How I Got to St. Barths This Weekend
A Short Story
I’m shooting a big fat wedding this weekend, in St. Barths. One of the classiest locales in the world.
St. Barths is often called the “Billionaire’s Playground.”
Phil ten years ago was dreaming of this day, with no real understanding of how to get here.
Getting paid to travel.
Phil nine years ago started paying big money to go to a luxury wedding’s conference, where he met lots of really cool people in the Wedding Industry.
You gotta pay to play.
Phil six years ago was recommended by one of those really cool people in the Wedding Industry to photograph a lady’s 50th birthday.
The birthday girl was Jenn.
Jenn is a rock star event planner on St. Thomas and St. Barths. She’s been in business ~30 years.
I charmed Jenn’s family.
She loved me.
She asked me to shoot an event in St. Thomas.
Every time I work with someone new I work extremely hard to overdeliver on everything. I gave her really nice photos really fast. I paid for all my own travel. I was not a diva.
You only get one first impression.
And
I was not a diva.
I shot another event for her.
And another.
It took about 5 years of working together maybe once a year to get to photograph my first full wedding with Jenn.
I did it at a discount, as a favor.
That was in St. Barths this past December, six months ago.
Again, we (my best videographer buddy Brian) overdelivered on everything. We had full gallery edits and sizzle reels delivered at the end of each day of the long weekend.
People cried. They were amazed. They couldn’t believe how fast the photos and videos came back to them.
No one on the island delivers that fast.
Jenn brought me back to St. Barths again for a big blowout 50th birthday in March.
And again for this amazing wedding this weekend.
Dreams really do come true.
They just take so much more time than you think.