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breckenridge wedding photographer

About Me

Hi! I'm Jo. I'm the best photographer in Colorado. Maybe even the WORLD. At least that's what "they" say. But for reals, some people think that.

Hi! I’m Jo.

I have the dream job that no one ever told me I could grow up to have. I am married to Kevin – a hunky, fun, kind, and nerdy Meteorologist who was introduced to me by a wedding couple that heard enough of my failed dating app stories. We got engaged on the Cliffs of Moher in 2019 and pulled off a pandemic wedding in 2020. We then made an awesome human in 2021, our little Zekasaurus Rex (Ezekiel). He is magical and sweet and has an extra chromosome that gives him superpowers (some people call this Down syndrome). But really, he has already changed us so much and we feel so lucky to get to be his parents. I’ve had my dog, Triumph, for 11 years and he is my favorite “grumpy old man”. We added a puppy to the fam in 2020, Radar, and she for sure brings the energy to the group.
I am a plant and vinyl collector, I love to travel, appreciate a well-crafted beer, and eat my dessert first. I believe love is love, music is life, Jesus is the way, and Black Lives Matter. And I don’t think any of these things conflict with each other. I think we should all work a little harder to dissolve the hard lines on labels and listen more to understand each individual’s unique combination of what makes them, them. I love what I do because I get to know so many amazing people.
My degree is in Secondary Education/English and Language acquisition, which actually contributes beautifully to being a wedding photographer;
great communication skills, organization skills, and managing drunk teenagers…I mean… groomsman skills, hahaha.
I have been taking pictures my whole life. I was the friend in school that constantly took pictures with disposable cameras. Everyone pretended to be annoyed at the time, but are so happy to have those memories now. I actually started more with VHS video in the 90s, was on the Yearbook team in High school, photographed overseas for a nonprofit Christian organization, took pictures of bags and luggage for eBags.com for 6 years, and finally started shooting weddings and portraits on the side while getting my degree and ended up being able to make a career out of it!
I am an introvert and an outsider, but don’t worry, I am also a strong-willed firstborn so I have no problem taking charge and being bossy when I need to be (like during family photos). Being introverted doesn’t mean shy, it just means the day after your wedding I don’t talk much. Being a loner as a child actually makes me a great photographer. Hear me out; I have spent most of my life watching other people. That MIGHT sound creepy except that is literally what I am paid to do.

Approach to your wedding day

With shooting weddings for twelve years now (whoa), I hope that I can share my experience with you to help make your day as smooth and fun as possible. You might not have heard this yet, but your wedding day should be FUN. I know, crazy concept. I hate seeing my couples just get ushered from event to event and becoming sweaty messes because of not planning enough time for things and still trying to accommodate all the “shoulds” that have been piled on to the word “wedding”. This is YOUR day, and yes, it is also about the people you choose to celebrate with, but we live in such a cool time where there is no longer a right way to get married. Do what makes your soul happy. Delete the things that make you sad. Honor your family and the people who are going to be there for you, but be real with them about how you envision that looking.

I primarily prefer to use natural light whenever possible because that is more the aesthetic I am attracted to, but I have all the tools, lights, and tricks to work in any lighting condition. My goal on your wedding day is to keep the “production” minimal to keep the focus on you. I work with you to create a detailed photo timeline, but then on the wedding day, I’ll gently help to keep you on track with as little stress or rushing around as possible.

I want your wedding photos to be as authentically YOU as possible. This is accomplished by focusing on candids but knowing when direction is needed. Not many of us are models and I know that even models need SOME guidance for where to stand/put your hands/what to do with your face (ha!) and so I never leave you hanging. I like to get you in that perfect spot, looking your best, and then help to guide you into laughing together and creating genuine moments. At the end of it all, I am the happiest to hear "I didn't even know Jo was there for that!" and "That is so US!!”.

Photography Style

With so many style trends coming and going, I think it is important to aim for classic tones, rich colors, and true-to-life editing...but still want them to have that something extra that makes them feel special. Although I shoot in digital, I love the film look and I edit to emulate the depth that only film can give you. I really don't want you looking back at your pictures thinking "ugh, that was SOOO 2022" by being too trendy in editing (think extra warm tones through the whole image), but I also like to stay current and want your photos to feel fresh. I guess I fall somewhere in between "moody" and "light and airy" styles. I love colorful images and I care about creating authentic skin tones. I want the photos to tell the story of your day, so if it is rainy, wouldn't it be super weird if all of your pictures were super bright? And if your ceremony is at noon on a sunny summer day, I'm not going to edit them to feel deep and moody. Hopefully, by looking at my photos you will feel a consistency even across very different lighting situations and seasons. And that is truly the best way to know my style - just check out the real delivered galleries and my Instagram feed! I can talk about style all day, but nothing better than seeing how the pictures make you feel and if they jive with your vision!

