Power Heels and Photography (Women in Business III)

Despite my stint with "feminism" and my acknowledgment that women are at a disadvantage in the business world, I have one question: where are the good, male, wedding photographers?

Yup. You guessed it.

There aren't any.

[insert gleeful laugh]

Its not that men don't try to be good photographers. In fact, they exist in abundance. And, yes, they have the business-savvy advantage, the even-keeled, emotionless, rational, logical side of them is prominent and serves them well.

But, as wedding photographers, women are better. Much better.

Why?

Cuz we have emotion.

We feel the emotional moments, we cry during the ceremony, we sigh in awe of the beautiful white dress, and then - because we feel the emotion - we capture the emotion and get the better pictures.

A guy can take a picture. Granted.
But a women is going to take the picture that will make you gasp in awe and feel the beauty of the moment.

So, see??? Our emotion is a good thing.

(In fact, long-time photographer Scott Bourne just touched on this on his blog: "If as the portrait maker, you’re not focused on how the subject is feeling, you’re missing a big opportunity to improve your work.")

Mark it down: the fact that I feel life deeply is actually what makes me confident that, despite the handicaps, I'm going to be a really good photographer.

Yes, its true. A man, in general, is going to be able to handle the business-element better than his female competition. For this reason, the ideal photography teams are husband-wife teams: a photographer and her built-in encourager and business advisor. Just saying. :-P

I have to admit, though: in all my picture-browsing and blog-reading (I have a over one hundred photographers that I regularly follow) I have stumbled across two highly successful and very talented male photographers who are able to document love emotionally. Ryan Brenzier in New York City and Tyler Branch in California nail it. (Granted, there are others who are talented photographers and take good pictures and have built flourishing photographic empires, but these two -- Tyler, in particular -- have an impressive ability to capture the emotion.)

Why can't a woman be more like a man?
Men are so honest, so thoroughly square;
Eternally noble, historic'ly fair;
Who, when you win, will always give your back a pat.
Well, why can't a woman be like that?
Why does ev'ryone do what the others do?
Can't a woman learn to use her head?
(My Fair Lady)


(Photo by the ever-marvelous Maddie, who insisted that I hand her my prized possession and let her try to take pictures of me. Kicking and screaming, I complied. Thanks, girl!)