AG|WPJA The Artistic Guild of the WPJA

I started shooting at age 11, when I got my hands on the first camera. Documentary photography caught my eye, starting with the cats, sports events, backyard views and my sister, who always ran away from the camera. The fact is, the photographer was born. At age 14 I got acquainted with color photography. Actually, the images were not full color. They turned out to be blue and I still blame the Kodak minilab for that. Two years later the first success showed up: I received a FIAP (International Federation of Photographic Art) award. During the last year of school I started to cheat on my love (the Photography) and accepted the proposal to work in television as a cameraman. I turned out to be too creative for broadcasting standards, so I left television and returned back to my old love (the Photography). Read More... Since then, for the last 12 years, I have been walking hand in hand with photography, and will never let it go. The first wedding I shot was organized by the top wedding planners of that time, which was a lucky coincidence for me. However, I was still thrown in the middle of the high way of this business and had to find the way out myself, the only tools I had were my talent, the camera and a fine selection of lenses. In year 2009 I discovered both North America and Australia, and the weddings there were a completely different story, I was stunned, and again all I had were my good old tools – my talent, the camera and even finer selection of lenses. I wouldn't trade the gained experience to anything. During this time I've covered lots of wedding ceremonies and have learned that they are completely different; even though the wedding gown or the venue is the same, the result is always unique. Nevertheless I am in ongoing search for new angles, perspectives - the evolution never stops for me.

Photographer	Janis Ratnieks
Location	London, England
Starting Rates	£800+ (GBP)
Website	janisratnieks.com
Photos	5 contest winning photos
Blog	janisratnieks.blogspot.com/
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The Artistic Guild of the Wedding Photojournalist Association proudly recognizes the accomplishments and creative excellence of Janis Ratnieks. The following awards have been earned by Janis from the AG|WPJA. These achievements come with great merit considering the high level of competition that a member faces in the contests.