Original subtitles

Here we go, inspiration and the creative process.

We are going to explore what I consider

to be the absolute foundations and bedrock of

how I handle and approach the creative side

of wedding photography.

And for me, it all starts with understanding

the inspiration around us, how it influences our

work and learning how to trust in the

creative process.

The first thing I want to tell you

and for you to remember here is that

we are all influenced in one way or

another, consciously and subconsciously.

And this module is really about recognising the

influences that you choose to absorb and how

you can take the components of those influences

and apply them to your work.

Now, inspiration comes in a multitude of forms.

But for me, the largest influence within my

work is without doubt film and TV.

It's not and should never be other wedding

photographers.

More on that later.

But I used to watch films or dramas

at home when I started out in 2012,

2013.

It was Breaking Bad, Mad Men and Boardwalk

Empire.

We'll come back to these images later and

why they're relevant to this subject.

But I had a small notebook next to

our sofa and I would regularly sketch compositions

or frames that I'd see on the screen

and try to revisit those ideas when I

next had a wedding.

Now, the notepad is since gone and instead

I just choose to recognise the frame whilst

I'm watching it.

And I make a mental note and try

to understand what it is that makes that

frame or scene appeal to me.

Because once you begin to understand, and we're

going to discuss my influences and visual triggers

shortly, those principles and the reasons behind why

you connect with a certain style or genre

and how those images or scenes were shot,

framed, composed, you start to become conditioned to

see them in the real world.

And most importantly, you start to see them

at the wedding you're at.

You look for those frames and principles.

And then over time, it just becomes instinctive.

It becomes your style.

This is where it starts.

And the key is making sure you consume

the right content, because it's very easy in

today's age to get this wrong.

The prime example everyone should be able to

relate to is Instagram.

And let's draw a parallel to when people

are advised to unfollow, let's say toxic accounts,

people that moan or accounts that don't bring

any value to you.

Why would a mental health professional advise you

to unfollow those accounts?

It's simple, because they affect you.

They influence your mood.

Bad energy is transferable from the creator to

the consumer.

And we're all consumers.

So with the same idea in mind, if

you follow accounts or consume content that doesn't

inspire you on a visual level, or bring

value to your business, why are you following

them?

If you watch lots of cheesy and trashy

TV, and don't get me wrong, I am

all up for the odd episode of Married

at First Sight, Australia edition, obviously.

But if that's all you consume, will it

be reflected in your work as a photographer?

Likewise, if you're inspired by dark and moody

dramas, such as Ozark, Mindhunter or Narcos, that

will undoubtedly start to reflect itself in your

work.

If you're into high-end fashion and read

Vogue or Harper's Bazaar, the likelihood is you'll

have a fashion influence to your work.

If we explore just a few photographers in

the industry, all photographers that are incredibly well

established, you'll notice they all have an instantly

recognisable style.

Benjamin Wheeler, whose background before weddings was fashion,

it clearly shows in his work.

Liam and Dom of York Place Studios, these

guys are like no one else in the

wedding industry, with huge influences of street photography,

their work often blows my mind.

Igor Demba, one of the nicest guys you

could wish to meet, and his work is

hugely inspired by travel and culture, and again

it shows in his work.

So let's loop back to the start of

this episode, and I want you to ask

yourself, what are your influences?

What inspires you as a creative, or to

be creative, and what are you doing to

be inspired?

I can't give you those answers, but I

hope it makes you think and question your

influences, and ultimately the visual aesthetic you want

to carry through your work.

I want you to be aware of your

choices, the choice of what content to consume,

making a conscious decision to watch or consume

certain types of content, because it will have

a positive impact on your work, and inspire

you to be creative.

The example I want to show you here,

which is just one of those TV dramas

that's been an influence on me, is Better

Call Saul, which is the prequel to Breaking

Bad.

It also happens to be better than Breaking

Bad.

Controversial I know, but only to people who

haven't seen Better Call Saul.

Now this series for me carries a lot

of visual influences, and has a certain look

and feel that I want to come across

in my work as a wedding photographer.

I watch it and feel like I'm in

the scene, or the room of the characters.

But let's just take a look at a

few stills from this series.

First up, Saul.

