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Vancity Photographer: Jelger + Tanja Photographers
About Jelger + Tanja Photographers:
Jelger and Tanja photographers are a husband and wife wedding photography duo. They specialize in working with spontaneous and adventurous brides and grooms. When they’re not taking photographs they can be found enjoying the beautiful nature of BC. Jelger loves making food from scratch, including making his own sausages. Tanja loves polar bear dips and petting cats, even the scruffy back alley ones.
Why did you become a photographer?
We both had a quarter life crisis back when we were still living in Belgium. We were working as a lawyer (Jelger) and physiotherapist (Tanja) and hardly had any personal time together. We needed a big change in our lives and decided to move across the world and start over in Vancouver. Creating our business together and working with like-minded couples is more rewarding than we could’ve dreamed of.
What do you love most about being a photographer?
For us, it’s about more than being a photographer. It’s about the experience: spending time with clients who share our passion for the outdoors, travel and food. We’ve had some crazy and unforgettable adventures along the way. It’s an ever evolving way of living and we cherish every minute of it. 
How long have you been in business?
We started our business right after we moved from Belgium to Vancouver, 5 years ago (October 2011).
What do you think distinguishes your work from that of other photographers?
We focus on working with spontaneous and adventurous couples, and make it all about the experience.
How soon do people receive their photography photos?
Our clients receive the online gallery with edited, high resolution photos 4 weeks after the shooting date.
How many images do you take?
It’s hard to give a fixed number, since it depends on the type of shoot, hours of coverage and other factors. For weddings, we roughly end up delivering 60 photos per shooting hour. 
What was one of your most memorable wedding experiences?
The time when Jelger was photographing a bridal couple with a herd of running horses in the background. The Irish bride and groom had lived and worked for a couple of months on the ranch and finished their stay with an intimate wedding. Jelger stood in the middle of the runway, his back turned to the approaching horses.
Do you recommend engagement shoots?
Absolutely! An engagement shoot is the perfect opportunity to create your unique adventure. For example, a couple we recently photographed loved rock climbing, so we made it part of their engagement shoot. With other clients we’ve gone on hikes to remote outdoor locations. It’s all about their favorite experiences. And of course we have a great time together.
What advice would you give an upcoming bride & groom?
Trust your intuition/instincts/gut. Organizing a wedding comes down to making decisions, which is hard. More so, when you’re hearing all kinds of opinions. We believe in trusting our gut feeling when it comes to deciding.
Instagram: @jelgerandtanja
Facebook: facebook.com/jelgerandtanja
Twitter: @JelgerAndTanja
Website: http://jelgerandtanja.com
For more information or inquiries please email us@jelgerandtanja.com