NAMES and REFERENCES

People often ask me who are the famous people I have photographed. I am always surprised by such a request but I guess this is part of the image we have of photographers. We eventually have to meet celebrities and work on their behalf but I am always very aware of their status and of the message they have to portray in the tabloids. So, it is never an easy task to find out what they, as private client, their PR or production company are after. It is always a delicate joggling where you have to compromise your personal creativity with their demands.

It is also a good opportunity now after more than a decade in London to flip through my folders and revisit those people. I do not like to use the term "famous" or "celebrity" because it always create that gap between you (the photographer) and the subject which is not the best way to approach a session. Anyway, you may find some names you heard of in the following random list I am putting together. I will put in bracket their "title" and you may visit Wikipedia to know more about them. They are quite a few missing...well...

So here follows people I have been asked to photographed who have some kind of celebrity status if you want. They are plenty of them I have met and photographed but that I will not mention as they were not the people I was commissioned to photograph. It wouldn't be fair to make some self-promotion just by circumstances.

P D JAMES(novelist) REBECCA LENKIEWICZ(playwright/screenwriter) JOE PENHALL(playwright/screenwriter) ALAN HOLLINGHURST(writer) JOHN KING(writer) STEPHEN FRY(comedian/tv presenter) CHRSITOPHER BIGGINS(actor) HENRY PORTER(writer) TOM McCARTHY(writer/artist) TONY HADLEY(singer/actor) HELEN CHADWICK(singer) MICHEL PICOLI(actor) PATRICE LECONTE(film director) IOAN GRUFFUDD(actor) PADDY CONSIDINE(actor/film director) OM PURI(actor) ALISON STEADMAN(actress) SUSAN LYNCH(actress) JONATHAN RHYS MEYERS(actor) EMMI ROSSUM(actress) RICHARD COYLE(actor) ROBERT PUGH(actor) JOHN HENSHAW(actor) PHILIPPA COUSINS(film director) JEAN-MARC PUISSANT(set designer) YAN-SHU(choreographer) LARS ELLING(artist) ALESSANDO RAHO(artist) PAUL FRYER(artist) POLLY MORGAN(artist) ANTHRAX(band) ZEBRAHEAD(band) THE QUEEN, THE BAD AND THE UGLY(band) HARD-FI(band)


Now, I think it is also important I mention my full name. Because sadly when it comes to weddings, and especially with the digital flooding, most people are sceptical about your professionalism( which is understandable). My full name is DAVID BOULOGNE, and I use the davidB for the commercial aspect of my work in order not to confuse people. I do quite a few things beside wedding photography. You could say I am an artist/photographer (it is always very complicated to find the right term but I thing this is the closest) and I am showing my works in various exhibitions. I have had the privilege in the last few years to present my work with some high profile names, which make me very proud indeed as it feels I am going in the right direction somehow. So here follows a list of people I have been sharing art with. Here again I will only mention a few:

Magnum in Motion (agency), William Eggleston, Hannah Starkey, Gregory Crewdson, Cindy Sherman, Martin Parr, Bruce Gilden, Elliott Erwitt, Simon Roberts, David Lynch, Wim Wenders, Stephen Gill, Nadav Kander, Peter Marlow, Simon Wheatley, Jean-Loup Sieff, Peter Lindbergh, Sarah Moon, Kate Barry, Anne Deniau, Thierry des Ouches, Wolfe Von Lenkiewicz, Peter Suchin, Justin Coombes, Shezad Dawood, David Birkin, Douglas White, Martin Sexton


So I hope this will answer the question and make it official. It is also a good way for me to remember. I hope this list will make a difference in people's perception about what I do and give them a new perspective. But to me a person is a person, no matter unknown or famous they are, my eye is interested in capturing your inner beauty. Beauty is everywhere and there is a lot of it in weddings. Even if digital make it sound easier it simply doesn't. Most photographers shoot too much nonsense. Quantity is the opposite to quality as we know but it becomes more relevant today with the new technology. And what I produce is QUALITY with QUANTITY, and I know that very few people can still today deliver such expectation.
Look, analyze, feel images. Images are simply not only pictures, they are EMOTIONS OF A REAL, SOMETHING PRICELESS. Choose carefully your wedding photographer.

Today they are more and more apparently GOOD or CHEAP DEALS thanks to the combination of recession/digital. The truth always comes after you have pre-paid. Those deals do not give you anything valuable. If you pay cheap it's because what you will get is cheap, that's as simple as that. Not only you will have lost your precious money but you will also be disappointed with the result. And therefore you will have to rebook someone else which is nonsense.
Sorry to remind you again but the most precious thing left after your wedding is pictures.
Do not rely on wedding magazines, they tell you what you want to hear. They only want to sell their gloss. That may sound a bit old fashion but it isn't. I hear so many sad stories and that upsets me. Photography is my life and to work my best out to capture beauty on your behalf is a real joy and delectable hard work. Good images don't come easy. It is a very long process of knowledge, experience and sensitivity. DO NOT RELY ON MOBILE PHONES, CHEAP SLR, AMATEURS OF ALL SORTS, ETC...

