An interview with Ian weldon

June 24, 2019  •  Leave a Comment

An interview with Ian Weldon

 

www.ianweldon.com

copy right- Ian Weldon

RH: Tell me a little about yourself?

IW: I’m Ian from the UK and I’m a wedding photographer, but don’t really see myself as a wedding photographer. I feel more like a street photographer that photographs weddings.

About 5 or 6 years ago I took the plunge and agreed to photograph a wedding. Before that I was doing family portraits in a studio and was going nowhere fast. I’d become bored and demotivated as my route into photography was through photographers like Elliot Erwitt & Martin Parr, I was unfulfilled to say the least.

So I did it, that thing that I said I’d never do, weddings. In my naive mind it was beneath me. I can’t say that I enjoyed it at first but as I shot more weddings I started to approach them more like a street photographer and was making images of real life, with all of its beauty and grotesqueness.

copy right- Ian Weldon
 

Planning

 

RH: What attracted and inspired you to your current documentary project?

IW: I have a couple of ongoing projects at the moment, I’m always photographing something. I’m drawn to different subjects though a mixture of curiosity and duty, I suppose. 

 

RH: Can you talk us through the planning stage for your project?

IW: I’ve never really thought about planning, projects just seem to present themselves and I follow my instinct. I go and photograph and the story will will become apparent, eventually. It’s more about finding my relationship to the subject than it is about executing a plan. 

If the photograph was the ultimate goal then what would I compromise on along the way to get there.

 

RH: Is there anything you wish you had done differently?

IW: I doubt that really matters. As long as I approach everything with a pure intent I’ll end up somewhere. Different is not necessarily better, or worse. 

copy right- Ian Weldon
 

 

 

 

Implementation and Completion

 

RH: How have you dealt with any challenges and difficulties within your project?

IW: The only difficulty I come across, more recently, in suspicion. The age of instagram and facebook have made people more aware of the photographs taken. Even as little as 10-15 years ago there was no real perception of where, or how, the photographs would be used. But this goes back to intent. Understanding what, and why, you are doing goes a long way in that reassurance. 

 

RH: How long do your projects tend to take from start to finish?   

IW: Everything is always ongoing. Once I feel like I have enough of a body of work to accurately represent the subject then I will naturally move onto something else. I do have a couple of stories within my ongoing projects that will be released as such, but I’m by no means done with that subject. 

 

copy right- Ian Weldon
 

 

 

 

Editing and Sequencing

 

RH: Do have several images to edit of one fleeting moment or do you have one well-constructed precise image that you have captured?

IW: I’m certainly not going in with a preconceived idea of how things should look, (I do have a way of shooting that produces a certain aesthetic), so in that sense I will have more than one image of a specific moment/scene. The  photograph I want from that scene may not become apparent for some time, but it eventually will.

 

RH: Within the editing stages, have you felt the project has taken on a different narrative than first envisaged?

IW: I’m trying not to start with an idea of narrative so all of my projects have an unpredictable nature. Some grow into projects, and others fall by the wayside because of waning interest or my inability to connect with the subject. 

 

copy right- Ian Weldon
 

Tips and hints 

 

RH: What would you recommend for people starting their own photographic project?

IW: Shoot what is of interest to you, not what you think might be of interest to others and, approach you subject with a mature sensibility. 

 

 

RH: Does the camera really matter? 

IW: Only in the sense that it’s the device that captures the image itself.

 

RH: Any books you would recommend reading to get the creativity started?

IW: I could name 100 books that were of interest to me, but that might not be fitting for someone else. I would recommend that you just be curious, to find something of interest and follow that thread. It could take you somewhere completely unexpected and your learning would be unique to you. 

I learned more about photography, and myself, by understanding the motivations of photographers that I ever did by looking at their photographs. 

 

 

RH: Would you recommend attending photography workshops?

IW: I have spent a long time shooting weddings and that industry is saturated with pointless workshops that promise fame and fortune. I can see this trend in street and documentary photography, too. These, I’m my mind, are nothing but a hindrance to progression. Don’t give your money to anyone that claims to have all of the answers. 

Workshops can be incredibly beneficial, and a good teacher can inspire and motivate you. Just do some research, and do it for the right reasons. 

 

Website: http://ianweldon.com
 

 

copy right- Ian Weldon

copy right- Ian Weldon
www.ianweldon.com

copy right- Ian Weldon
 

 

 


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