Our Creative Commune

Is undercutting another supplier just business, or something shadier? And are standard wedding venues struggling because fewer people are getting married, or because couples want something else?This week Pete, Laura, Liam and Bee start with a Facebook post Bee spotted, in which a venue offered couples money (around £500 off, as Bee remembers it) to cancel their booking elsewhere and move to them. The post has since vanished, but it got us talking about how bad things must be.Undercutting is annoying but not illegal, and we suspect plenty of suppliers do it quietly in DMs and enquiry chats. Doing it publicly looks desperate, and it would worry us if we were booked there. Are there too many venues chasing too few weddings because of the COVID engagement gap, smaller weddings, the cost of living? Then there's social media pushing art studios and orchard tables, potentially pushing out former restaurants/hotels that became exclusive-use venues.We also welcome Betty, who joined Liam for a wedding in the Lake District in floaty rain and a storm. What does she enjoy most, why does she prefer a 50mm to a 24mm, and does she really plan to take over the business?Also this week: Liam's Halloween bride and death metal wedding in London (with beers on the tube), a £90 attic in Edmonton, a guest escorted into a taxi, a French wedding edit with subtitles checked by Joss, editing before Christmas, video calls from bed, and VHS making a comeback.Bee beta tests JPEG Mini 5 with its new watermarking and save sizes. Plus highs and lows, including booking a Swiss wedding, a hot tub party, the worst firework display of all time and a new bathroom radiator.Our Creative Commune is four wedding photographers and filmmakers chatting about photography, videography and the wedding industry, just like we do over coffee most mornings.Have you ever been undercut on a booking, and did you say anything? Let us know, and if you enjoyed the episode, please like, subscribe and leave us a review.Timestamps00:00 Dark Afternoons and the Lawson Arms01:35 Liam's Halloween Bride in London04:20 Where to Stay in London08:27 Party Weddings and Ejected Guests11:00 Editing Catch-Up and French Subtitles14:15 JPEG Mini 5 and Laptop Angles15:08 Video Calls From Bed18:22 Editing Before Christmas21:37 A Venue Paying Couples to Switch24:42 Is Undercutting Just Business?26:37 Why Are Venues Struggling?28:51 Old TVs and Instagram Settings32:10 Betty Shoots a Wedding in the Lakes36:17 Betty Joins the Podcast46:07 Highs and LowsSay hi on Instagram @ourcreativecommuneGet a free 14 day trial of Musicbed: https://www.musicbed.com/invite/935CyThe British Wedding Film Festivalhttps://www.britishweddingfilmfestival.com/Lawson Film School: https://www.lawsonfilms.co.uk/lawson-film-schoolliamandbee.comlawsonfilms.co.uklawsonphotography.co.uk#weddingphotography #weddingvideography #filmphotography #creativepodcast #weddingindustry #ourcreativecommune Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Does one missed shot really matter? What are couples saying about us when we are not in the room? And are we putting pressure on ourselves that nobody else is?This week Bee, Laura, Liam and Pete start with a photographer who went public about a vicar stepping in front of the couple on the walk back down the aisle. We have all worked with vicars who are hard work, and we have all had that sinking moment of knowing a shot has gone.Should you tell couples on the day when you have missed something, or hope they never ask? Our view is that it is frustrating but no shot is the whole wedding, and the best thing you can do is be lovely, work hard and let go of what is out of your control. Bee isn't so sure it is that easy, because it is the conversations we never hear that give her nightmares.We also tackle the so-called wedding wind down. Is there any quiet at all when the travel, the tiredness and the editing pile keep building? And would giving couples a set delivery date, instead of an 8 to 12 week guideline, take some of the pressure off?Also this week: Bee's Saltburn holiday amongst Netflix film crews, Liam being chased out of The Ned and finding two stand-in witnesses at Hackney Town Hall, Pete on a rooftop at the Balmoral in Edinburgh, a school production of Sister Act, a cat cafe, and Coda talks on psychology and micing up the couple all day.Pete and Laura talk about letting Claude loose on a new photography site, while Bee builds one for Liam's driving lessons. Plus highs and lows, including a Saltburn sunrise, a new four-poster bed (and the mattress that nearly ruined it), a very quiet house and a long ceremony to edit entirely in French.Our Creative Commune is four wedding photographers and filmmakers chatting about photography, videography and the wedding industry, just like we do over coffee most mornings.Have you ever missed a shot you were sure the couple would ask about, and did you tell them on the day? Let us know, and if you enjoyed