I was recently chatting about my work with Evan Cohen, a retired advertising photographer of 40 years, who remarked that “your photos are so beautifully understated… like you’re doing nothing special… but you are!“. He’s a really kind and generous guy. But I found his perspective interesting as it points to my philosophy and fundamentally how I’m not a ‘wedding photographer‘. I don’t identify as a ‘wedding photographer’ and don’t believe I ever have.
When I photograph, I don’t design the situation to be over-the-top with drama or emotion. In the big wide world of weddings, you may find this jarring, because I don’t try to pretend that everything is 100%, shouting from the rooftop, running into the sunset amazing all of the time. Because if it were portrayed in that way, it would feel artificial and insincere.
So when I discover and photograph these more nuanced moments, I’m not just reacting to a fleeting feeling. I’m being methodical and thoughtful with how I reveal the shades of gray of what we experience. Not because I believe this day we’re celebration isn’t special, but because if we’re to relive these feelings in the most genuine and heartfelt way, you have to be there experiencing them in the most immersive way possible to begin with.
That way, you’re not just playing back the same roll of stock highlights like everyone else.
And I can begin to read between the lines, get in between the seams, and photograph your own authentic experience.
Such as this photo below. Sure, it’s a photo taken on a wedding day, but it doesn’t have the the bride and groom, not even conventional immediate family members. Yet it’s full of the genuine humour of what was actually experienced, anchoring us in that moment each time we see it. It was taken during the morning, whilst the brides side of the family were heading up stairs to get changed for the ceremony. It’s not really a ‘wedding photo’ so in that sense, I don’t label myself a ‘wedding photographer’.
A quote from a giant of a photographer, Elliot Erwitt:
“I like taking pictures of Dogs because they don’t object to being photographed – and they don’t ask for prints.“
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