Nice things my clients said:

arrowhead golf club wedding photos

Johnny + Michelle

I spoke to probably 10 photographers before choosing Jo Julia Photography for our wedding this past June! She was maybe my 3rd photographer that I talked too and I knew that I wanted her to be our photographer 5 minutes into our phone conversation. She is so easy to get along with and really invests her time in you to make sure you get the type of photos you are looking for! She is so talented and captures so much more than a picture. We are OBSESSED with our entire wedding album. Our families and friends are equally obsessed and cannot stop raving about how great of a job she did! I would recommend using Jo for any occasion! Thank you so much!! <3

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loveland pass engagement photos

Aurelia + Zach

My fiance and I can't stop gushing about how amazing Jo is. We've never had professional photos taken before, and didn't quite know what to expect. Jo went above and beyond -- she gave us awesome recommendations for locations for our engagement photos, and arrived early to scope out the landscape. We were lucky enough to have a second shooter as well, and they braved some pretty chilly weather and sun in the middle of winter in Colorado to make sure that we had breathtaking shots (with our pup Mowgli included!). She makes you laugh the entire time so that none of the smiles are forced, you just have fun! We consider ourselves so very lucky to have worked with Jo and will definitely continue to do so in the future! I think Jo said it best when she said dog people are my people ;) Thank you!

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Golden, Colorado Wedding

Shelby + Daniel Part 1

Where do we even begin? Jo is not only an amazing photographer (I'd branch out and say THE BEST) but she's an amazing human as well. She has a kind heart & is someone that my husband and I hope will be in our lives forever. We don't have our wedding photos back yet, but we don't need them back to know how amazing they're going to be and to give her the review we always planned on giving. We met up with Jo at a beer hall to chat about our vision and to see if we wanted to hire her and it took just that amount of time to know she was ABSOLUTELY the person to do the job and we had no doubts about it. The vigor and passion she has for her photography as well as her clients is undeniable.

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golden colorado wedding photographer

Shelby + Daniel Part 2

She made us feel so incredibly comfortable in the short time we spent with her and we left the beer hall that evening SO excited to begin working with her. Our engagement photos were so much fun and our wedding was perfect as well. She was quick and efficient and stayed for a really long time. Our families were wowed by all the photos they've seen thus far AND they were impressed by how long she stayed at our wedding. So Jo, THANK YOU for everything. We can't wait to see the final gallery and look back on the most magical DAY. We <3 you!

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colorado gay wedding photographer

Kaitlyn + Caitlyn

Jo shot our destination wedding in the mountains! She was so wonderful to work with and made everyone feel so at ease. It felt like she was a part of the family! Her joyous humor kept us laughing in 20 degree weather and passion for photography is clear with every shot she took. We are so thankful that we found her and will be using her for any and all family photos in the future!!

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Boettcher Mansion Wedding

Meaghan + Troy

I wish I could give Jo 1000 stars. She was the single best, easiest part about our wedding. We spent a lot of time looking into different photographers before deciding on her. We weighed the cost with the value, and with her style of work. Picking her as our photographer was the best decision we made. From our engagement pictures, to meeting before the wedding, to the day of, she was unbelievable. She brings this wonderful energy and excitement to the room and can take control of a excited wedding party while still having fun with everyone. Her second shooter, Nate, was also fantastic and worked so well with the groomsmen. Also, her timing is outstanding. She never took long to get photos back and would send some periodically to keep out anticipation at bay. The pictures we received were even beyond anything we could have ever expected. We can’t even begin to express how grateful we are that we had the opportunity to work with Jo.

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RiNo Denver engagement photos

Craig + Lauren

"Jo, all I gotta say is WTF? These are amazing. I was worried cause we were both feeling kind of off that day and I was sick but I'm speechless. Praises! You da shiznit! We absolutely love them. Thank you so much." - Craig
"Jo!!!!!! These are SO AMAZING!!!! There are too many good ones to choose from! We thought that they would be "alright" due to Craig's sassy attitude...you KILLED IT!!!!!!!! Thank you thank you!!!!!" - Lauren

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georgetown colorado engagement photos

Tara + Matt Part 1

What is there to say about Jo, other than she’s a rockstar! Jo is a stellar person through and through with an amazing eye and unquestionable talent. We connected with Jo through referral, and lucky us she shot both our engagement and wedding day photos.

Being new transplants to Colorado we lucked out both connecting with Jo here and having her travel home to Florida with us for our wedding weekend. Jo brought us to an amazing location/backdrop for our engagement photos. We met prior at a brewery to connect and share stories, which soothed our picture taking awkwardness and made the day memorable as well! During the shoot she made us feel comfortable, unlocked our inner “models” and our pictures are drool worthy (made a lot of people jealous back home). Not to mention she showed us a new place to hike that had beautiful views and fall foliage!

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florida wedding photographer

Tara + Matt Part 2

When it came time for the wedding we felt so incredibly comfortable and trusted that Jo had our back that day. Now saying this post wedding... never a more true statement! Jo kept us to our timeline without us having to think for a moment. She was calming, gave us confidence, communicated well and again - our pictures came out drool worthy! It’s incredible to watch her work and have fun (jamming out to the 90s hip hop tunes in the bridal suite). Every person we’ve shared our wedding photos with has expressed how breathtaking they are and we beyond appreciate to have these moments forever!

All in all, having Jo Julia Photography capture these two major events for us was a fantastic choice! I’d highly recommend Jo to anyone looking to have amazing photos captured and meet an extremely talented person. You’ll be so happy you did!

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