Nothing groundbreaking here.

He's off centre, likely a 35mm field of

view.

Then this crop shot, tight in, for us

that's the 85mm or 135mm, but look how

he's framed, tight to the side.

It's exposed for the highlights on a dark

background.

Then we have some window light, shot at

45 degrees to the window, highlight on shadow.

The final one, shooting through doors and creating

frames.

Just another simple technique, alongside the others, that

I take with me to each and every

wedding.

If you look at this shot of Tim

reading his card from Amy, there are parallels

to these frames that I've already shown you.

Side light, highlights on shadows.

This shot of Vanessa before she leaves the

house to get married.

Shooting through a door frame, side light from

a window.

Here we have Mark writing his speech, and

also Paige moments before she leaves the house.

Both shot on a tighter crop, highlights on

shadows, tight to the edges of the frame.

Much like that shot of Saul in the

chair.

And finally, a wedding guest asleep on a

hay bale in the afternoon.

And compare that to one of the characters

from Better Call Saul on the stretcher.

I'm sure I have shots of that guest

from a standing position, but something in me

was triggered when I decided to change my

perspective and shoot him from above.

And it comes from consuming content and being

influenced.

And more recently, I've watched The Queen's Gambit

and seen parallels between how that was shot

and images I regularly look for in my

work.

Images that focus on facial expressions and fill

the frame.

People and crowds, shot and documented from a

different angle or perspective.

And how couples or guests can fill the

frame, be off-center, and how bringing another

subject into the foreground can add context to

the scene.

These are all basic principles that I practice

at each and every wedding I shoot.

Some frames work out amazingly well, some not

so much.

But the more you keep hunting these ideas,

and the more you practice them, the more

frames you're going to win.

I don't for a second believe that you're

lucky as a photographer.

You create your own look by recognizing these

styles, constantly observing and being present with the

scene and characters in front of you.

And as we'll talk about more later on,

working relentlessly.

So to finish up this section, I wanted

to give you an experience I had that,

for me, just illustrates the creative process working

on a wedding day, and why you can't

go to weddings with preconceived ideas of shots

that you want to recreate.

Remember that mood board I told you about.

It's not a good idea.

It's great to have influences and to look

for visual triggers, but you have to look

and react.

You can't recreate or copy.

For me, this is the overlooked skill of

a wedding photographer, being able to interpret a

scene and make split-second decisions on how

to document or record that situation.

And this example is from a wedding I

shot in Antigua in 2019.

It was an incredible sunset.

The sky was literally on fire.

Katie and JT had asked me for some

shots against the skyline, and who could blame

them?

But for me, I'm not a major fan

of silhouette shots against the sky, but I

will always listen to a couple's request and

execute something for them to the very best

of my ability.

I have no trouble with that.

So as you can see from this, I

took those frames.

They're fine.

Silhouettes against the red sky, they love them.

But once we'd got those shots, I stepped

back to get a few wider frames of

the house against the sky.

Katie and JT could get back to their

dance floor.

Their work here was done.

But whilst I was taking those frames, I

stopped for a brief second.

I reflected on this frame here and straight

away told them to stop.

I recognised an opportunity.

All I noticed was their silhouette against the

ambient light of the building.

I asked them to step back, be side

on to me, and there you have it.

A reaction to a scene.

I evaluated my work quickly, recognised an opportunity,

and executed a shot I could never have

pre-planned.

And that for me is the creative process

at work.

I apply these principles and the visual triggers

we're going to talk about over the next

couple of videos to every scene, moment, or

opportunity at a wedding.

I don't stop.

Some frames work out better than others.

Some don't work at all.

But you only develop your instinct and experience

by going through that process time and time

and time again.

You learn from each scene.

You learn from each wedding.

So that's it for inspiration and the creative

process.

I hope it's got you thinking about what

inspires you and influences you and ultimately makes

you, you.

Try and avoid falling into the trap of

comparing yourself to other wedding photographers.

Your ideas and inspiration should come from up

here, not from what you see on Instagram

from Chelsea in San Francisco or Ken in

Cheltenham.

If you're Chelsea in San Fran or Ken

in Cheltenham, this is awkward.

See you in the next video.