Excuse Me, Are You A (Wedding) Photographer?

I don’t know how many of you are familiar with the book ‘Excuse Me, Are You A Model’ by Bonny Hicks, but it doesn’t really matter. If you have never heard of it at all, you are probably quite young. If you know it but haven’t read it, no worries, neither have I.

Basically, this post is related to something a client asked me during a recent meeting.

During the discussion and after getting the paperwork done, the lady asked me this really interesting question, which goes somewhat along these lines.

“Do you have anything against being referred to as a wedding photographer?”

I know exactly what she meant, and she continued. “Because some people would rather be known as a photographer without the ‘wedding’ tag to it”.

The immediate thoughts to my head were, ‘is it so bad to be known as a wedding photographer? Is it such a degrading job? Is it a much less respected branch of the photography industry?’

The next series of thoughts were, ‘But I don’t only do weddings, and even when I do, my work involves graphic design and digital imaging. I’m also my own web designer and Webmaster…”

But keeping focused on the question, I had my answer for her.

“If you’d asked me just about a year back, then I’d probably prefer to be known as just a photographer in general. But now I’m totally comfortable being referred to as a wedding photographer”.

Why the change? Probably because back then I was a lot less exposed to the international photography community, but now my eyes and mind have been opened.

Overseas, especially in Europe, Australia and the US, wedding photography is a very respected profession. Somehow they understand that it is actually quite a high-pressure job. Unlike commercial photography, you only have one chance to get it right. There are no re-shoots for such an event like this.

Unfortunately, I don’t think the sentiment is quite the same locally. I even have a commercial photographer friend who says that ‘he’s moved on, he won’t do weddings anymore’. I think his message was, ‘wedding photography is for newbies. The good photographers move on to other works’.

Really? Well, whatever.

I have actually made friends with many international wedding photographers, and I’ve seen some really great work from local wedding photographers. Did you know that our local guys regularly win contests run by the Wedding Photo Journalists Association (WPJA)?

So in that spirit, I am seeing a new light in my profession, and I feel really inspired.

Also, slowly but surely things will change. Clients for example - 4R photos used to be the norm, but I’m seeing increased interest in Coffee Table Albums. Is it just something trendy? Only time will tell, but I personally feel that it is the best option for presentation at the moment.

I’m hoping that more people will see their wedding day photography as something more than just a means of capture, but as an opportunity for documenting that special day in a unique, personal and creative way.

As a matter of fact, and rarity, the lady who had posed me the question earlier, has requested for a fully black and white rendering for her Coffee Table Album. Strange, but that simple request got me quite excited. Though I have nothing against colors, in my opinion, nothing is as classy and timeless as a black and white print.

And so, in case you’re still wondering by now, yes, I am a Wedding Photographer!

It may be hectic, the hours are long, and less glamorous than commercial or fashion photography… but when I’m working, I am constantly surrounded with the feeling of joy. Surely that can’t be wrong.

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