Meet Jared Rygg of Jared C Rygg Photography

Today we’d like to introduce you to Jared Rygg. 

Hi Jared, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
Though I’ve been passionate about art and photography my entire life, my journey to pursue wedding & elopement photography specifically was inspired by my experience with my own wedding photographer. Seeing how she was able to document my wife and I’s engagement session and our wedding day so beautifully and keep the full day running seamlessly really spoke to me. Providing a service so personal and important to people, while being able to create freely, really seemed like exactly where I needed to be to best provide for my community.

I purchased my first professional camera just before my wedding day in October 2018, began putting together shoots after work and on weekends, and gradually built my brand while working full-time for 2 years before ultimately making the jump to full-time photographer.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
With anything worthwhile, my path wasn’t always easy. My career before wedding photography was with Donor Network of Arizona, a nonprofit that saves lives through organ, eye and tissue donation, where I led a Tissue Recovery Team for over 7 years.

You might be wondering how being in an operating room recovering on donor patients translates to a wedding day, but it does in albeit weird ways. You need a really steady hand—throughout my time I had the smallest margin of error, which was critical in ensuring the donor’s tissue was usable by a person anxiously awaiting a life-saving or life-enhancing transplant. You need to operate under-pressure—there’s intense time constraints, and you only get one shot at it (just like you do capturing a wedding day).

Despite the good I knew I was doing in organ and tissue donation, what I experienced every day was physically and emotionally taxing. The hours were long, overtime was a constant, and that career wasn’t going to lend itself to the family life I knew I wanted. Above it all, it wasn’t fueling my desire to create.

But because my ‘day job’ was so unpredictable and the hours were long, starting a business from scratch ‘after hours’ (oftentimes sitting down to edit photos at 10 p.m. and working through the night) really was a challenge. But I was at a point where I knew I needed a career change and photography allowed me to do something exactly how I wanted to—that was a huge driving force for me.

So there I was. Just married, beautiful new home, juggling two careers. And while it was difficult to piece everything together and remain consistent as a business, just as I was building some steam, COVID hit. And we all know how that put the wedding industry on hold.

Despite the challenges of trying to start a business in an industry COVID-19 virtually stopped, my wife and I were blessed with the news of our first little one on the way at the very start of the pandemic—and we were so thankful to finally be parents. During my paternity leave, I invested a lot of time into my styled shoots and sessions I was booking, to really paint the picture of what I wanted my brand to be. It was a wild, exhausting & exciting 2 months, but I was able to leave my old career in organ donation and, immediately following my paternity leave, make the jump to full-time photography in December of 2020.

Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Jared C Rygg Photography?
I’m a full-time wedding and elopement photographer, based in Phoenix, Arizona, and beyond. My specialty is timeless, powerful photography with some really dramatic and intimate storytelling. I like to think I’m known in part for my artistic spin I put into any setting. I focus on my couple’s emotional connection and documenting that both organically and artistically.

Clients who trust me enough to let me get involved with the planning always love the end result! Whether it’s referring soon-to-be-brides to some small-business gown rental shops to add a level of elegance and drama to their engagement session photos, to scouting the perfect, off-the-beaten-path location for micro-weddings, elopements and first looks, to how I always come to a shoot with a custom bouquet I made myself (I like to jokingly call it ‘Sprigs by Rygg’) and a hand-selected six pack of local beers (if you’re into that kind of thing), I’ll plan as much as I can for my clients.

What matters most to you? Why
A huge focus within my business is my client experience. My clients are always so thankful for how I’m able to go above and beyond for them, for their big day. People are hiring me to help tell their love story and I think it’s important to FEEL these big moments while they’re happening, so when looking back on the photos, it ignites a connection to those deeper memories.

I’m confident in my work and my ability to provide an accurate story for my clients. With this, focusing on just letting them relax and have a great time while I help direct is so important for setting the tone for the day. My clients trust my vision and what I need to do to get the images I get. So, once they’re comfortable and can really loosen up and enjoy themselves, we tend to fall into some really beautiful, intimate moments.

Pricing:

• Engagement: $450
• Elopement: Starting at $2,000
• Wedding: Starting at $2,400

Contact Info:

• Email: Jcryggphoto@gmail.com
• Website: JaredCRygg.com
• Instagram: @jcryggphoto

Image Credits:
Oscar Madrigal (for the single portrait of me)
Jared C Rygg (the rest of the images)