joelnisleitphotography.com I used to believe that as a wedding photographer I was preserving history. Now when I hear photographers talk about "preserving" and "capturing," I'm reminded of pickles in a jar or specimens in a lab.

Who wants to invest in pickles and lab specimens for their wedding? (For those of you raising your hands, knock it off. I'm making a point here!)

Preservation is for mason jars. Capturing is for traps.

So, does that mean I don't believe in preserving history? No. It means I'm doing something more.

I'm a wedding photographer, and my job is to protect -- not preserve, and not capture.

Let's start with what happens when you hire me; I place you under my protection. That means I not only have a plan for great photography but I've got a system for making it happen.

I protect you with information -- meeting with you, showing you complete albums so that whatever decision you make is with confidence.

For example, brides have a lot of questions about whether their venues or locations are good for photography and what challenges there might be, what kind of timeline they need, and of course I can answer that.

I protect you by being honest about what will give you the results you want and what won't. For example, I can't do 2 hours worth of pictures in 1 hour, but what I do in that hour will be my best.

I also shield you, like on the wedding day. Bad light? You'll never know in the pictures. Cluttered room, distractions everywhere? Not in my albums.

I also protect that which is vital, that which is worth hanging onto.

What about the sudden urge to smile or remember out loud, perhaps a reminder of your heritage, what's worth hanging onto? Those are things photography helps bring to life.

A photo can spark a feeling of electricity or warmth in your chest, a daydream, a conversation, a story, the holding of your spouse's hand.

Those aren't preserves in a jar or album. Those are pursuits of life.

And all of this means I protect your investment because that's what this is -- something meant to grow and reward you.

There's more to finding a photographer than lining up a grocery list of stuff.

I'm not perfect, and I'm not even saying you need wedding photography to live because you don't. But look at my work and decide if I've protected anything worth hanging onto.

And then please let me know if you'd like me to do it for you.