The endless bombardment about why you should have a particular photographer at your wedding, the non-stop blogs and adverts vying for your attention - it’s just a non-stop series of noise, words, phrases about memories and moments and stories and stuff. All starts to sound the same doesn’t it, it’s all chaff and din and ohohohohoh pick me pick me.
Even the labels I give my own style - documentary, reportage, photojournalist, candid, street - just labels, easy to adopt, easy to write about, easy to say. Just names to make myself as appealing as possible to people like you.
What makes me so different?
Possibly nothing, maybe something - who knows, that’s for you to decide.
My pictures are my words, they speak for me - I could write whatever I want but if my pictures don’t make you think ‘I want this guy at my wedding’ then my words aren’t going to convince you otherwise - or maybe you’re a sucker for words and they will (but I don’t want that - really I don’t)
So then, here’s some words that won’t convince you but hopefully they’ll support my pictures. These are the things that define me.
- I give a shit, I really do. At a selfish level I give a big one because I take great pride in what I do. Photography is important to me from a memory perspective (read some other stuff I’ve written to understand why)
- I’m honest. A little too honest sometimes. I can’t abide what the wedding photography industry is becoming (perhaps has always been), eloquent blogs wordy as hell, magazine features, tenuous claims to fame - what about the pictures man, when did it stop being about the pictures
- I’m not a dick, or creepy or odd. I don’t upset people at weddings or weirdly stalk around them like a creepy peeping tom, nor do I halt the flow of them for pictures. I just take part and take pictures.
- I’m good for people who are shit scared at the thought of having a camera dork following them round all day. People who don’t like being the centre of attention - conversely I’m equally as good for people who really want to be the centre of attention all day, party animals and loons. My approach is unique.
- If I don’t think I’m right for you I’ll tell you and point you in the direction of someone who might be.
- I’m very laid back, make a lot of flippant comments about wedding photography and love a good party - don’t confuse any of that with a lack of professionalism. I’m fully committed to getting the feel of your day in pictures - see ‘I give a shit’
- I may swear a fair bit in a safe area (like my own page) but I’m not a mindless hoodlum with a potty mouth around people, unless you’re all potty mouths then in which case I am
Final point - I give a shit about your memories, not necessarily about you yet because I don’t know, you but when you commit to me, then you get my shits - I give them to you.