Reviewing Jonathon Ceci, Owner & Principle Photographer, Bravo Photographers

Bravo Photographers is a Toronto-based studio that’s focused on preserving wedding memories in a style that’s all their own. Owner and Photographer, Jonathon Ceci, says the studio is best known for their new style of fine art photojournalism. “We take a documentary approach to the day,” he explained. Bravo considers their style to be timeless, to break away from trends and standards.

So with this fresh, dramatic, documentary-style approach to wedding photography – not to mention nicely customizable wedding packages – staff at The Ring think Bravo will be meeting more than their fair share of Toronto brides at their Carlaw Avenue location in 2009. We sat down with Jonathon to find out how he and his team have turned a passion for ‘capturing the essence of love’ into a reason for brides to love Bravo Photographers. Here’s what we found…

Bravo for style

From browsing the Bravo website galleries, it’s easy to imagine their images playing across the pages of any major magazine. They are filled with heart, fun, attitude, personality, and a fabulous use of lighting and shadows that seem to turn primarily photojournalistic shots into art pieces.

Jonathon is the Owner and Principle Photographer for Bravo with ten years of wedding photography experience. His hands-on experience comes directly from shooting weddings since 1998 as he learned to be a professional photographer by trade through working with some of Toronto’s premiere photographers. Jonathon coins the term of his shooting style as Fine Art Photojournalism. “I take a documentary approach and with my fine art background, I am able to create masterpiece images through digital enhancement and manipulation.”

On Jonathon’s style for their August 23, 2008, wedding, Nilesh and Nimisha Mistry said, “We loved his artistic eye in the shots we reviewed. He had a unique style with his pictures and great enthusiasm, just what we were looking for… We liked his styles and eye for scenery and details. He took natural shots as events were happening, rather than posing. Above all he made us feel very comfortable in an otherwise stressful time.”

Jonathon says that he developed his education in Fine Art throughout high school and university. And, he continues learning whatever he can through his membership with the Wedding and Portrait Photographers International (WPPI), having taken over twenty-five seminar courses.

Connecting brides with photographers they love

Jonathon actually worked for another Toronto area studio for eight years before opting to open his own. He says it was a decision made mostly because he felt that the studio “wasn’t keeping up with the times, trends, or available technology.” He believed brides were looking for something more in their photography and he was confident that he could offer that. Jonathon opened the doors of Bravo Photographers in March of 2006 to fulfill a simple purpose… “To allow fantastic photographers to connect with great clients.”

Jonathon himself, Kerri Knapp, Jordan Dubins and Lisa Raffaele are soon to be only a few of the photographers available for your wedding with Bravo Photographers. Each offers their services as principle photographers with an average of two years of experience capturing weddings. Brides who come to the Carlaw Avenue studio can choose their photographer (or photographers) from the whole team at Bravo Photographers.
“Bravo Photographers is about the bride having the option of which photographer fits her style best and then feeling comfortable in knowing that a great company will be taking care of her products.” Jonathon says that all Bravo photographers shoot in his fine art photojournalistic style. Jonathon sees his Carlaw Avenue studio having a team of ten incredible professionals by 2015, all of whom can capture weddings  the way their brides want to remember them.

Toronto brides can visit Bravo’s studio (or their website, if that’s easier), browse each principle photographer’s work, choose their favourite and begin working with that professional to make sure all their memories are covered on the wedding day.

Jonathon says he developed a way to allow clients to choose the photographer they want without any games, meaning that at Bravo, photographers don’t have to worry about the business aspect and are only responsible for meeting with clients, staying in contact with them and shooting and editing the wedding photographs. This way, clients can have a full customer service experience with the photographer’s full attention. “Bravo Photographers allows clients to have a very smooth and easy experience by taking the production and business away from the creative photographers and into the hands of producers and business people,” says Jonathon.

Lynn and Rob Fitz-Gerald hired Bravo Photographers for their September 5, 2008 wedding, and told us, “Jonathon actually took our pictures which we thought was the best approach since we’d met with him previously and he was aware of what we wanted. We were pleased the work wasn’t passed on to another photographer.”

What Giancarlo and Joanna Cordova like best about Jonathon was the fact that he listened to their needs and vision. “We wanted candid-contemporary and he provided just that,” they told us, referring to their engagement and November 2008 wedding photos. Joanna added,”We loved the fact that both our engagement and wedding photo shoots were actually fun – we laughed and joked all the way through, which made for a remarkable experience.”

Since he began, Jonathon has covered over three hundred weddings – twenty-five last year alone. In fact, twenty-five is Bravo’s yearly limit (per photographer) so that they can ensure each couple gets the attention and quality they deserve.

With so many years of experience, Jonathon says his inspiration “comes from the fact that I know that I can single-handedly create an heirloom that will last longer than my life. That my work is not simply taking pictures at an event, but that my responsibility is being the ‘family historian’ for hundreds of families. And I love the fact that I get to share in the happiest day of a family’s life every week, rain or shine.”

Jim and Katie Watson, whose wedding photos were photographed by Jonathon, told us, “Not only did he make the photography experience better; he even offered to coordinate and handle any general wedding issues that came up during the wedding/reception.”