the episode, please like, subscribe and leave us a review.Timestamps00:00 Cold Coffee and Holiday Mode00:49 Saltburn and Netflix Cameras04:08 Liam's Motorbike Course Mistake05:59 Stealth Shooting at The Ned12:55 Pete on a Roof in Edinburgh16:01 Coda Trip and Loud Rooms21:07 The Coda Speakers24:44 Psychology, Pricing and Perspective30:21 Micing Up the Couple All Day34:29 A Cat Cafe in Birmingham37:17 The Vicar in Front of the Couple42:08 What Couples Say Behind Our Backs46:21 Is There Any Wedding Wind Down?53:28 Forced Time Off and Delivery Dates58:22 Highs and LowsSay hi on Instagram @ourcreativecommuneGet a free 14 day trial of Musicbed: https://www.musicbed.com/invite/935CyThe British Wedding Film Festivalhttps://www.britishweddingfilmfestival.com/Lawson Film School: https://www.lawsonfilms.co.uk/lawson-film-schoolliamandbee.comlawsonfilms.co.uklawsonphotography.co.uk#weddingphotography #weddingvideography #filmphotography #creativepodcast #weddingindustry #ourcreativecommune Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Are your couples actually enjoying their wedding? When did the real wedding day stop being enough? Can we help couples see that their actual life is worth capturing over a day-long wedding shot-list?This week Pete, Laura and Bee dig into a wedding in the Scottish Borders where the couple wanted no posing, no portraits and no social media, and why it made Pete work harder (and enjoy the day more) than ever. It leads into a bigger debate: are flat lays and long shot lists something couples really want, or something they’ve seen online? How much should we educate couples about what posed photos cost them in time on the day, and when does guidance become patronising? And why does so much “documentary” wedding content look exactly the same? Our fear is that couples are seeing so many aspirational images that they can become focused on re-creating these perfect images at the expense of living their own unique moments (and taking a risk these are missed).We also tackle editing. With couples asking for suits to be refitted, bags removed and bows fixed in every frame, how much retouching is now expected, and where do you draw the line?Also this week: Liam is off learning to be a motorbike instructor, the never-ending editing list, and the return of midweek weddings. We turn down enquiries for Silverstone weekend, shoot a wholesome christening, and hear about Liam’s first roll of film (and the frames he wasted finishing it) and flash floods in Spain. Pete explains how Claude rebuilt our LUTs and presets, while Bee sticks with ChatGPT and its slightly underwhelming Monday briefings. Plus highs and lows, including autumn TV, table tennis ups and downs, and the best flask ever made.Our Creative Commune is four wedding photographers and filmmakers chatting about photography, videography and the wedding industry, just like we do over coffee most mornings.Do you guide your couples on timings and posed shots, or let them lead? Let us know, and if you enjoyed the episode, please like, subscribe and leave us a review.Timestamps 00:00 Coffee, Matcha and Where Is Liam? 02:28 The Never-Ending Editing List 05:56 The Rise of Midweek Weddings 07:12 Silverstone vs Wedding Enquiries 10:49 A Christening and a Portrait Shoot 12:51 A No-Fuss Wedding in the Scottish Borders 19:58 Flat Lays, Posing and the Flow of the Day 21:13 Should We Educate Couples on Timings? 22:21 Why Does Everything Look the Same? 25:30 Shot Lists and Moments That Don’t Happen 30:31 How Much Retouching Is Too Much? 32:13 Liam Shoots Film, Plus Spanish Flash Floods 37:15 Using Claude for LUTs and Presets 40:58 AI Briefings and Best Of Lists 44:21 Highs and LowsSay hi on Instagram @ourcreativecommuneGet a free 14 day trial of Musicbed: https://www.musicbed.com/invite/935CyThe British Wedding Film Festivalhttps://www.britishweddingfilmfestival.com/Lawson Film School: https://www.lawsonfilms.co.uk/lawson-film-schoolliamandbee.comlawsonfilms.co.uklawsonphotography.co.uk#weddingphotography #weddingvideography #filmphotography #creativepodcast #weddingindustry #ourcreativecommune Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Are those "best wedding photographers of the year" lists really the best, or just a list of who paid to advertise? This week Pete, Laura, Liam and Bee dig into the backlash against a big industry list: accusations that it's pay to play, complaints that everyone on it shoots the same on-trend editorial style, and why the wedding industry seems to be splitting into bubbles that each crown their own favourites. Would we do any better if we made our own Top 50? (no, we'd never agree.)That leads into a bigger conversation about being open-minded after 20 years in the industry. Why do suppliers keep telling couples what they won't want, especially when it comes to content creators? Is there such a thing as good light, or is it all taste? And are we allowed to call a photo unprofessional, or are we just turning into