About

Overview & Vibe

Jay is a Ballarat photographer who came to weddings the long way round — a double degree in business and IT, twenty years in customer service and graphic design, short films produced from the pre-production side, and a high-school darkroom before any of it. She is unusually direct about where she is up to: eleven weddings photographed so far and nineteen more booked, with package prices set accordingly while she builds the portfolio.

Style & Approach

Her approach is candid — capturing the day as it comes — with direction offered to anyone who wants it, and her editing aims to lift the light while keeping the picture natural. She culls and edits every frame herself rather than letting software choose which images make the cut, on the grounds that she may see something the software does not.

Ideal For

Couples on a real budget who still want a photographer for a full day, and couples who want to meet before committing — her process opens with a drink and a chat before any paperwork. She photographs young couples, older couples and same-sex couples, and she has particular experience with neurodivergent children, dementia, and elderly and adult disability.

The Need-to-Knows

Four wedding collections: an elopement at 2.5 hours for $850, Essentials at four hours for $1,250, Collective at six hours for $1,850, and Deluxe at seven hours for $2,150 — the last adding speeches, cake cutting and the first dance. Every collection includes an initial meeting or video call, a call a week beforehand to confirm the schedule, backup and image selection, and delivery through an online gallery you can share. Start and end times can be shifted to suit the day, monthly payment plans are available, and a deposit secures the date.

Standout Feature

She keeps a list of Ballarat suppliers and passes it on as part of the package, and she will not publish photographs of children’s faces in her portfolio at all — a privacy position she states plainly rather than handling case by case.

Albums & Prints

No details available.

Appointment Policy

Choose a collection and send the booking form to check availability.
Meet for a drink or a video call before committing to anything.
A contract, an image release form and a deposit follow, then a call the week before to confirm the schedule.

Areas Serviced

Ballarat and the surrounding district, with weddings photographed at venues across the Central Highlands.

Booking & Deposit

A deposit is required to secure the date, paid with the contract and image release form.

Hours of Coverage

[4,7]

Nearby Landmarks

Craig's Royal Hotel, Ballarat
The Ballarat Botanical Gardens and Lake Wendouree
Cave Hill Creek, Raglan
St James Converted Church, Miners Rest
Donegan's Farm

Photography Packages

Elopement. Price: $850. Description: Two and a half hours at one location, covering getting ready, the ceremony, family and wedding party photographs and couple portraits.
Essentials. Price: $1,250. Description: Four hours, adding an initial meeting or video call to the elopement inclusions.
Collective. Price: $1,850. Description: Six hours, carrying through to the start of the reception.
Deluxe. Price: $2,150. Description: Seven hours, adding speeches, cake cutting and the first dance, scheduled around the day.

Photography Style

candid
natural

Price Notes

Wedding collections run $850, $1,250, $1,850 and $2,150 by length of coverage.
Monthly payment plans are available on request.
Prices are set while the wedding portfolio is still being built.

Services Offered

Wedding photography
Elopement photography
Family portraits
Newborn photography
Pet photography
Second shooting for other photographers

Starting Price

From $1,250

Turnaround Time

No details available.

What You Receive

An online gallery you can share with family and guests
Backup and image selection included in every collection
Every frame culled and edited by hand, with no automated selection
An image release form with a choice of sharing options

Similar businesses

Ballarat, Victoria

Contact

Website: jaileaphotography.com

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Jailea Photography