PODCAST EP 34: I am not a Wedding Photographer with Ian Weldon

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In this episode, we sat down with Ian Weldon to discuss the ever-changing landscape of wedding photography. He shares his personal experiences along with professional insights on how to capture authentic moments - capturing real, imperfect moments over staged, fairy tale shots. He also shares his views on balancing commercial success with his artistic vision, and the power of community-driven initiatives.
Key takeaways from this episode:
Emphasizing authenticity by capturing real, imperfect wedding moments
Navigating the challenges of maintaining artistic integrity while also meeting clients' expectations and demands
Placing importance on personal projects for skill development
Focusing on local communities and building relationships to create meaningful work
Using photography as a tool for self-discovery
Placing importance on self-awareness and understanding of personal style and techniques to create meaningful photographs
Emphasizing curiosity and empathy to connect with clients
Tune in to the full episode as Ian further discusses his personal projects, exhibition, and evolution in the photography field.
About the Guest:
Ian Weldon is a photographer from the North of England predominantly photographing weddings, whilst also working on long term documentary projects and commercial assignments.
With only a brief period of studying photography at a local college, Ian is primarily self-taught. He is a previous lecturer on photography history and has delivered a wide range of photography programs both academically and privately.
His long term project, 'I Am Not A Wedding Photographer', was exhibited at the Martin Parr Foundation in Bristol, and was featured worldwide in major publications including The Guardian, The British Journal of Photography, Vice, Creative Review, BBC World News and CNN to name but a few, with I-D France billing him as, ‘le photographe de mariage le plus cool du monde’. (The coolest wedding photographer in the world)
This was also the first exhibition of wedding photography within a fine art context in the UK. Ever
A book of the work, with the same title, was co-published by RRB Books and The Martin Parr Foundation.
Other info: www.ianweldon....