We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Jonathan Hare. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Jonathan below.

Jonathan, appreciate you joining us today. Let’s jump to the end – what do you want to be remembered for?

I believe everyone strives in some way to be remembered. Its a lonely place if you are forgotten. But this for me transcends wedding photography. For me, I hope my legacy will be my family. Every wedding I do, this upmost importance of fatherhood and being a good husband comes to the forefront of my mind. I want to be remembered for more than just my photos. I want to build my legacy of continuing my journey as a strong father, a dedicated husband, and someone that my kids will look up to for the rest of their lives (and hopefully one day their kids) It’s amazing to see when a family bond is so strong during my wedding events, that without any words, you can just tell. It makes me want to put in the work and strive to be the very best for my own family. Whether or not my children choose this as their career path, I want them to always know I am forever proud of them and I hope they are proud of their dad as well.

Jonathan, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

Specializing in wedding and engagement photography in St Petersburg/ Tampa area. I am coming up on year 15 in the business. I could not be more proud to call this my life’s work. It is a true blessing to be able to share in this energy every weekend from my weddings and let that energy move freely into my everyday life. I can’t say it enough that it really is the best job in the world.

I believe people getting married in this day are looking for something that is different, yet still captures the essence and timeless traditions that weddings are all about. I like to push the creative spectrum on the wedding day with my couples and I think this is what gravitates so many fun people my way. I recently spoke to one of my brides on the phone from a past wedding, and she mentioned to me something that will always stick with me. She said, “You can tell you are doing more than just taking a photo, you somehow put yourself inside the situation and bring that love out of your couples. It is a rare gift and we are forever grateful.”

People always tell me that its never what I can say about my business that matters, it’s what others say. I can be happy with the reputation I’ve built over the years. I truly care for my clients and I’m glad this shines through in my photography.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

Let’s be honest in saying wedding photography takes a special person. It is not the easiest job in the world. Resilience and perseverance are things that you need to survive in a very competitive industry.

Last year, I was faced with quite the challenge for a winter wedding in Boston, MA…It’s best quoted from my clients perspective:

“Jonathan was INCREDIBLE! I realized in all of this that the most important thing about your wedding photographer is their personality and truly the vibe they emanate that will influence you, your wedding party, and your wedding guests, to be free and happy in front of the lens. The photos Jonathan took were amazing, but a lot of wedding photographers take amazing photos. Jonathan truly loves his job and is so natural in bringing the best out of people he’s around. It’s a remarkable quality he has that is perfect for the important role he plays in your big day. On top of all that, he’s so creative and has such an amazing eye to capture unique moments you’ll remember forever through his photos. We absolutely LOVE the photos he took.

His commitment to his clients is another thing that is just mind blowing. Our wedding was in Boston in February. With a foot of snow falling on Friday, cancelled flights and chaos ensued from Thursday evening to Saturday morning. Jonathan scrambled so hard, I believe he had 6 flights booked and cancelled on Thursday evening until he finally got on one to Philadelphia late on Thursday night. He then drove FIVE HOURS in the middle of the night with a snowstorm brewing from Philly to Boston arriving at 3 AM. We had guests that couldn’t make it, but he made sure he was there no matter what.

If I could give a million stars for this review I would, by the time our wedding weekend was over, Jonathan felt like family to us. He was so impressive and it was so evident how good he was at his job that even wedding guests were getting his info to hire for other weddings/events, and many couples commented on how they wish they had someone like him at their wedding. If that’s not a testament to how ELITE this man is… Just have a meeting with him, and you’ll see what I’m talking about. THANK YOU JONATHAN!!!!”

Dedication and resilience come with the territory. I will do everything in my power to never miss a wedding day for my couples. I know how much this day means and I’m trusted with this responsibility. So for me, it’s not a matter of if, its always a matter of how and making it happen. Im forever grateful for my couples and this trust. It brings me to tears because I truly do put everything I have into others.

What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?

With a busy wedding industry in Florida and many well established photographers on the west coast, many people would be turned off by the amount of effort and work it takes to become relevant. For me, there was never an option. I went all in from the get go studying every aspect and every angle of weddings.

I think the biggest realization for me came when I knew the secret to success is simply helping others fill a need in their lives. Whether this is a wedding planner, a coordinator, a dj, a venue, or my couples. Being sincere and lending a helping hand is something that people will never forget. Ask every Dj I work with and they will tell you, I offer to help them collect their uplighting at the end of each event. It is sometimes the simplest of gestures that will bring you to the next level.

Im blessed to have worked with so many brilliant people in the wedding events industry and I couldn’t be happier with the life long friends I have made.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.jharephotography.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/jharephotography
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/jharephotography

Image Credits
Sam Hurd Photography