2007 marked the beginning of my second decade documenting
the wedding celebration with my camera – almost 400 weddings! I
began Platinum Image Photography in 1997 at a time when “creative” and
“wedding photography” were seldom used in the same sentence. But
things certainly have changed – it seems that on a weekly basis I see
exciting and inspiring work by artistically-minded individuals who are
passionate about making beautiful and emotional wedding images!
In addition, digital technology makes it easier to share photos almost
instantly, and to present images in media not possible just a few years
ago – from classic wedding albums and prints to contemporary coffee
table books, DVD presentations (with video and audio as well),
websites, podcasts and much more. What an exciting time to be a
wedding photographer!
My vision has always been to photograph the “real” event,
not the wedding that exists in the mind of the photographer. Each
wedding is unique and should be remembered as such. My style is
largely documentary and unprompted, with minimal time obligated to
formal portraiture and photographer direction, so you can feel free to
be yourself. Love, laugh, dance, hug, cry – and trust your
photographer to capture it all for you.
2008 will bring new cameras, new software and new techniques
for making and sharing memorable photographs. But no matter how
much I learn about the technical process of making an image,
photography still feels like “magic” to me – it is the ability to stop
time for one moment, to freeze it and store it away for later
contemplation. It is as if the photographer has been granted the
ability to archive a memory, an emotion, so we can later feel it again
– we can remember the way we felt when we looked at the world around us
and the faces of the ones we love. It is a privilege, a gift, to
make it possible to leave these moments and memories behind for the
next generations, so they can perhaps enjoy a glimpse of what a
wonderful thing it is to live our lives, to meet and love others in our
time, and to experience our little piece of the common history of
humanity.
Best to you,
Andy Pauquette
