I’m proud to photograph everyone & anyone
Couples of all cultures, genders, abilities, faiths, sexualities and backgrounds are welcome here.
“Love is love”
Now is a more important time than ever to breakdown the stereotypes we have formed or been fed, dispel any misconceptions, prejudices and bias we have against others and to celebrate our differences. A wedding is a celebration of love, between two people. That’s it. Except we are given a very fairy tale-esque picture of what that day should be – and if you want to do things differently or if you look differently to blonde haired size 10 women portrayed n the magazines, there can seem like there’s no place for you. Things have come on leaps and bounds in the last 5 years, but there are still there are things like the shocking fact that none of the top three best selling wedding magazines have EVER featured a woman of non-white ethnicity on the cover.
One of my business values (if you want to read more about these you can here) is inclusivity and I want to do as much as I can to make every single person entering the wedding industry feel welcome and comfortable whatever they look like or regardless of any physical or mental disability.
It’s about creating a conversation and promoting change with diversity, and making sure ALL people getting married feel included in the wedding planning and process, that there are resources for everyone.
So what am I doing?
Þ Aiming to showcasing all types of couples on my website and in my marketing materials
Þ Using non-exclusive wording on my site and in my contracts
Þ Supporting blogs and other photographers tackling the issues
Þ Adding alt-tags on my website for visually impaired
Þ Challenging venues that may have an old way of viewings things (e.g wedding fairs branded Mr & Mrs everywhere)
Here are some brilliant blogs that celebrate diversity and difference in the wedding industry.
I’d love to hear any feedback on this from couples who have experiences in planning a wedding, their thoughts on any of the things I’ve touched upon or if there’s anything else I can do help the issues raised above. All images are from Nam & Paul's Fusion wedding at The Corran, Carmarthenshire. You can see more of their wedding here.
This post is written as a direct response to attending Nu Bride’s diversity and inclusivity in the industry workshop. You can find more about her workshops, talks, and consultancy here.