Hey there!

I am seriously honored that you would care enough to want to get to know me better. I'll do my best to give you a broad overview of who I am. If you'd rather chat in person as well, feel free to contact me here. If you want to keep reading, enjoy!

About me

Award-winning, published wedding photographer, educator, husband, father and an aspiring chef and wine sommelier. In my free time (yes, kind of a joke) I also like to surf, climb & travel, honing my skills for the hopes of Nat Geo reaching out for a photo assignment.

My photography pays homage to the vintage days of shooting film, combined with a modern authentic style. I focus on capturing timeless and honest moments that you’ll want to remember forever. If NatGeo, Vogue & GQ captured a wedding, at least that’s the goal. Photojournalism meets fine art.

Along with photographing weddings I help other photographers through free online articles, guest lecturing, creating content for YouTube, one-on-one mentor sessions and through workshops.

I began my passion for photography on film and eventually started shooting on digital as well. I now shoot a hybrid of both. You can read more about how my business began below. 

After having Sicily and moving with my wife to San Juan Capistrano, I've realized the importance of our local community. This has led me to give back to my favorite local charities. 25% of the profits I make from photography gets donated in your name to the charity of your choice. I have one organization I love and recommend, The Ecology Center, which teaches people how to live a sustainable lifestyle. You can read all about that below. 

I love connecting with new people and sharing in huge milestones. If you are looking for a photographer for your wedding, please hit me up here. 

I look forward to working with you. Please hit the button below to get in touch. 

How My Business Began

During my senior year of high school I was able to take one elective class; I randomly chose photography. Unbeknownst to me it would project me on a lifelong passion through all sorts of places. The first day of class the professor tried to weed out the kids looking for an easy class. He stressed the fact there will be weekly quizzes, tough creative review and we will learn the fundamentals of photography like a proper college-level class. It didn’t discourage me because I’m always up for a challenge. I should clarify that we were learning on film cameras. This was right before the boom of digital cameras. It was a great way to learn the ins & outs of photography through its original form. I borrowed my Dad’s Canon AE-1, 35mm film camera that he bought on my Mom and Dad’s honeymoon to document their trip. I still have that camera and shoot with it to this day. 

Through the course of the semester I fell in love with shooting film, hanging out in the darkroom, enlarging prints and really got excited about the entire process. My photos were terrible, but I was having fun. I decided to take another semester of the class and was able to really round out my foundational knowledge of photography. 

This was happening all during the time that digital cameras were beginning to explode. They were crap and they were expensive, but you could shoot photos and upload them to your computer immediately. A huge benefit in time and cost. My parents bought me a 2 megapixel camera for my graduation gift. It sent me on a journey of shooting over 1 million photos in the past 15+ years and led me on adventures around the world through Semester At Sea and my own personal travels. 

I kept my photography purely as a hobby sticking to travel photojournalism. Documenting my time in places, typically void of people in photos. Focusing more on landscapes and details of the environments I encountered. It wasn’t until 2016 that everything changed. 

I found myself in a growing side-hustle of selling friends' surfboards on Craigslist. There seemed to be a never-ending supply of boards from my coworkers at Hurley. I was able to sell over $10K in boards in 2016. Instead of taking that money and buying random stuff, I decided I would make the leap and buy a professional-grade camera. I could never justify the spend before as photography had always been a hobby. But now, flush with extra cash, I decided this was finally the time I could do it. 

As soon as I bought the camera I started to get requests to shoot family portraits and a few friends’ weddings. I was not ready for such a huge leap, but I said yes anyways. I did a great job, especially considering the price I charged, but there was a lot of room for improvement. I decided I needed to start second shooting with some real portrait/wedding photographers to learn the ropes. I got lucky enough to photograph alongside our own wedding photographer, Kimberly Daniels during a couple weddings. Through watching her work I was able to see the proper flow to a wedding, the importance of following a timeline, scouting locations, preparing for family photos, where to be during different times of the day, etc. It was an incredible class in itself.

I decided with this new equipment and rapid-growing passion to photograph people, it was time to actually put myself out there. I created a website and told my friends and family on social media, I was open for business. The opportunities flooded in and the business snowballed in to where it is today. I’ve made incredible new friends and shared the best days of their life alongside them. I also have made a ton of great friends in other photographers in our community too. I would never have expected to be welcomed in to such an uplifting community who believe in the idea of “community over competition”. It’s incredible. 

Because of the growth in my business it’s allowed my wife to quit her full-time job and made it so she can stay home with our three beautiful children, Olive, Roman and Sicily. It’s all something I could have never imagined coming from a darkroom my senior year, but here we are. I can’t wait to update this story in fifteen more years and see where this camera takes me. 

Part of why I love photography is it allows me to better connect with our local community. I get to meet more people and see the impact that we can all have in each other's lives by working together for a better future. I wanted to find areas where I could help give back and continue to improve the amazing things happening around our area, especially now that I have my first daughter, Sicily. 

I currently work closely with The Ecology Center in San Juan Capistrano, CA. The Ecology Center is a non-profit ecological oasis a mile down the street from our house. They work to educate kids and adults about living a sustainable lifestyle through growing your own food, water conservation, how your diet impacts our ecological footprint and how to create and buy from local artisans to limit our impact on this planet. I truly love the people that work there and the mission they have. I personally donate my photography services to them and I recommend all of my clients to both visit The Ecology Center and help donate to their cause. 

However, I know there are tons of other incredible charities out there in the world. The 25% of profits we donate should represent the passions you have as well. That is why I am open to donating to any charity you are interested as long as they are a registered 501c3. Please let me know what you are passionate about, and let's help build this community together! 

Who will be photographing my session?

Me, Tony Wodarck. Learn more about me here. I also work with a handful of incredible second shooters, depending on your needs.

Where are you based out of?

San Juan Capistrano, California.

WHERE WILL WE TAKE PHOTOS AT?

Location is up to you. Maybe you don’t know a good spot. Luckily, I know a ton. Please reach out and we can work together to make sure your photos get the look you deserve. I have also created an entire separate website of great locations from you to choose from. Contact me here for more details. 

How much do you charge?

There’s a basic price sheet here, but please contact me and I can get you a proper quote. Please keep in mind 25% of profits get donated back to our community in your name.

25% gets donated in my name? What does that mean?

Photography is a side-gig for me, which allows me to give back to our local community. Upon payment of your session, I will take 25% of the profits and donate that in your name through the agreed upon charity. Read more here.

Do you travel FOR PHOTOSHOOTS?

Yes, 75 miles of travel is included in my fees.  I’m happy to go as far as you want though. Let’s chat soon.

How Will I receive My Photos?

I will send you an online gallery of all the final edited images. I also archive all photographs I shoot. However, I am not responsible for your images after I confirm delivery. If for some reason your computer crashes, you lose the files, etc. please contact me. I am not responsible for your catastrophe, but I want to help. A $50 fee will be charged for retrieval of images after one year. This pays for the cost of storage, organization and delivery.

CAN I GET THE RAW IMAGES?

In short, no. The final files you receive are corrected with my unique eye and assure the quality and look associated with my personal brand.

HOW DO I PAY YOU?

I accept cash, credit cards, PayPal and bank transfers. 50% is required up front to lock in your date for weddings. Final total payment is due in full at the beginning of our scheduled session.

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