Our Creative Commune

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.

Is the summer booking lull real, or is it all in your head? This week the Commune is back in the garden (briefly) to unpick why enquiries seem to vanish in peak season, why couples always book the second you go on holiday, and why raising your prices might be the easiest win you're avoiding. Along the way: whether the European heat is quietly killing summer destination weddings, a genuine ding-dong about how much AI belongs in a premium wedding business, the death of the hashtag and where Instagram reach actually comes from now, and Pete's theory that a COVID relationship gap is behind the quiet patch (and why the floodgates are about to open again). Plus the anxiety that never quite leaves this job, a missing bride with no phone signal, a Japanese wedding pint race, and the hotel Liam booked without realising everyone else would be naked. Honest, unfiltered chat about wedding photography, videography and running a creative business, from four people who actually do it for a living. Grab a coffee and settle in.Timestamps00:00 Welcome and a rare sunny garden01:43 Air con obsessives vs the camping tent03:48 A 40 degree wedding in Spain04:38 Is the heat killing summer destination weddings?07:56 The hotel Liam didn't realise was a naturist resort12:36 The missing bride at Iscoyd Park16:08 Why every wedding still makes you anxious20:14 A Japanese wedding, a pint race and language shame22:39 A weekend off and a run of last minute bookings25:42 Is the summer booking lull real or all in our heads?28:29 We raised our prices and nobody blinked29:00 Instagram burnout and the death of the hashtag33:32 Why we gave up on TikTok34:30 Using AI in your workflow without cheapening your brand37:46 Pete's grading mistake and staying vigilant42:26 The COVID relationship gap theory44:40 An uncertain but magical industry47:05 Scotland this weekend and a secret celebrity wedding48:19 Highs and lows59:40 Sausages, St Swithin and paying witches for sunshineSay 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.

Happy birthday to us! Our Creative Commune turns four this episode, and Bee's marked the occasion with a homemade cake and a look back at four years and well over a hundred episodes of the podcast. But birthday chat aside, this one's got plenty in it. The team compares notes on surviving back-to-back weddings in a proper heatwave (electrolytes, hotel rooms with zero aircon and one particularly ill-advised propped-open door), talks through why a hired zoom lens didn't live up to a trusty 35mm prime, and shares stories from a stretch of weddings that took in a sweltering Jewish ceremony in a listed barn, a sunny Tuscan estate, and a very loud town hall ceremony that got soundtracked by the bar next door.The main event this week is a proper debate sparked by a TikTok claiming the wedding industry is "cooked" because photographers charge extra to keep couples' images out of marketing. The team breaks down what UK GDPR actually says about using wedding photos commercially, why consent matters more than most people realise, and whether charging for privacy is ever fair, alongside genuine reasons couples ask for it and why you some photographers never post photos of children.There's also a chat about guests becoming noticeably more camera aware, a surprising discovery about eyesight and viewfinders, and the usual round of highs and lows, including a recurring ankle injury that's becoming a running joke.Timestamps:00:00 Birthday celebrations and four years of the podcast04:41 Coping with a heatwave on wedding days10:23 Why a hired zoom lens didn't make the cut13:53 A run of weddings: Harrow, Spain and an old friend's big day17:04 Bee's new (old) film camera18:08 The town hall ceremony that got gate crashed by the bar next door20:26 Convertible Mini chaos in Spain21:22 A hot wedding in Tuscany23:56 Getting wedding disco lighting right26:06 Long daylight and a long drive to a Scottish wedding27:16 Life with an electric car on wedding trips28:13 Should couples pay to keep their photos private?36:58 Why couples ask for privacy, and the no-child-photos policy38:12 Shooting couples who are more camera aware than ever41:59 A surprising discovery about eyesight and viewfinders43:50 When the ceremony staging makes your job harder44:35 Highs and lows of the week55:41 Reviews, questions and a possible bonus episodeSay 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.

