For the long time seasoned professional wedding photographers out there, cast your mind back to when you were starting out. 10 years ago perhaps or more you got the bug, set up a business, got a website sorted and went into the world looking for work.

Only you couldn't get any decent work because everyone wanted, quite rightly, a portfolio and experience. And you couldn't get experience and thus a portfolio because you couldn't get hired because you... yeah... you didn't have a portfolio. Same old age-old problem. Its not just the"usual" world of work where this happens.

So you struggled on, offered to shoot anything that moved for free. You refused to share any tiny bit of knowledge with any other wedding photographer about how you got a paying wedding (for some seasoned professionals nothing has changed their) in case they stole your business.

You Struggled

So you struggled on, offered to shoot anything that moved for free. You refused to share any tiny bit of knowledge with any other wedding photographer about how you got a paying wedding (for some seasoned professionals nothing has changed their) in case they stole your business.

Second Shooting

When you found a wedding photographer who would let you tag along "for experience" it was actually to second shoot for them so they could make a few extra quid and you weren't allowed to use any of the images. So all you got was a a camera with more actuations on, more milage on the car and possibly some tips. Usually the tips were few and far between because said primary photographer is shit scared of you taking their business! Like, how in Gods name is a photographer with less than a dozen weddings uder their belt even in the same market space as the seasoned professional with 500+ weddings??!!!!

Again, nothing seems to have changed. Many many many well established wedding photgoraphers refuse to take on second shooters and give them any guidance or coaching or mentoring. "Wasn't like that in my day" / "I had to struggle so you have to as well" / "If I share my tips with you youll steal all my couples" etc etc. A fabulous example of leadership. Not.

Buck the Trend

So someone likes me comes along and activley encourages new wedding photographers to tag along (just shoot the shit out of anything is my mantra for new wedding photographers), I coach them, mentor them, guide them, share tips, show my workflow to them etc. Sometimes I even use an image or two if they got a great shot from a different angle.

Dare to be Different

BUT...

What I also do is allow them to use the images at that wedding for themselves....after I have delivered my final edits to the couple. For e that is usualy around three weeks.

WHY?

How the hell are they supposed to gain business, grow a business, gain experience and get better with no portfolio to show? See the second paragraph.

Two wedding photographers. The same wedding. Different wedding albums.

It does seem strange to some couples at wedding fayres to see two wedding photographers with two albums of the same couples, as has happened at the last wedding fayre I attended with one of my mentees. We both had an album from the same couple. It didn't help matters that the bride from that wedding was on my stand helping me out!

The album my mentee (Bobbie Lee Photography) was showing was ALL her own work. Not mine. Hers. And bloody good it was as well. I did refuse to allow her to use some evening images that I had set up as, at the time, she didn't have the required technical knowledge to be able to do them herself. Mutiple lights, multiple uses of gels etc. It's the same when I run my wedding photography workshops. If you can do the shot yourself you can use it. If you let me do all the hard work in lighting setups, posing, camera setting etc then no you can't use it. I even get my models to walk off if they feel the photographers on the workshops are takng too long... just like in real life when a couple get bored! #experientialtraining

Wedding Fayres

So the next time you see me at a wedding fayre and I have an album that another wedding photographer also has on display congratulate the other photographer for doing things the right way -

• For getting professionally trained.
• For getting professionally coached.
• For getting professionally mentored.
• For not offering to shoot for free because they need a portfolio and then screwing up some ones wedding.

Take the time to chat to her (or him) and get to know them. You never know... you may like them more than you do me. And I'm totally fine with that, with knowing I've helped someone on the way to a very hard but very fulfilling career as a wedding photographer.

For me, I do not see helping others like this as a danger to my business. I've been a photographer for 26 years. 13 years full on paying the mortgage full time wedding photographer. Close to 500 weddings in the 13 years. Experience coming out of my ears.

I have a different personality, a different way of photographing a wedding, a different way of editing a wedding etc. I may not be the right wedding photographer for you.

Finally, In case You Are Wondering

So, to my existing coupes and any other couples thinking about getting in touch... I may well bring someone along with me. To gain experience, to refine their craft so when they go 'live' they don't mess up someones wedding. They won't be taking any of the important photographs - that's what you are paying me to do. But you will get some of the photographs if I think they are ok and meet my quality criteria etc.