Darlene McCowan dove head-first into weddings this year with her company Jakal Photography, aiming to successfully capture the moments, emotions and details of each one. With shots that range from candid to posed and traditional to artistic, Darlene says her style can accommodate any couple's preference. She strives for each wedding album to present "stunning beauty", whether that's with capturing a delicate, soft portrait of a bride or a rustic, textured canvas in a back alley.

As a people-person, Darlene told The Ring that she's inspired by the couples she's constantly meeting and sets out with each one to create images that they'll love for years to come. Jakal offers a variety of customizable packages for each unique couple. We met with Darlene, who we found easy to get along with – something that brides agreed with – checked out her portfolio and noticed that this romantic photographer seems to love making a connection with her couples as much as she wants to capture the connection they have with each other. Let us tell you more…

Personally speaking…

Darlene says she has always dabbled in photography from the time she was a young teenager. Photography officially entered Darlene's world when she started doing family photos for her neighbours, family and friends as a hobby. Once she switched from 35mm to digital, she just fell in love with photography. "The possibilities are endless," says Darlene.

In 2007, Darlene's brother-in-law was married in Aruba and asked Darlene to photograph it. "I was a little nervous at first, but ended up loving it!" says Darlene. At first, she began her business as a side career under her own name, focusing on family, children and maternity photography. "I knew from the moment I started photographing others that eventually I’d want to have my own photography business… it was just a matter of time."

Initially, Darlene was self-taught, but she realized that she wanted her images to be more. "I wanted to be the best that I could be," she says. So, she took a few group workshops hosted by other professional photographers, completed a correspondence program with the Stratford Career Institute, earning her Photography Diploma with Highest Honours and got some hands on with Photoshop techniques in a one-on-one workshop with photographer Christine Kufske of Click Photography.

In January of 2009, Darlene changed her business name to Jakal after her inspiration – her children: 'Ja' for Jack and 'Kal' for Kalli. Darlene is the primary shooter for Jakal Photography and brings an assistant along to weddings to help out when she's busy shooting.

Jakal Photography has been in business for three years, and though 2009 was Darlene's first year shooting weddings she already shot eleven between May 1 and September 12. "Before I knew it, I’d booked more weddings than I could have ever imagined in my first year of wedding photography and quit my primary career to focus solely on my photography," Darlene told us.

Darlene is a member of Wedding & Portrait Photographers International (WPPI), and when she's not busy shooting weddings she still does family, children, newborn and prenatal photography. Darlene also volunteers her photography skills to the Smiling Eyes Project, a service that offers complimentary photo shoots to people recovering from, battling, or celebrating their victory over cancer.

Capturing all of the moments

After seven years of being married, Darlene looks back on her wedding photos and sees all of the things she should have done differently. "My photos are all traditional portrait, which is fine, but not me," says Darlene. "When I do wedding photographs for my clients, I don’t want to leave anything out. I want to have images of everything."

Darlene recognizes that photography has evolved immensely over the last few years and is not just about portraits of the couple, their family and friends anymore but more about capturing the emotion and the moments they’ll want to remember forever, including all of the little details.

Lindsey Fryett Brennan told us that her August 2009 wedding photos, done by Jakal, are beautiful. What she loves best about them is "the quality of light, the setting, the way that they capture casual and candid moments and Darlene's thoughtfulness with poses." She adds that Darlene was so thoughtful she even took pictures of Lindsey and John's guests and made sure to get the grandparents, too.

The thing that Starr Wilson loved best about Jakal's photos was Darlene's ability to capture the moment. Starr hired Jakal for her August 2009 wedding photos and told us that Darlene was amazing to work with and easy to get along with.

A personality that clicks with brides

Darlene says she sets out to give her clients something different and original. "I want to make my clients’ images into pieces of artwork for them," she says. "I want someone to be able to look at a photograph and say, 'That has to be a Jakal photograph'. I want my photographic style to be unique and distinct."

