Life & Work with Christina Joy

Today we’d like to introduce you to Christina Joy.

Hi Christina, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I always had an eye for photography, before I ever picked up a camera I would play with iPhone photography. When I was 15, I started using a Canon camera and had my first photo shoot. After I posted the images from that shoot, I got so many people reaching out about me photographing sessions for them!

I worked a regular full-time job, went to college full time, and did photography on the side. Once I graduated college I started my LLC and became a full-time photographer. In 2019, I bought my 2001 Dodge Ram Van I’ve fondly named Billie. I began van life and for the past two years have followed a pattern of being in the Southwest for the cold months, and I move up to the Pacific Northwest for the summer months!

Today, I specialize in elopements and small weddings. Many of my couples are adventurous like me, and I only take on 25 couples per year. I give each client a very special personalized experience that adds so much more to their day, I love making my clients my friends and keep in contact with many of them long after their wedding!

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Not smooth at all. Last year especially was the hardest of my life.

Living in a van is an incredible lifestyle, but it also has some intense difficulties. Car troubles disrupt everything, sometimes it’s hard to find where to shower or use the bathroom, sometimes when you stay in the city cops will knock and ask you to move in the middle of the night. Van life has its challenges.

With personal challenges, I’m beginning to come out of the worst depression of my life caused by a separation I went through last year. I rebranded and became a solo photographer instead of a team, and my life is vastly different now from how it used to be. I chose the name “Adventure for Love” because, in all facets of my life, I am compelled to seek out adventure.

Adventure for Love is so much more than a business, it joins my passions and talents together to curate an incredible experience that my clients will cherish for the rest of their lives. Experiencing the awe-inspiring natural beauty of our wild world through my lens is what drives my fearless pursuit of Adventure for Love.

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I describe myself as an adventure wedding photographer. I specialize in elopements and intimate weddings with less than 70 guests. I’m mostly known for these weddings, a viral Malibu proposal, and a viral emotional groom reaction.

I’m most proud of the diversity in my portfolio. If you go to my website you see so many different couples and vastly different landscapes. You’ll find a couple of off-roading in the Moab desert, and a couple hiking in Mount Rainier on their elopement day. I love being outdoors and live a lifestyle focused on being outside more than in. I love the colors and landscapes we’re so gifted to have in North America, and my editing focuses on being very true to life, and vibrantly colorful.

What sets me apart from others is the relationship I build with my clients. All of my clients receive a complimentary engagement session, it’s very important to me that they feel comfortable with me on their wedding day. I don’t want to be a stranger there on the best day of their life, especially when I’m often the only other person there.

I want to feel like a trusted friend, someone who adds to the experience of their day along with capturing it. I’ve spent up to four days with my clients on an engagement session weekend before! I am all about quality time, I want all of my clients to be my friends, this is way more than just a business for me.

Can you talk to us a bit about happiness and what makes you happy?
The simple answer is being outside! I am happiest when I am hiking in the Pacific Northwest, rock climbing in the southwest, cooking meals in my van, and cuddling with my dog Archie.

Nothing feels better than witnessing a beautiful sunset or waking up hours before dawn for a lengthy day-long adventure. I am obsessed with experiencing all the good things our beautiful world has to offer. I’m lucky to have been to 41 of the United States, 38 national parks, and 7 countries, all at the age of 22.

I consider myself an area expert in the western US since I’ve spent so much time exploring our parks and wilderness. Living in a van makes me so happy, it forces me outside my comfort zone and into the wild.

Pricing:

• My pricing for weddings and elopements begins at $3,600. Inquire to me directly to receive a full pricing guide or a FREE initial elopement/adventure wedding planning guide based on the areas you’re most interested in!

Contact Info:

• Email: christinajoy@adventureforlove.com
• Website: adventureforlove.com
• Instagram: instagram.com/adventureforlove
• Facebook: facebook.com/adventureforlove
• Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@christinajoyh?lang=en

Image Credits
Traci Edwards – adventureandvow.com