Communicated
With over seven years in the industry capturing simchas worldwide, CJ Studios has fast become one of the most sought after photographers/cinematographers in the wedding business.
It is the unique combination of talent, sensitivity, friendly service and a keen understanding of customers’ wants and needs that has propelled CJ Studios to the top of a very crowded field and they continue to innovate, both in their product and in the services they provide.
While CJ Studios, which offers multiple wedding packages, is one of the most competitively priced in the business, owner Yosef Shidler knows from his own experiences what it is like to put together a wedding with minimal funding.
While they do offer high end premium packages providing the ultimate in photography and videography, Shidler has spent months creating an attractive budget-friendly package offering extremely high quality services at very affordable prices.
“It was a real challenge,” noted Shidler. “There is a famous saying, ‘Good photography is not cheap and cheap photography is not good,’ and there is a lot of truth to that old adage.”
It takes a great amount of experience in the wedding business to figure out which areas have wiggle room and which brook no compromise. Using his own expertise culled from hundreds upon hundreds of weddings, Shidler figured out how to optimize services without compromising on quality and the result is a $4,500 package that offers unbeatable value. While there are other photographers offering similarly priced packages, Shidler believes strongly that none provide the same quality or quantity.
“There are those out there who may be slightly cheaper but we believe that even the average consumer can quickly realize that we are providing far better quality,” said Shidler.
“A lot of the cheaper companies have photographers that, quite frankly, aren’t all that talented. Walmart and J.C. Penny both employ photographers at their studios but are those the people you would want to hire for your simcha? The quality of their work is inferior and at the end of the day you have a bride and a groom who are both unhappy with their wedding pictures.”
Other ways that photographers keep their prices low is by offering a six hour package at bargain basement prices, but with the average wedding lasting between five and a half and six hours, plus another two to three hours of pre-wedding portraits, that number just doesn’t work.
“Is a bride really supposed to choose between having priceless wedding portraits and photographs of dancing with her mother?” asked Shidler. “The only other choice is to start going into overtime and by the time you finish with that those bargain prices are suddenly no bargain at all.”
Another crucial factor to consider is that Jewish weddings have many important moments where two things happen simultaneously, making it nearly impossible to adequately cover a simcha with a single photographer.
“I honestly have no idea how any company can promise to shoot a wedding with just one photographer, which is what many photographers are offering on their budget packages,” observed Shidler. “One person can’t be in two places at the same time and at Jewish weddings there are always two things going on.”
Shidler noted that there are those for whom quality just doesn’t matter and he advised those people to go ahead and select a photographer based solely on price. He expects that his Economy Package will draw clients who are looking for an affordable photographer providing attractive prices and high quality work. CJ Studios’ main photographers are award winning masters in the industry and both their main photographers and their cinema team are the same ones used for their top of the line packages.
The CJ Studios Economy Package includes one photographer and one cinematographer for eight and a half hours, a time period that Shidler recognized is the average length for the majority of weddings in the Orthodox Jewish community and more than adequate to capture the most outstanding moments of the wedding. Having a secondary photographer and cinematographer for six hours, which in most cases will cover the wedding until sheva brachos and provide much needed backup coverage, allows the entire team the ability to capture as much of the wedding as possible without having to pay thousands of dollars more for a high end package.
All of CJ Studios’ secondary photographers are accomplished, professional photographers, but typically come with less equipment, giving CJ Studios the advantage of extra manpower without the high cost. Having that additional photographer on the floor gives the team much greater coverage as the two photographers rotate between the different sides, ensuring that those all important shots are captured. Shooting in raw format also gives CJ Studios the ability to further enhance shots in post-production. While many photographers just provide customers with all of their simcha photos, all of CJ Studios’ photographs, even those taken with an Economy Package, are edited by a photo editing company that specializes in enhancing every frame, taking a full two days to adjust lighting and coloring to perfection on each and every shot.
Although two videographers are an absolute must from the moment the wedding begins at the kabalos ponim, one can suffice for the pre-wedding shoots for those who are looking to keep costs down. A second videographer will join the team in time for the kabalas ponim, allowing CJ Studios to capture as much footage as possible to maximize their high quality cinematography.
Designed to accommodate budget-conscious consumers by offering high-quality services at reasonable prices, the CJ Studios Economy Package features both great savings and incomparable pictures and footage. Clients will receive a 40 page 12 x 12 leatherette chosson kallah album and two 30 page leatherette 8 x 8 parent albums, typically larger than what most other photographers offer at this price point. Although these albums have only one photo per page, for a nominal fee the albums can be upgraded to a designer album with amazing graphic design on every page, resulting in an album that is truly magical. Also included in the Economy Package are both a full length video and CJ Studios’ wildly popular highlight video.
“Once upon a time I was a struggling chosson so I understand those who are in tight financial spots,” said Shidler. “We have spent hours coming up with a way to put together an affordable package that won’t compromise on either our high standards or yours.”
To find out more about CJ Studios and their many attractive wedding packages, contact Sarah Shidler 347-201-0613 or at [email protected] or visit them online at cjstudios.info
Literally the best experience I ever had. The videographers were so pleasant. It was so nice having nice people with me on my wedding day ! They were super easy going and the product is just unbelievable . Cj studios are real movie makers. Go CJ!;)
I have never seen work anywhere such as what is produced by CJ Studios. He captured the essence of my families wedding and more. Their team was professional and great to work with. The end result are pictures and stunning video that we will truly cherish! Thank you,,,
Going to call you now! Wedding July 11th!
No need to use my name, but I can’t stop praising the Shidlers! They are always available to answer any petty question, their photographers are fun and great to work with. We watch our wedding video on a weekly basis!
Looks like a perfect package! Hope to use you in the near future!
We are proud shluchim that flew in the team for our daughters wedding and we couldn’t be happier with Yosef! Thank You!
Yosef is a great guy and top of the line video /photo team leader. He also comes with the super talented @MendelMish
No one can beat Yosef. He is talented, professional and all in all amazing.
Go go go Thank You! Thank You! Thank You! Yasher Koach! Love watching your highlight videos!
All this is very nice but its always best to talk to customers first before hiring. having made four weddings , i learnt the most by asking rather than looking for cheap. Some vendors i regret.
Amazing work Yosef. Each and every video you release is a masterpiece! -The Albys