the grumpy old guard who once refused to do spot colour?Also this week: Liam's trusty Canon 35mm dies mid-wedding and he upgrades to the RF 35mm VCM, we ask for your recommendations on where to get lenses repaired in the UK, Pete shoots two new Scottish castles, Bee and her mum stumble into a Blackpool bingo brunch, Laura's mum used to walk elephants on Blackpool beach, we discuss whether folding phones might finally bring landscape back, and the quiet winter looms as the wedding season winds down. Plus a robot cat litter tray, a last-minute booking bonded over fruit flies, and our highs and lows of the week.Our Creative Commune is a relaxed catch-up between four wedding photographers and filmmakers, chatting all things photography, videography and the wedding industry, like friends over a coffee (or tonight, a glass of wine).Where do you get your lenses fixed? Let us know!Timestamps:00:00 Intro and Blackpool with Bee's mum07:43 Photographer meetups and filming in Blackpool10:31 Pete's two Scottish castle weddings15:02 Liam's Herefordshire wedding16:12 Liam's Canon 35mm dies and lens repair woes21:43 The robot cat litter tray23:53 Are "best wedding photographer" lists just ads?30:28 Does every wedding photo look the same?32:59 Is landscape coming back with folding phones?35:55 Should we make our own Top 50?38:47 The long quiet winter ahead41:10 Stop telling couples what they want44:41 Is there really such a thing as good light?50:09 Highs and lows of the weekSay hi on Instagram @ourcreativecommuneGet a free 14 day trial of Musicbed: https://www.musicbed.com/invite/935CyThe British Wedding Film Festivalhttps://www.britishweddingfilmfestival.com/Lawson Film School: https://www.lawsonfilms.co.uk/lawson-film-schoolliamandbee.comlawsonfilms.co.uklawsonphotography.co.uk#weddingphotography #weddingvideography #filmphotography #creativepodcast #weddingindustry #ourcreativecommune Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A pair of LA photographers went viral for all the wrong reasons with a post telling couples their wedding photographer is too old for them, and explaining why Gen Z couples need Gen Z photographers and videographers. It got deleted, it got apologised for, and it got us talking. Is there anything in it, or is it just generational nonsense dressed up as marketing? We are, as usual, about the last people in the industry to get round to discussing it.We look into the claim that younger suppliers speak the same visual language as their couples, with the massive contradiction buried inside - the current wedding aesthetic is nostalgia for a time Gen Z never lived. We suspect they've mixed up age with cultural fluency. You can absolutely be twenty-five or fifty-five and be making exactly the same work.Has age ever changed how we shoot or how we connect with a couple? Since starting at age 21, we've always just ended up bonding with the parents first. Maybe we're just old souls. There's also now this really annoying problem; we're proud of having shot weddings for over 20 years, but that also makes us sound sixty on our websites.Before that we catch up after an accidental two month disappearance, compare backlogs (48 items on one to-do list, ten weddings deep), and run through a summer of travel including a wedding near Paris with a two hour ceremony, eight plus speeches, surprise fireworks and a boat trip that meant abandoning a full camera setup mid day. Laura shoots her first roll of Super 8 with a broken light meter and guesses the exposure all day long, we weigh up whether film only bookings are worth the risk, and we get into the TikTok row about couples writing wedding speeches with AI.Plus tennis elbow, a dead boiler, no sleep, and Bee's spiky cucumbers.Timestamps:00:00 Welcome back after an accidental two month break02:53 The run up to Christmas is the worst part of the year03:23 48 items on the to-do list and ten weddings still to edit06:01 Where everyone has been shooting this summer07:12 The Paris wedding: two hour ceremony, a boat and surprise fireworks11:03 Laura's first roll of Super 8 and a broken light meter14:50 Are couples writing wedding speeches with AI?16:24 Topic of the week: the "your photographer is too old for you" post19:03 The nostalgia contradiction22:00 Does saying you've shot weddings for 20 years make you sound old?23:55 What experience actually gives you when things go wrong27:00 Why generations are a lazy generalisation28:58 Enquiries, bookings and how the diary is looking31:47 Highs and lowsSay hi on Instagram @ourcreativecommuneGet a free 14 day trial of Musicbed: https://www.musicbed.com/invite/935CyThe British Wedding Film Festivalhttps://www.britishweddingfilmfestival.com/Lawson Film School: https://www.lawsonfilms.co.uk/lawson-film-schoolliamandbee.comlawsonfilms.co.uklawsonphotography.co.uk#weddingphotography #weddingvideography #filmphotography #creativepodcast #weddingindustry #ourcreativecommune Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.