Jana&Eli

Jana& Eli

Contreras

Contreras

Visual storytellers with a mission to serve, support & help you start your marriage in a way that feels effortlessly true to you.

We’re here to not only document your wedding in an artistic, authentic way, but also to make your day as blissful as possible.

WE’RE HERE TO NOT ONLY DOCUMENT YOUR DAY IN AN ARTISTIC, AUTHENTIC WAY, BUT ALSO TO MAKE YOUR DAY AS BLISSFUL AS POSSIBLE. YOUR WEDDING DAY SHOULD BE AS UNIQUE AS YOU ARE, AND AN UNFORGETTABLE EXPERIENCE FOR THE ONES YOU LOVE.

Truth: When we got engaged, we were quickly thrown into the unknowns and chaos of wedding planning, not realizing the extent of decisions to be made. We aim to give our clients the opposite experience and act as a complimentary concierge if you need help with finding local places to eat and stay, joining as well as local activities for your guests to make the most of the weekend. We also can point you to amazing planners, because at the end of the day what planner you hire is one of the best decision you can make for your wedding.  

As a husband-and-wife team, we spend months beforehand storyboarding together, going over B-roll shots, learning about your story via our questionnaires and calls, and taking into account your MVP people of the day to make sure we are totally ready to tell your story together. Capturing the full range of emotions from the day and documenting the important moments, large and small, is our greatest joy.

Meet Jana—

Healthy cookie connoisseur, travel lover, organic gardener, and believer with a heart to serve others.

I got started in photography over a decade ago when my grandpa gave me his film camera. I would go on long drives and stop to take photos of animals and nature. My grandparents have recently passed, and thinking back on these memories of my earliest “shoots” reminds me of how precious photos really are.

I want every one of our clients to feel like the photos we take of their wedding day celebrate their love and tell the story of their relationship in a way they will remember forever.

I took the step into wedding photography after getting diagnosed with a heart disorder in 2014. I was a teacher at the time, but had to step away to deal with my health issues. I prayed about what was next and felt a tug on my heart to do photography. I went from shooting photos on film in nature, to shooting photos of kids as a teacher, to going for my dream as a photographer in 2015. That dream turned into traveling to multiple different states and countries, and shooting hundreds of weddings and photoshoots in the years that followed. Now, we serve luxury small weddings and elopements and I am getting back to my roots shooting film alongside my digital work. 

I am beyond grateful to not only do what I love shooting luxury weddings, but to do it with my husband by my side as my videographer.

A few more tidbits about me… I have made over 100 batches of the same gluten-free, dairy-free, egg-free cookies just to perfect them for myself and others (and love to gift them to clients!). I am not naturally funny, but accidentally make people laugh all the time, which comes in handy as a photographer. I am passionate about local organic good food like my favorites, The Nectary and Sol Food, both here in Sonoma County. I am also in love with Hu Kitchen’s vegan chocolate line and growing my own organic garden. I am married to my other half, Eli, and we have a beautiful little boy named James Wilder. We love to hike, travel and explore new places each year now as a family. As a follower of Jesus, I love to spread his love and kindness to everyone I meet and give back to our community any chance that I get.

Meet Eli—

Songwriter and musician, supporter of local businesses and community, self-taught cook, and self-proclaimed expert pizza rater.

I have always been a creative person—first as a musician who has written songs and played in bands for the past 15 years, then as a videographer. I picked up videography in my early band years as another creative outlet that I could express myself with, which turned into a passion and career over time.

Many videographers have no sound and audio background, which I believe gives me a different edge and perspective when creating well-produced wedding videos.

I love creating unique luxury wedding films after getting to know each couple and storyboarding their journey. Jana and I work seamlessly together to capture each step of the day. We’ve helped tell a lot of stories and know how to read a room to see where the emotions are—joy, laughter, tears of happiness.

It’s our greatest joy to capture emotion in real time and gift our couples photos and video footage of moments they may not have known happened until they view their gallery.

Fun facts: I am a guy who enjoys the simple things the most. I tend to rate food when we go out to eat and have a serious affinity for good pizza and tacos. My dream day consists of relaxing at our house with my family and ordering food from our favorite local restaurant, Sol Food. I am also passionate about serving our local community, giving back, and supporting local businesses that do the same.