I’ve worked as a professional photographer for 15 years. I have a Bachelor’s Degree in photojournalism and started out in the newspaper industry. During that time, I shot everything from criminal court trials to Detroit Pistons games (I’m originally from Michigan); structure fires to beauty pageants; congressional debates to high school football games on Friday nights. Every day was a new challenge; every assignment a new learning opportunity. My time as a photojournalist taught me to be resourceful and to think on my feet, which has proven invaluable for wedding photography. In the summer of 2008, I started shooting weddings on the side and absolutely loved it. I was able to visit new places, meet new people, and was granted a very important and personal role in what was arguably the most joyful day of their lives. Plus, I started getting a ton of compliments on my work and how it was different from typical wedding photography. People would tell me that they could spot one of my photos from a mile away without having to be told who the photographer was – that I was beginning to cultivate a very specific style. So when my wife, Moira, and I moved to Colorado that fall, I decided to make wedding photography my full-time career; we started J. La Plante Photo and never looked back. When I’m not behind the lens, you can probably find me on the slopes. Skiing is one of the main reasons I moved west. I’m also obsessed with the music scene out here. Red Rocks is by far the coolest venue I’ve ever been to. I’m a craft beer nerd, a movie buff, an amateur screenwriter and an avid reader of both fiction and non-fiction alike. And I love to travel. I’ve been to 18 foreign countries and all 50 United States. I drove all over the American West before deciding to settle in Colorado, where I immediately fell in love with the state’s blend of urban and outdoor lifestyles. The proximity of Denver to the mountains felt too good to be true and now, eight years later, it still feels that way. I can’t imagine a more perfect setting for a wedding photographer. [Boulder Wedding Photographer]

I fell into my passion for photography at a younger age and used it as a means to document the world around me. Having been fortunate enough to be trained by photographers such as American Photojournalist Ed Kashi, I continually push my storytelling and photojournalistic eye each year. Fascinated by human expression and interaction, I began photographing weddings and elopements and haven't looked back since. My goal is to create a relaxed atmosphere for my clients so that they can feel comfortable, be in the moment and enjoy themselves on their wedding day. I don't want to just take photos for my clients, but instead, I want their photos to speak for themselves. I am a California based documentary wedding photographer who also travels anywhere. [Lake Tahoe Wedding Photographer]