Joe Photo Weddings
27132 Paseo Espada, Suite 424
San Juan Capistrano, CA  92675
Voice:(949) 493-4830
Data: (949) 493-4806
Email: Info@joephoto.com

www.cupofjoephoto.com

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About Joe
Joe Paulicivic, known in the wedding photography industry as “Joe Photo”, has a passion for fashion infused wedding photojournalism. He also has a passion for the fantastic wedding photography industry and the incredible photographers that support it.   Joe’s story of success in the wedding photography industry is not a unique one… like any good success story, what you find is a person with a driving passion for what they are doing, a persistent amount of hard work and long hours, the perseverance to push through the obstacles, and surrounded by people farther along on the success journey who educate, guide, and encourage them along their way.  By saying ‘yes’ to his childhood passion to photograph people, Joe has found himself in a unique niche of the wedding photography industry, that of servicing high-end brides.

Joe Photo discovered photography while still in high school, and was immediately hooked. He earned an associate degree in photography at Saddleback College in Mission Viejo, California, and then studied fine art photography at Cal State, Long Beach (California). Later, he changed his major to film and video production. By his final semester in film school, he recognized that though he enjoyed the creative process of film and video production, the end results of a production were dependent on too many creatives throwing their creative hats into the mix, and this did not suit Joe’s style or creative abilities.  Subsequently, after the birth of his first daughter, Joe wanted to spend more time at home and not work the long hours necessary for movie production. So, in 1994, he went back to his first love full time and started Joe Photo studio. “Joe Photo” has been on his license plates since high school, so he was already well known by that name. When he started the studio, and was searching for an appropriate name for the business, his wife, Ingrid suggested he follow the tried and true “Joe Photo” theme, and it has proven to be a wise choice.

Joe Photo’s fashion infused photojournalistic style combined with the advantages of digital capture and post-production editing, gives Joe the ability to create unique works of art for his clients, in a style that reflects their unique personality as a couple.  Because of the time he spends with each of his clients, he now only commits to about 30 weddings per year.  This affords him the ability to offer more custom tailored packages that service the unique needs of the high-end bride.  The result of this one-on-one approach and the personal attention to his clients needs, has earned him a word of mouth reputation, and the fortunate privilege of being on the preferred photographers list for some of the finest luxury hotels in California.  This combination of opportunity has provided Joe with rich and beautiful weddings to photograph, which ultimately led to the inspiration of making the Joe Photo Show & Tell instructional DVD series.   

Joe Photo maintains a stylish 1,200 sq.ft. boutique studio in the heart of San Juan Capistrano, his consultations are by appointment only, and his clients are international.  His passion for fashion infused photojournalism led him to the most amazing dream wedding assignment in September, 2003.  Rangefinder magazine published an entire piece on this 10 day European dream wedding in the February 2004 issue, and Grace Ormonde’s Wedding Style Magazine featured a 6 page spread in the  January, 2004 issue .

Since 1998, Joe Photo has been a member of  Wedding and Portrait Photographers International.  His sole purpose for joining WPPI was to attend the annual WPPI convention out in Las Vegas, where he could meet the photographers in the wedding and portrait photography industry; at that time Joe was still shooting film.  What he found was an extensive community of friends and mentors, and some of the most inspiring people he knows:
            “In the WPPI setting, I get input, suggestions, and comments from some of the best-known photographers in the nation.  Mentors, like Gary Fong, Calvin Hayes, Dennis Reggie and Joe Buissink have inspired me to live my dream and do photography as I want, rather than how I perceive the industry requires we do it.  Had I not joined WPPI, I would never have met the high caliber professional photographers that I know today.”

With an immediate support of the WPPI members, Joe Photo began participating in the annual WPPI Awards of Excellence Print Competitions, offering his time to judging competitions, teaching Master Programs and Plus Programs, and Co-Hosting with Michele Celentano, the annual WPPI Awards of Excellence Ceremony at the conclusion of the annual WPPI convention.  In 2007, Ron Dawson of Cinematic Studios captured on film a short story about Joe Photo not being asked to host the WPPI awards ceremony that year, which is commonly referred to now as the “Disgruntled Joe” video.  The video was played at the opening of the 2007 awards ceremony. 

When making the switch from film to digital back in 2001, Rangefinder magazine followed his experience closely and subsequently featured Joe in the article “The Year To Go Digital”  in the March, 2002 issue.  Following which, Joe, along with friends Becker, Jon Barber, Mike Colon and Clay Blackmore kicked off the 2002 WPPI convention with the opening program “Digital Weddings, Left Coast Style”, which focused on converting a film-based photography studio into a digital photography studio. 

Joe’s images have been entered in numerous competitions, and have received some of the highest awards.   Some of his favorites included the March, 2000 WPPI print competition image which won Second Place Award of Excellence in the Wedding Photojournalism category with a score of 95.  The print is titled, “RUNNING THROUGH THE SQUARE (1999), and was captured in San Marcos Square, Venice, Italy, at his first international wedding.  .  And “FOUNTAIN OF YOUTH”, which won a First Place Award of Excellence in the Engagement category  at the 2002 WPPI print competition.

Joe has been published in American Photo, Rangefinder, Studio Photography, After Capture, and many other publications including several of the photography books found at the Rangefinder Marketplace.

You will also find Joe Photo’s wedding images featured in the September 2007 issue of Grace Ormonde’s Wedding Style Magazine, as featured online at  Grace Ormonde’s “Real Weddings"."

Joe Photo is indeed a modern wedding photographer success story, but only as a result of remaining true to his passion, authentic in who he is and what he represents, open to change and mentoring, and his desire to give back to the wedding photography industry all that it has given him.  Joe Photo wants to teach what he knows, give what he can, and inspire who will listen.  He loves photography and photographers and the freedom to create and express himself in his art.  He is grateful. 

For a daily shot of Joe Photo’s inspirational and educational style, check out his daily blog at  www.cupofjoephoto.com.