Wedding Photography ... is it "real"?
I'll start this post with a back-story ... for very personal reasons I hung up my cameras for around 10 years, seriously, the only cameras I lifted during that time were point and shoots, capturing holiday snapshots and the odd family photo. My husband trailed me into a camera shop during the summer of 2003 and convinced me to buy a digital SLR, complete with kit lens and a camera bag, the investment of £1000 made me want to make sure I used it to the full. I also wanted to re-learn my skills and get to grips with the new digital age.
Having just moved to a new town, I also wanted to make some friends, with like-minded people, so I joined a college course and started on this new path.
I remember being asked, along with all the others, "do any of you want to do this (photography) for a living" ... I tentatively raised my hand, thinking, maybe, but I have such a great day job, so ... our tutor then asked "do any of you want to shoot weddings?" ... I loved the idea of this, having just shot my friend's wedding that summer, so my hand shot up ... mine was the only one. There were some sniggers and the tutor said "oh, well, I guess it IS photography of a sorts ... "
I kept in touch with some of the guys from my year there, but you know what? Not one of them is shooting professionally, just me, loving what I do week in and week out, working with amazing clients, joining them on the most important day of their lives and the happiest !
So, what are my thoughts on the validity of wedding photography? It's real. It's about as real as photography can get. Let's face it, brides (and sometimes grooms LOL) spend months, if not years, choosing every single detail, every flower ... the list is endless ... in order to make their day special. The only thing left after it is all over is ... yep, the photography ! That's why I make sure I capture every detail, every moment I observe; it's why I make sure my bride is left with photos of her looking absolutely gorgeous (and every single one is); it's why I love what I leave every client with ... a collection of memories they will treasure for generations.
To me, wedding photography is just as important as, say, fashion, product or news photography ... they all have their place, of course, but wedding photography actually encapsulates all of these elements ... we are telling a story of the day (news), we are making our brides look fantastic in their beautiful clothes (fashion), we are capturing their details - shoes, perfume, jewellery (product) so how can it be "just a necessity" (a phrase I have heard on more than one occasion :)
I'd love your thoughts on this so I am going to post a poll in the sidebar with a closing date of the end of November ... please feel free to vote and leave comments if you feel inclined :) I will post the results at the end of the month ... boy, is this going to make for interesting reading !
To whet your appetite, here are a few of my recent favourites ... I hope they demonstrate my point nicely :)
Beautiful details ... with a twist ...
Telling the story ...
Great looking brides ...
I can't wait to hear from you, so get voting :)
PS ... Please ignore "Answer 5" - I didn't do too well on formatting this poll ... sheesh !
Having just moved to a new town, I also wanted to make some friends, with like-minded people, so I joined a college course and started on this new path.
I remember being asked, along with all the others, "do any of you want to do this (photography) for a living" ... I tentatively raised my hand, thinking, maybe, but I have such a great day job, so ... our tutor then asked "do any of you want to shoot weddings?" ... I loved the idea of this, having just shot my friend's wedding that summer, so my hand shot up ... mine was the only one. There were some sniggers and the tutor said "oh, well, I guess it IS photography of a sorts ... "
I kept in touch with some of the guys from my year there, but you know what? Not one of them is shooting professionally, just me, loving what I do week in and week out, working with amazing clients, joining them on the most important day of their lives and the happiest !
So, what are my thoughts on the validity of wedding photography? It's real. It's about as real as photography can get. Let's face it, brides (and sometimes grooms LOL) spend months, if not years, choosing every single detail, every flower ... the list is endless ... in order to make their day special. The only thing left after it is all over is ... yep, the photography ! That's why I make sure I capture every detail, every moment I observe; it's why I make sure my bride is left with photos of her looking absolutely gorgeous (and every single one is); it's why I love what I leave every client with ... a collection of memories they will treasure for generations.
To me, wedding photography is just as important as, say, fashion, product or news photography ... they all have their place, of course, but wedding photography actually encapsulates all of these elements ... we are telling a story of the day (news), we are making our brides look fantastic in their beautiful clothes (fashion), we are capturing their details - shoes, perfume, jewellery (product) so how can it be "just a necessity" (a phrase I have heard on more than one occasion :)
I'd love your thoughts on this so I am going to post a poll in the sidebar with a closing date of the end of November ... please feel free to vote and leave comments if you feel inclined :) I will post the results at the end of the month ... boy, is this going to make for interesting reading !
To whet your appetite, here are a few of my recent favourites ... I hope they demonstrate my point nicely :)
Beautiful details ... with a twist ...
Telling the story ...
Great looking brides ...
I can't wait to hear from you, so get voting :)
PS ... Please ignore "Answer 5" - I didn't do too well on formatting this poll ... sheesh !
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ha ha great question GT you and I both know the answer. funny you mention you being the only one from your class, same here, well full time anyway. It takes a big pair to do this for a living. best of luck. Mr S
ReplyDeleteI might be slightly biased but yes, it's real. Once the cake is eaten, the dress is boxed up and the memories are fading you can always return to the photos.
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