Photo courtesy to Jonathan SeymourToday'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.
