Many years ago now, I studied at The London College Of Fashion, my first insight into the world of photography. I was always a good planner and organiser and pretty soon I found myself in the wonderful world of fashion photography production. In those days my own photography was just a hobby, I was the chief organiser, planner, putting together and making it all happen photography girl. I was also the fashion photographers confidant. Many times a fashion editor would get engaged and call me up asking if so-and-so fashion photographer would shoot their wedding the answer was always ” NO NO and NO!!!!! I am a FASHION photographer!’ in a ‘ how dare they voice’ When it was my turn to tie the knot, one of ‘my guys’ called me and offered his photography services as a ‘you wont get a better offer than this, aren’t I so good to you kind of way” I have to say ( in more polite words ) my answer was “NO NO NO….. YOU are NOT a wedding photographer! ”
So lets think about this. Fashion photography is seen as the creme-De-la-creme, the oh so hard, THE photography job to have… too right it is! for a fashion spread you have to produce eight shots… in our wedding photography world make that 300 shots.. in less time, with people that aren’t used to the camera, in the wind and rain or blazing UN-expected sun, as well as fitting in all the other wedding important bits… starting to get the picture now??? In the fashion world EVERYONE has a assistant, hell I knew of fashion photographers, that didn’t even know how to set up their lights, there assistant did it, never carry a camera bag… assistant….. never get a job off there own back… agent did it.. never organise the dress blowing at strange angles in the wind… stylist did that.. Now the WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHER, they are on their own, they often in a lot of cases are so amazing they do all that, on there own! SO I started to think about it all these years later, wedding photographer’s, are blooming brilliant photographers, they work under extreme pressure, a fashion shoot can always be repeated, shot again, a wedding cannot. Wedding photographers work in dark churches, dark hotel rooms, poky bedrooms in hotels, they work with ( sometime’s) difficult official people, who don’t want the services photographed ( ‘can you not let your camera click!’ I was told once ) fashion photographers, a light airy white studio with a coffee machine and a thousand people buzzing around, making sure the photographer is happy. I now know why the fashion photographer wouldn’t be seen dead at a wedding, the truth is they couldn’t properly do it! they can spend 3-4 hours setting up just one shot, imagine THAT at a wedding!, and believe me, sometimes even after all that time the client sometimes doesn’t even use it in the magazine or advert!
So this blog is to all those brilliant, amazing wedding photographers out there, you all deserve a pat on the back, you are brilliant and put these fashion photographers to shame, you are the heroes of the real world……. and guess what the reason I wrote this I was flicking thorough my old haunt London, checking out the new kids on the block in the wedding world their, and who did I see, one of my old fashion photographs who is now a very good and very talented WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHER!
I love my job, I wouldn’t change it for the world, I love the feeling of weddings, heck I even love the pressure of getting all done perfectly, first time, but most of all I love the couples I deal with, the real people, give me a wedding ANY day!