Drone audits, drizzle disasters, and the eternal question of whether putting your prices up is ever a good idea. This week Pete, Laura, Liam and Bee dive into Pete's upcoming CAA drone audit and the surprisingly strict "flying currency" rules that come with it, before getting into a deep discussion on shooting weddings in bad weather, including the bride who left a bad review because it was too sunny, and the violinist who nearly walked out over a bit of drizzle.The conversation moves into the business side of things, with Bee and Liam unpacking a recent price increase that coincided with enquiries dropping off a cliff, and whether that's down to pricing, a fiddled Google Ads budget, or just a quiet patch. There's also a chat about website portfolios, ad spend, and Pete and Laura's attempt to make their photography site sound less negative without losing what makes it them.On the gear side, Liam debates renting an expensive lens for a castle wedding in Spain, Pete and Laura talk through their new 85mm lens and a Lightroom preset fix using Claude AI, and the group ends up arguing about which AI chatbot has the best personality. Plus reunion highs, root canal lows, and a real-time cat-versus-bird incident that derails the recording entirely.As always, it's highs, lows, and everything in between for wedding photographers and videographers trying to navigate the job, the business, and each other.Timestamps:00:00 Cold open: memory card chaos and a lost SD card02:01 Pete's CAA drone audit and the flying currency requirement05:51 Eyeing up a new drone after seeing one at a wedding06:46 Liam's Scotland wedding at Dunglass Estate07:55 The sock-on-the-smoke-alarm pub incident09:49 Pete's rainy Watermouth Cove wedding in Devon11:06 Handling bad weather and difficult outdoor ceremonies12:42 The violinist who nearly walked out13:54 The one-star review from a bride who wanted rain16:00 Pete's wedding at Goodnestone Park, Kent19:42 Working alongside an editorial photographer's 20+ group shots22:14 Price increase versus a sudden drop in enquiries25:34 Debating Google AdWords and Meta ad spend29:22 How many photos should be in a portfolio32:01 Upcoming trips: Pete to Tuscany, Liam's multi-country wedding run35:28 Liam considering renting an expensive lens for Spain38:55 New 85mm lens and adapting old Lightroom presets with Claude AI42:00 Favourite AI chatbots and their personalities43:11 Bee's 25-year school reunion44:08 Root canal woes and charging for consultation Zooms45:08 Hugo the cat brings in a bird mid-recording45:59 Highs and lows: mountain bikes, finished films, and 2:30am starts53:05 Wrap upSay 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.

What does it actually mean to care about your couples? Not in a vague, wholesome sense - but practically, between the booking email and the wedding day? This week the four of us are back together after a busy stretch of weddings (and one very long drive to Skye), and this question pops up in most of what we're talking about today.Liam kicks things off with tales from the road - a 22-hour round trip to the Isle of Skye for a four-hour elopement, accommodation that shared a building with a funeral director, and a mid-ceremony nature emergency that he handled with more resourcefulness than dignity. There's also the heartwarming news that Bee's daughter Betty shot her very first wedding and, by all accounts, absolutely smashed it.Pete and Laura relive their Paris trip - a 1920s indoor fairground, a ringmaster officiant, Britney-soundtracked backup dancers, and the "Inception bridge" - before the whole group spirals into debating whether they should all move to Scotland (Pete: no; midges: also no).From there, things get deep: a recent opinion arguing that photographers and videographers should position themselves as "creative leads" on wedding days. The group picks that apart honestly - where the idea has merit, why it mostly doesn't work (for us), and what actually happens when the makeup artist is still doing BTS portraits while you're trying to shoot. Pete raises something that's been coming up in consults lately: couples are booking "editorial" photographers thinking the word signals a natural, unposed approach - because "documentary" now sounds old-fashioned to them - when editorial often means the opposite. The terminology has become almost meaningless. It's the same problem that existed when everyone called themselves documentary photographers but still whisked couples away for two hours of portraits.And then: a TikTok from a wedding-industry bride saying no vendor made her feel cared about. Do we? Should we be doing more between booking and the big day - automated check-ins, WhatsApp groups, gifts? Or does showing up fully and delivering exceptional work speak louder than any amount of pre-wedding communication?Honest, warm, and occasionally extremely disgusting - this is a good one.Timestamps00:00 Intro & welcome back Liam 03:45 How long can you leave an inquiry unanswered? 04:10 Isle of Skye elopement - the drive, the cost, the hostel 07:00 The wilderness incident (you'll know when you get there) 09:25 Betty's first wedding shoot12:30 Paris Musee des Arts Forains wedding - fairground, ringmaster, Britney17:50 Filming vs. photography - why variety makes both better 18:35 Should we all move to Scotland? 20:00 Stefan sells up and goes full Viking 21:30 Should photographers be "creative leads" on wedding days? 27:00 The rise of content creators at weddings & its knock-on effects 30:00 Editorial vs. documentary - the language is broken33:30 The wonky camera trend & the Adlington Flip 37:00 Do our couples feel cared for? 38:50 Automated check-ins, WhatsApp groups 42:00 The photographer who delivers nothing for months44:00 Highs & lows of the past few weeks 46:30 A funeral & finding joy in hard days 48:00 What's coming up - Devon, Scotland, and Liam's eight-day gauntletSay 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.