Bravo specializes in weddings, which allows them to focus only on bridal clients, but their portfolio also consists of photographing charity galas.

What they do best

Reaffirming their ‘capturing the essence of love’ philosophy is Bravo’s “passion for fine art and documentary photography.” Jonathon says, “Couples who tend to book a Bravo photographer are looking for a personal touch. They know that they don’t want images that are replicated over and over. They want a true representation of their wedding day without a fabricated influence from their photographer.”

John Couke and his wife planned their July 5, 2008 wedding from Tokyo. This made any recommendation they received from industry professionals or the web very valuable. He says that at the wedding, “Jonathon got at least one very nice picture of each person who was there, which was nice. They worked really hard the whole day …Everyone present (forty-three people) actually commented to me on how great the photographer was, very personable and polite…”

Since many Bravo couples tend to have good taste in fine art and are looking for an artist to represent their day with out-of-the-norm images, Bravo’s style is dependent upon the photography style that is chosen by the couple. That said, they say that their “unique style emerges as the wedding day naturally unfolds and the photographer can be a silent spectator to observe and capture every detail.”

Packages&Pricing

Bravo offers wedding and engagement photos, DVD negatives, online proofing and display for family and friends, online payments, posed and photojournalistic photos, unlimited support before and after the wedding, same-day edit slideshows (and claim they’re the only studio in Toronto to do it the way they do), one-on-one meetings with the photographer of your choice, convenient home delivery and exclusive album designs.

“Our most popular product is our customized package options with completely customized storybook albums. Our clients love the fact that we can create a storybook from their day and tell their story through images in a sequence that speaks to their style and characters.”

“Bravo Photographers has competitive pricing and does not have fine print or hidden charges – you will get what you are promised,” Giancarlo and Joanna told The Ring. They added, “Not only does [Jonathon] provide you with the option to select the style of photography that you prefer – but he allows you to customize the package to what works for you.”

Packages and prices vary, but Jonathon says, “A bride who chooses Bravo Photographers knows that she will pay for what she gets in quality. That bride is someone who is not looking for a discount just because she feels that she can negotiate, she’s a bride that appreciates art and good photography. A bride who likes to look beautiful and who isn’t afraid to show the passion that she feels with her partner in front of the camera. A bride who does not want a photographer to run her day but would rather have the photographer capture what is naturally there.”

Once you choose a photographer you love, choose one of their coverage options, starting at $900. Then, add a Bravo package that includes how you want to keep your memories – from custom thank you cards to albums and 11×14 prints. These packages start at $999 for the Bronze Package which includes 100 premium 4×6 proofs of your choice, twenty-five thank you cards with envelopes, a selection of enlarged prints, a $300 credit for albums, and low-res proofs on DVD in a premium leather case. To top it off, there is an extensive array of a la carte items if you need that one special item on top of your chosen package.

With all of the options available for customizing your package at Bravo Photographers – four photographers, five packages and an abundance of a la carte items – the sky’s the limit.

And then some

Supporting their philosophy is their ‘love for others’ motto, which is demonstrated by the fact that Bravo donates 5% of all of their profits from each wedding to a charity of the bride and groom’s choice.

Walking you through it…

At Bravo, brides have several photographers to choose from and each with their own style. Clients meet with the photographer of their choice in what Jonathon describes as, “An easy-going atmosphere that has clients feeling good through the entire process.” He adds that Bravo is tech-savvy and therefore able to connect with brides from anywhere in the world via phone, email, online chat, etc. “This allows our busy couples to manage their photography experience with ease and convenience.”

When the wedding photography is over, Bravo’s work is not – they have a “love for the finished product”. Since the team of experts knows that every wedding is unique, they make sure every storybook is as well. “Album templates or batch processing is against our philosophy,” explains their website. “Each image is digitally mastered in the photography darkroom. Our albums are created to reflect individual style.”

Bravo Photographers’ final piece of their philosophy is “love what you do, love who you are, love who you’re with” and it rings true for the couples they capture and the style they capture them with.

detailsdetailsdetails

• Bravo recommends brides and grooms book them for their wedding date 6 months ahead.

• Your payment is split into thirds: 1/3 is due when you book them, 1/3 is due at least 2 weeks before your wedding.

• The final 1/3 is due when your proofs go online, which is approximately 2 weeks after your wedding.

• A 72-hour rush delivery is available if you would like your online proof gallery available sooner.

To contact Bravo Photographers…

Phone any one of the talented photographers, including Jonathon Ceci himself, at their Toronto office, found at 181 Carlaw Avenue, Suite 205, in Toronto, at 416-706-7873. Or email them at info@bravophotographers.com. Their unique and fine art inspired photos are showcased online at www.bravophotographers.com.

- The Staff at TheWeddingRing.ca

- Review is based on research and personal opinion and may be subject to errors or omissions. Details may change without notice. Please contact this vendor personally for more information and confirmation of details. Photos used with permission of Bravo Photographers. Prices are all approximate and are subject to change and verification by authorized staff and management of Bravo Photographers.