so clear…..looks stunning.