By investing in the right professional you will not only cherish your images for ever but you will also save money and generate positive energy.

SPIELBERG AND SCORSESE - SAME FIGHT

You may have also found some interesting article in your daily free papers from artist Tacita Dean. Her latest large scale installation in the Turbine Hall of the Tate Modern has almost been jeopardized because the radical shift experienced in the industry. There is no right or wrong as far as I am concerned. The trouble lies in an economical and ideological radicalism where digital has taken over film. Film is almost gone and therefore our choices have become reduced. Today's policy is either digital or...digital. Such a shame for so many reasons that I am not going to discuss again here.

NEW PACKAGES

Thank you so so much for the album - it is perfect, we absolutely love it and it will help us to remember each moment of our amazing day for many years. Thank you!


2exposures has always been alternative, creative, dedicated and honest when it comes to deliver high standard wedding photography. We have always been set apart for producing quality and quantity. But most importantly we were the pioneer in giving away all the materials away to our newly weds. Since our start, we have been trough quite a adjustments with the technological trends and expectations. Needless to say that we always take in consideration many new alternatives but we also pay attention to what they are too often hiding sadly. We do not wish to adopt any new trick or the sake of it. What matters most to us is to find the right balance in what the new has to offer at its best. We have to be certain that your materials will be cherished for a long time at the best quality and format.

At first we were using films and providing all the prints on a 6x4 format into a stylish wooden box. You kept the negs at no extra cost. Albums were versatile, bespoke and suiting your budget as a separate contract.
Then we moved towards a mix of film and digital. You would pick the camera style and we would adapt it to produce the new online coffee table books. You kept the negs or a DVD with all the materials high res. The pictures were again presented in a box and you would order the album separately.

Today, we propose to work mainly from digital high res. A lot of being shot to capture every angle of you special day. Everything is edited, retouched with subtlety and delivered high res. on DVD with a convenient save to apply to most computers if you want to run a slide show or open easily with a preview software. But the new thing we have been testing in the last few months is that we are delivering a bespoke coffee table book with most options. We ask you to make you selection with your favorites, the ones you certainly don't want too. You can upgrade the format, the amount of pages for a little extra fee. You can then later order extra copies directly online for very competitive prices. We have a complete control over the production and editing process.
This option has been a real success so far and we aim to keep it for a while.

davidB having worked for the best professional photographic laboratories in Paris and for the most successful photographers has the eye and experience to deliver the best results on paper, either with colour or black and white materials.

Do not hesitate to ask for more details. Visit our website and the related links. There is a lot of useful info that you won't find anywhere else.
Note Some photography lovers are still occasionally asking for film. Do not worry, we are still very much moved by such request and will keep providing it. Simply email us at david@2exposures.com in order to obtain a quote.

BOOK COLLABORATION

Domenico's 40th

By

Book Preview

Here is a new example of our services. We have been commissioned to capture the formal part of a birthday party for two hours. But the overall celebration gathered people from all around the world for 3 days. As we were, obviously, not assigned to cover the whole celebration our client wanted to include candid photographs taken by the guests. We were delighted to join forces and produce a story book with materials from various sources in order to make a wish come true.

POLAROID BOOK

On the recent wedding I work on, the bride and groom had a great idea to collect instant memories. Obviously my task is to tell a stories gathering all the love and details, but I think there is an important part of our memory that relates to more casual visuals. Too often nowadays digital compacts and mobile phones have infested the very special wedding event. Instead, purchase a light and bulky polaroid camera. Ask a friend to photograph your guests in the evening and stick all those images in a classic photo album. You can even take it with you straight to you honeymoon if you wish.
You can buy polaroid cameras and films too online. That is a little investment but in the end you get an instant result and avoid a lot of work gathering, selecting, retouching, editing, etc...time is money as we say, so here is your answer. It is stress free, smart and you have more time to enjoy the event without having to worry about the pictures.

TINY ARTICLE - BIG THINKING

This is what I found yesterday in the West End Final of the London Evening Standard Free Paper / Friday 19th August 2011. Nothing new to me but somehow, especially coming from a paper, a serious question is raised towards the reliability of the digital format as a whole. Either printing prints or making hardbacks are the only valuable and long lasting ways of keeping your cherished memories. That sounds a bit old fashioned but it becomes strangely revolutionary!