Another reason that Darlene strives for a unique photographic style is because she knows that every wedding is unique from the couple and their story to the emotion and love that comes along with it. "People keep me inspired… I am definitely a people-person…" says Darlene. "I want to create unique images for my clients that they can cherish for years to come, or hang on their wall as art… I want my clients’ images to reflect exactly what they are looking for."

Such was the case for Jennifer Gaudon who had Darlene photograph her August 2009 wedding. She told us that Jakal Photography was a great choice because "Darlene did exactly what we needed her to do… Just the moments that she captured; they will be ones that I can always look back on and say 'wow I remember that exact moment'."

Though Darlene says that the couples who come to her have different styles and tastes, each one is looking for a photographer who is easy-going and fun to work with, which she definitely describes herself as. "I am very easy going and 'click' easily with others. I think brides see that I want their images to be as perfect, as they do. I want to make them happy."

"When we first met Darlene she was so sweet and very outgoing," says Jennifer. "Darlene is a very caring person and she went above and beyond in our eyes."

While Darlene loves photography itself, she is definitely a romantic at heart and is in love with the emotions surrounding weddings, too. "When the bride looks at her groom and their eyes meet, I can see the emotion and my heart melts," says Darlene. "I like to have a connection with my couples… so, when I see the love – the true love – between a couple, that’s when I know that their images are going to be phenomenal."

"Darlene has an amazing eye that captures the moment and love, not only between the bride and groom but with everyone," says Starr, whose favourite memory of working with Jakal Photography was the laughs that occurred during the photo shoot. Lindsey would agree and says that Darlene was really happy during her wedding day photo shoot. "We had fun having our photos taken and it was obvious that she is doing wedding photography because she likes weddings."

A variety to choose from

Darlene has had couples come to her looking for everything from traditional to artistic images and fun to casual shots, which is why she says her "service and product style can accommodate several styles of weddings." But one thing that she wants to reflect in her style is “stunning beauty… I like the rustic, textured looks personally, but understand that it is not for everyone either… I like to offer a variety for my couples to choose from."

Jakal's very affordable packages range in price from $699 to $1699 for various hours of coverage and extras, like albums. "Jakal Photography's prices were very much in our budget," says Starr. "If anything, she may be under priced for the value that we got from Darlene."

Some wedding related sessions and packages that Jakal offers are:

Engagement sessions, which are included in the eight and ten hour packages, but can also be added to the six hour or custom packages.

Wedding coverage packages range from six to ten (or more) hours. All packages include a consultation and a proof album. Some of the higher end packages also include a bridal album and one includes two parent albums.

If you don't find exactly what you're looking for in Jakal's packages, Darlene says she can also customize one to suit your needs.

The Finesse the Dress package is Darlene's version of “trash the dress” and she says is a great way to get some fun shots that you would have had done on your wedding day, but didn't want to get your dress dirty. It can be done with the bride alone or with the groom.

You can also purchase a full-resolution DVD of all of the photo files from your wedding day for $300. "When my clients purchase their files, they have the rights to reproduce and print as they wish," explains Darlene.

Each wedding package also includes a private online gallery that goes up about six weeks after the wedding.

Darlene says she tries to keep things inexpensive for her bridal clients. "We tried to keep it inexpensive, as we didn’t have a very large budget," says Darlene of her own wedding. "So, knowing how I felt, I want to be able to offer my clients fabulous images at a reasonable price."

That being said, Darlene says that the average bride spends between $1000 and $2000 at Jakal. All products and services are subject to applicable taxes and mileage expenses may apply should the location be more than 40 km from her office.

Jennifer told us that Jakal's pricing was fantastic. "It was in our budget, so that was an extra bonus. The value was in Darlene's personality and spunk for the love of what she does." She adds that she would for sure recommend Jakal to other couples looking for a wedding photographer and plans to use Jakal for future photo shoots.

Walking you through…

Email or phone Darlene to book a consultation – at least four months before your wedding date is appreciated, but she also recommends booking as far in advance as possible to ensure your date is available.

Darlene is the one who meets with brides and grooms and she says she wouldn’t want it any other way. "I want to get the opportunity to know who I am going to be photographing and understand what they are looking for from me," she says.

