DIYer Melissa writes in:
My fiance and I are beginning to interview photographers for our wedding next year. We’ve started by looking at the websites of photographers in our area. As an African-American couple it is shocking that not one has any pictures of couples of color in their galleries – and we live in a racially diverse area! D and I love the style of one or two photographers in our price range but we’re hesitant to meet up with them because they don’t represent people like us. How do we find photographers who work with people of color?
DIY Bride responds:
Melissa, your concerns are beginning to be a hot-button issue in the weddingsphere. Couples (and industry pros) are questioning why only uber-pretty Caucasian couples are being featured in mags, high profile sites, and vendor portfolios. The lack of diversity, racial and otherwise, is cause for concern and raising awareness is our first step towards making change.
As for finding a photographer who shoots PoC, I wouldn’t rule out meeting with the photographers you’ve found online whose work you loved. Maybe their offline portfolio is more diverse or maybe they’ve not yet had an opportunity to phootgraph African American couples. Meeting with them face-to-face is a better barometer of who they are than what their online presence is – and that’s true for each and every vendor you’re considering. It is perfectly acceptable to ask, especially in a racially diverse area, why the photog doesn’t have more people of color in his or her portfolio.
I also encourage you to ask who shot the weddings of any recently-married couples of color you know. Word-of-mouth recommendations (or bewares) are always a great place to start your search.