DIALOGUE 3 FINALLY AVAILABLE

dialogue 3

Praise the lows

By david boulogne

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Simply click onto the badge to visit the book published with Blurb.

WHAT FUTURE HOLDS

Photo courtesy to Jonathan Seymour

Today's reflection is going to be slightly different than usual. The recession, the depression, the harsh cuts, etc...all this make any kind of business very difficult indeed. Professional wedding photography is in deep trouble too. I never initially intended to become a wedding photographer but very quickly I realised I was good at telling wedding stories in a reportage style. Business took off instantly by 2000. I traveled to many places across UK, Italy, France and even Africa to cover very special celebrations. Until then though wedding photographer were not that popular across the photographic world. It was seen as quite cheesy and unattractive for the youngsters who tried to get on the ladder. I proposed many to assist me and teach them. Many refused and saw more prospects in Fashion and "glamorous" spheres. Nevertheless, I taught many others the job and many took that opportunity to realised it wasn't for them, but at least they tried and moved on. But in the end being a wedding photographer was a real job ( and still is to me, not anymore to most of us) because we were using the old fashion film. And consequently very very few dared taking the challenge of doing weddings. If you were talking with successful fashion photographers back then, almost all of them wouldn't actually do it, they were simply too scared of it - too much pressure, lack of knowledge and hectic pace. Not only it was really challenging technically but also you had tell a story within a determined frame. So basically to make it short, you can't lie. The negatives were there to prove whether you were good or not. You had to provide quantity, quality, good framing, good lighting, good organizer, good emotions, good story line, good creativity, good adaptation,etc...the list is long. That is the reason why professional wedding photographers were a small community and you had either the good ones and bad ones. And I was busy, very busy in fact. Up to 50 weddings a year. When you have all those parameters to deal and have a 100% control over, it is not simply a job, it is a passion, a dedication.

Why did I specialized in wedding photography? Well for very obvious reasons. First, people always get married and that will never change. Secondly, when you are good a something you try to stick to it. Also, I quickly realised that my main interest was journalism and for many reasons the journalism I loved didn't exist anymore. The wedding reportage was the perfect way of mixing pleasure and work. Also, most people back then would book your service between 1 year to 6 months in advance. You could therefore plan your other projects and personal life around it. But before all it is about passion. In fact every single wedding is interesting. It is up to you to decide whether what you are being paid for is just a job or a challenge, a passion. I always put myself on the edge when I am about to photograph a wedding. I love this balance of experience and right amount of improvisation. That is what reportage is about, and whether it is a wedding or a demonstration. Sadly, in the last 10 years, I have met so many suppliers who are being commissioned and who complain and moan. Well, my advice is get an other job.



In 2005 I created 2exposures with a partner. Digital was improving fast and most wedding photographers left film for digital. I decided to stick to film - why you are wondering? Well, there are two ways to anticipating the future and make your business look unique ( and for the good reasons though). If everyone moves to digital it automatically opens the doors to a wider pound of potential competition. By using film I though a margin wouldn't understand and recognize it's obvious advantages. There is nothing wrong with good competition but I have a real problem with the bad one. The problem most photographers create for themselves is that they all thought digital was better and would save them money. In the end, everybody nowadays own a "decent" digital compact or SLR and everybody see themselves almost as good as professionals.
Photographers have to lower their fees, spend more time retouching and therefore lose money. But there is no other way around it because there is too much competition. Conclusion: wedding photography quality is going down very quickly.
The trouble is that technology has little to do with being professional. What makes someone special is his eye and ability to tell stories with sensitivity. What we see today is just an accumulation of visual emptiness. Everything looks sharp, grand, it blows to your face but when you step back and intend to look in details there is nothing. It simply could be any other wedding, there is nothing personal. We live in a society of templates.

We are still in a recession or depression or reflection - something like that. Many newcomers proposed very low fares. And there are so many of them that somehow the new clientele sees that range of prices as a normal and correct one. Unfortunately for them the actual average fee of £800 according to many glossy magazines is way below professional wedding photography. Also, remember that we are still in a recession and that they are more people out there ready to corruption and lies. Meaning that many online ads propose an amazing fee of £600 per day. I just wonder what you get for that?! Rubbish certainly but in the end I am pretty certain you will have to spend the double to obtain satisfaction because in the end this is you wedding day and this is special. Instead you could have spent the same amount of money with someone reliable and creative and you would have had more. A bit silly isn't it? Most top talented photographers I know really struggle and 2exposures is way below what I anticipated this year. I arrive to this difficult and painful situation to question the very essence of my passion. It sadly comes to the conclusion that Photography is dead. Not totally maybe but for a while. What is happening is the wedding industry is not only happening in other photographic areas but across the creative industries. For most people it seems so easy to be an artist of all sorts just by using digital devices and apps and the likes. To be a professional in the art sector is to be reliable, creative and passionate. If the future of wedding photography is to become a template, formal and bland I might give it a break and reconsider mine.

