Daily Inspiration: Meet James Silvestri

Today, we’d like to introduce you to James Silvestri.

Hi James, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
I like to think my journey began when I was a kid. I’ve always had a passion for art, constantly drawing, coloring, and creating anything I could imagine.

I even won my first art contest in the second grade. By high school, my artistic interests broadened, ultimately leading me to photography. After saving up for my first “nice” camera, I began shadowing wedding photographers and gradually built enough confidence to take on clients of my own.

Today, I run my own photography business, specializing in wedding and engagement photography, and I’m now in my twelfth year.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
It hasn’t been an easy journey.

Today, I’m comfortable and confident in my skills, but like many other creatives starting their own business, I’ve encountered several challenges, which were mainly rooted in self-doubt. I would compare myself to other industry professionals and question why I wasn’t attracting clients or booking as many weddings as they did.

Was I not as skilled? Was my style not as popular? Was my website not as appealing? Over time, as I photographed more weddings, I gained experience and refined my own style, ultimately building the confidence to stop asking these questions.

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I’m a wedding photographer based out of Metro Detroit, and I’ve been capturing weddings for the past 12 years. My style is more classic than trendy. Trends often fade over time and my traditional approach and true-to-color editing provide couples with timeless photographs.

Over the last 12 years, the reputation I’ve built is what I’m most proud of. Many of the weddings I photograph are for couples who saw my work from a previous wedding and knew they wanted to hire me. I take immense pride in my photography and as a creative business owner, there’s nothing more rewarding than hearing someone decided to hire me because they were impressed by my work.

Have you learned any interesting or important lessons due to the COVID-19 crisis?
Many people spend years dreaming of the “perfect wedding”—the venue, the dress, the arrangements, and all the little details.

The COVID-19 crisis showed how quickly all of this can be taken away. When couples were told they couldn’t have their dream wedding, they faced two options: postpone the wedding until the time was right or get married without all the extra bells and whistles. As a result, backyard weddings and smaller, intimate ceremonies became the new norm.

This was a clear reminder of my main purpose as a wedding photographer. While beautiful venues and stunning churches provide gorgeous backdrops for wedding photos, they are not the main focus of my work. Even when those things are taken away, the primary focus remains the love shared between the couples I work with and the joy of being surrounded by their closest loved ones on the most important day of their lives.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://silvestriphotography.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/silvestri.photography/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/silvestriphotography