About Chris Jallard
I’m fortunate to be based in Berry, on the NSW South Coast, an area surrounded by stunning landscapes and many popular destination wedding venues.
Over the past 14 years, I have specialised in wedding and commercial photography. I really love documenting a couple’s wedding day. I am flexible and adaptive, able to work in with the atmosphere created by the couple and blend in to capture as many little moments as possible.
My goal is to capture the fun, emotion and positive energy of the day, as well as the amazing places that couples choose for their wedding. There’s nothing better to immerse yourself in a landscape and shoot big wide-open scenes to really give bridal portraits a sense of place, while maintaining a sense of intimacy between the couple.
Below are five of my favourite images in no particular order.
You can also see more of my work on my website.
Above: I’ve been shooting at Kangaroo Valley Bush Retreat for over 10 years now and I’ll never tire of the clifftop views at sunset, and the experience it gives my couples. It’s a small moment amidst a very busy day, where they can just stop, spend a few moments watching the sun go down as a newly married couple, and reflect on the emotion of the day. This venue has recently been rebuilt after being destroyed in the 2020 fires. It’s been incredible to see the surrounding bush regenerate and the environment recover.
Above: Combining my love of photography with my passions for travel and cycling has allowed me to document some amazing journeys with tour operators Bike Odyssey through Europe, South America and more recently Africa. Cycle touring is about the journey, comradery and seeing things at a slower pace within breathtaking landscapes. The switchbacks in this image of Dades Gorge, Morocco wind all the way down into the gorge and, while a challenge to conquer, is ultimately a piece of cycling heaven. Of course, the payoff is riding back down the other side.
Above: No photoshop was used here, and yes, this is from a real wedding! For a bit of background, I was absolutely in on the plan with my couple, but the bridal party had no idea what was about to take place, and the genuine shock on their faces show it. The one thing I couldn’t plan for was how perfectly the groom would ‘plank’ it into the water. Needless to say, this rather splashing event ended the portrait session, and the groom did a quick outfit change before entering the reception.
Above: When travelling, the differences in natural landscapes, colours and light are the most intriguing to me. During my recent trip to Morocco, the colours of the earth and the wide dramatic landscapes really captured my imagination. However, this building in the town of Boumalne Dades, provided the perfect backdrop for one of my favourite images. I love that the colours of the wall mural, capturing the World Cup fever, are replicated in the cyclist’s jersey.
Above: We had the most dreadful day with wind and rain and not your typical beachside wedding weather. Later, inside at the reception we watched the storm pass us by and we had only a few minutes to escape and get down to the beach for portraits before the sun set.
Initially the sky was a bit drab and lacklustre but right on cue just as we stepped poolside it lit up. Normally I’d prefer something like a good reflection in the water with the couple but this one gentleman was doing his laps up and down - I thought, what could be more iconic than someone swimming at one of our ocean pools with surf breaking in the background, unmistakably Australian. It was just down to timing to get the composition right, swimmer in a good position and breathing the right way and finally Emma & Tom having their moment.
The shot was exposed a little more for the sky as I knew I could bring up the rest of the image in post and also shot slow enough to give the swimmer a little bit of movement but not too much motion blur. Simple masking and adjustments only in Lightroom to balance exposures in sky and foreground.
This image won the Wedding & Event Category at the 2023 The Capture Awards