BESPOKE BOOKS

"Richard & Olfat" Wedding book made by 2exposures with other supplier's materials.
Cover only shown. No preview available for that particular order.

I have been asked few times to make bespoke coffee table books from other materials than mine. That is something I never refuse as I really enjoy making them. It is also a good opportunity to see what other photographers do. I recently finished one. It was a very revealing experience for the groom and myself. The wedding took place in central London in some very posh venues. It was a small intimate celebration in three acts. First, a civil ceremony followed by a drinks reception for lunch. Then, drinks followed by diner in a very famous private club with more guests. Finally a small gathering for a blessing ceremony a week later.

I accepted the challenge to build a story from an event I never took part of and the deadline was also tight. I asked my client to explain to me in details what happened and how he wanted it. He gave me a couple of invitations to include and all the images the photographer delivered. I asked him to make a selection of the "must have" ones and a "candid" ones.

First I had a look at the materials...and what a disaster it was! The photographer on duty had no clue what he was doing. I wouldn't even call this person a photographer. Out of 500 images I only counted maybe 3 which were framed, sharp and lighten up properly. None of them had a story to tell. I was appalling photography. Those people should never have the possibility to present themselves as what they pretend to be. I was outraged not only because he ruined this couple's wedding pictures but also because those people are an insult to the trade. That is why I keep on insisting and proposing a body which would dissect, analyze and judge the profession. That body would ban, help and accredit freelancers. But not such thing exists and it will take a while before it happens.

Anyway, my anger gone I started working on the selection, retouching, editing, etc...but I was also thinking that it takes two to tango. And this "photographer" was not the only one to blame. Those people get somehow the job because the clients they are facing have no interest and/or knowledge about what they are dealing with. If you are about to spend a certain amount of money into a service and especially if you decide to use lush facilities, you want it to be remembered in the best possible way then. If you want a good venue, good food, you need good photography, don't you think? Well, it is funny to say that because somehow everybody knows how important the photographer is but more and more often people are reluctant to pay for a good one and spend the money elsewhere. I am not saying that because this is my trade, but after the wedding there will be only one real way to remember all the efforts and happiness then experienced and that would be through the images produced by the professional. And in the end they waste their money, get nothing for it and have to pay more to save the little available. That doesn't make any sense to me I am afraid.

I was a bit concerned a couple of years ago when I was being assaulted by guests who carried an affordable compact digital. Not because they would steal my job but because people's appreciation would go down. I think we got over that and most of us realize that digital is convenient and cheap but it takes a pro to get good pictures. It is about knowledge, education and respect. I will not pretend to be a Dj tomorrow because there is a cheap and easy software that makes me feel like. That is just the surface of things. To make someone special takes many years of learning , experience, taste and challenge.

When I took the challenge to work on that last book order, I knew that the result would not be great but I knew I would do my best to enhance the poor quality and make something tangible from it. That's where digital is great technology if you know how to use it. It could have been much better if in the first place a good photographer would have been in duty.
But bare in mind that the experience I am highlighting is far from isolated. Bad photographers are everywhere and they have developed the digital tricks to make you believe the opposite. Please pay attention, ask for great service, skills in organizing and photographing, simply look for quality. Photography is the most valuable service to book and will always be. I know too many people who are in tears because they have either lost or booked the wrong person. You have to be demanding and involved.

To conclude, if you have your wedding images as digital files and wish to make an album, do not hesitate to contact me what ever quality you have been given. I will do my best to make it look good. You can have samples of them online with Blurb publishing. Enter 2exposures in the top box and click enter www.blurb.com
Or simply click the icon below to have a little perspective of what I do.

alexandra & damien by davidB/2exposures | Make Your Own Book

LAST 2010 FEED BACK

I received a top comment on the last day of 2010 from groom Jono's parents my Blurb page. The words are kind, constructive and dearly appreciated. It is very touching to find a feed back that perfectly describes what my photographic approach is about.It makes my 2010 complete. And strangely enough Mr Whale from Australia really looks like Santa Claus!

We might be just a tad biased, but this book encapsulates the magic of a very special day in September 2009. David doesn't just capture the images (though he does so brilliantly - exceptional photography!), somehow he evokes the whole mood - the fluttering excitement of the bride-to-be, the buzz of the bridesmaids, the magic of the ceremony and the joy of the celebration. Could not recommend him too highly.

Barbara and Gary Whale

posted at 04:19am Dec 31 PST