Photographers ask me all the time who inspires me. I think they secretly want to know which other wedding photographers are my favourites.
I like this Jonas Peterson guy, they think, so whoever he likes must be the key to who I want to be.
Instead of searching within, they look outside to try to find out who they are. Instead of taking a long and hard look in the mirror they try to find “inspiration” elsewhere.
It won’t work.
I look at art, photography, movies, theatre, you name it all the time, but when push comes to shove it all comes down to who I am, what I want to do and how I see things around me.
I’m inspired by people.
And by the things they do.
So when I signed up for my first workshop ever, I did it partly because I wanted to know more about shooting film, but I knew I’d get more out of just hanging out with Jonathan, who was hosting it.
I get a lot of people contacting me about my work. I look through my emails and I feel happy, but also embarrassed. I’m a very simple guy. I love what I do and I want my clients to share my vision. But the level of attention I’m getting still baffles me.
Attending the Film Is Not Dead workshop in Melbourne made me look at what I do in a different light, but it also made me love the man behind the workshop. I learned things about film, exposure and latitude, but more than anything it re-enforced the fact that wedding photography doesn’t have to be about hustling and selling shit to people.
Love people and they will love you back.
Jonathan does.
And for that I will always love him.
If you’re interested in people, film and meeting a man on a mission, I couldn’t recommend Film Is Not Dead more.