For the initial consultation, Darlene will meet you at a location of your choice to show samples, techniques, albums and discuss packages, prices, products, itinerary plans and the contract. But the details aren't all business as Darlene also asks couples how they met, how they got engaged, details about the wedding plans, etc.. "I want to know as much as I can about my clients’ weddings, so that their images suit who they are and what they’re looking for."

When you decide to book a $300 deposit is due and Darlene makes herself available to contact by phone or email anytime, as well as to meet in person to discuss any further plans or details. Darlene also gives clients the opportunity to meet with her again approximately two weeks before the wedding to discuss final details.

On the wedding day, Darlene shows up where she's supposed to about fifteen to thirty means early, usually with an assistant who helps to keep her organized. Normally they also have a camera to shoot candids or different angles when Darlene doesn't need their help.

After the wedding, once Darlene has colour corrected and added some special effects to some photos, the proof album is compiled and processed and the password protected online gallery is ready for your viewing pleasure. Once the album arrives and the discs are ready, Darlene will either hand deliver (if you're local) or ship (should you choose) the products.

Darlene does all of her own editing using Adobe Lightroom and Photoshop. She also custom designs coffee table albums and uses professional labs to print the images through different mediums, such as photo paper, foam core, masonite and canvas.

It takes Darlene about four to six weeks to fully process a wedding. The proof album takes about eight weeks to be ready.

A few fabulous wedding trends and ideas by Jakal Photography...

Darlene has noticed other photographers using faded effects, colours and textures with Photoshop to enhance their images. "While I always present all images in full colour, I too love to create a piece of art for my clients, using effects and textures."

Coffee Table albums are the new trend, says Darlene, of which there is a large range of styles and prices. "The albums available today are amazing and can be found in soft cover, image wrap, linen with dust jacket and leather. The possibilities are endless." Jakal offers coffee table albums as a proof album, bridal and parent albums. Prices vary, but they range from $150 to $450.

Another trend that Darlene noticed while shooting weddings in 2009 is that couples are venturing further away from tradition in order to be more relaxed and economical. "More and more couples are opting to see each other prior to the ceremony and do a 'first look' shoot, then most of the photographs can be done prior to the ceremony." She adds that his can both relieve the stress of seeing each other for the first time and make for more relaxed photos without time and daylight constraints. The other trend she noticed is couples doing their first dance as soon as they enter the reception, which ensures that the dance is captured by the photographer before they're scheduled to leave.

"As a photographer, I think that if you are up for venturing outside of tradition, both of these trends are great alternatives to saving time and help you to remain relaxed," says Darlene.

Details, details, details

• Email or phone is the best way to contact Darlene to book a consultation at least 4 months before your wedding, but the sooner the better.
• Packages range in price from $699 to $1699 and can be customized to suit your needs.
• A $300 deposit is required to book with the remaining balance due one week before the wedding.
• The average bride spends between $1000 and $2000; taxes and mileage fees are extra
• Hi-res image discs and online galleries are ready between 4 to 6 weeks after the wedding.

In other words…

“Thanks so much again Darlene. Your photos captured exactly what we were looking for. It was a lot of fun!” – Bonnie Douglas

“…we feel that [our photos] are amazing and that we are really lucky to have them. Everyone who sees them loves them and we feel that you did an amazing job and went above and beyond by making the slide show, doing the 'edited' versions, including the originals and by making the photo album… they are amazing. I can't say it enough. You did an amazing job, and we are really happy with them. Thank you." – Lindsey & John Brennan

“Sean and myself would like to say you did an amazing job. We knew you would be great but WOW is all we can say. I never had a doubt about hiring you but you just made it worth so much more. We love how you take pride in your work as well as know how to have fun with it. To everyone who hires you in the future, they have made the best choice they could. Again, we thank you so much.” – Jennifer Gaudon

Contacting Jakal Photography

Darlene McCowan at Jakal Photography can be reached by email at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or by phone at 519-522-0558. You can also visit Jakal Photography online at http://www.jakal-photography.com.