So today the crap seems to be focused on an image. With the Folio tour I was invited along as a Folio friend in Birmingham and Stewart asked all the friends of the tour to submit one image and to explain a little bit about the image and why you chose it....
I chose this image....
...and as requested.. I gave this explanation...
This image is from Jen and Chris' wedding in April... it's Jen's Nan's house which Jen and Chris now live in (and where Jen and all her bridesmaids got ready in the morning)
For some reason I just really love this picture. The stillness of the stairs... constantly there... so many events, babies' born... celebrations got ready for, weddings, funerals... so many different outfits and shoes passed over that amazing carpet... so much history... :)
I wasn't asked for any specific image, I wasn't even asked for a wedding image.. I was just asked for an image that I liked...
...and then this morning it seems the haters started...
...And that's exactly what all this is.. I totally get that my photographs, how I see things, how I love this carpet.. is not everyone's cup of tea.. I know a fair few of you despise with a passion (like reeeeeally hate it) that I cut people's heads off (sorry, I'm gonna keep doing it tho).... because I'll be totally honest.. I'm probably not too excited over your work either... but that's ok... we don't have to like everything.. there's enough weddings, enough couples with different styles to cater for all of us.. BUT... wow.. stop.... whinging... about... it.
I've spent the past hour reading comments.. really quite nasty, pointless, kinda not even on the point comments... things like "The 1970's called.. they want their carpet back.".... that's someone's house you're talking about.. and those people, you know the one's without heads, well funnily enough, even without their heads they have got feelings..
But you know what... I'm really happy with how I shoot and what this wedding industry is becoming.. I think the wedding industry in this country kicks ass... so many new, talented, artistic and exciting vendors who are pushing the boundaries and I guess if you're afraid of that then you could always mention it constantly on your Facebook status.
Fuck 'em Emma, you are amazing, your pics are amazing & I slightly love you a bit!
ReplyDeleteSling your camera over your shoulder, stick 2 fingers up & carry on doing what you're best at!
xxxxx
I absolutely love your work, mainly because your different and not like the other 83472 wedding photographers out there. I’m just about to go to university to study photography and am dreading the criticisms, my work is quite abstract so a lot of people don’t understand it. This also reminds me so much of an image I have taken previously! I think negative people will just make you more determined and successful because your work really is beautiful!
ReplyDeleteAll the best,
Charlotte King
www.charlottesweb-photography.com
This is my image it reminds me of :)
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=372290886147617&set=a.323177864392253.73585.200565716653469&type=3&theater
I love old carpet... it always reminds me of my late Grandmothers house, and seeing this picture brings back memories of playing in her living room with my dolls and being wrapped up in her crochet blanket, so I can only imagine the memories this photo brings to the people that actually walk on these stairs. Love your work Emma, keep doing it, cos I think you're ace x
ReplyDeleteWell said Emma. If I had this photo from my late Grandma and Grandad's house that I visited every weekend for the first 15 years of my life before they died I would frame it, treasure it and keep it forever. It makes me really sad that I don't have a photo like this of something we took for granted at the time.
ReplyDeleteYour couple are very lucky to have had a photographer that sees just how important this image is and the beauty within. Your description was enough to prove that - the history of that staircase is immense.
I haven't seen or heard anything on facebook until you posted this but I can well imagine. You know who you are and they are most likely jealous that your style pours through in every image amongst a sea of the same unoriginal images that can be found everywhere you look.
Again, well said Emma Case :)
Boom! Love you Mrs xxx
ReplyDeleteI'm not one for swearing, but what bunch of miserable cunts. Do people really have so little time on their hands, or so little life to live, that the feel the need to stop and slag off what one person's idea of beauty is? As Charlie says above - fuck 'em. I for one, love that carpet - you could drop pie crumbs on it and get cat hair all over it and never see it. Brill.
ReplyDelete"The stillness of the stairs... constantly there... so many events, babies' born... celebrations got ready for, weddings, funerals... so many different outfits and shoes passed over that amazing carpet... so much history..." says it all. I've come across this view recently and who cares? 1 - your successful! 2 - if we all worked to the same creative rules every thing we created would look the same. And what a boring world that would be! If your clients love that their heads are cut off and you love it then honestly... everyone else can hush. Just because I think that standard staunch posed wedding photographs of all of the usual groups etc is not for me and leaves me cold.. doesn't mean it's wrong. It's just not for me. People need to go find something more important to get worked up over. Your work is new and it's different and it's beautiful. It focuses in on the details and little things people miss and it tells a story. I for one love it.
ReplyDeleteThey're a bunch of douchebags , follow your own path , your images are beautiful and inspiring ;)
ReplyDeleteDoesn't surprise me in the slightest... it's always the same old bitter b@£T£%s... shoot what you want, show what you want. x
ReplyDeleteI really love this picture. I totally agree about the stillness of it. It makes me feel nostaglic, and it's not even my carpet!
ReplyDeleteBeauty is in the eye of the beholder. It's been said so many times and that's largely because it's true. If we all liked the same thing the world would be pretty boring but that's no reason to slam somebody's work, especially something that they (read: you) are happy with and proud of.
As for cutting people's heads off in wedding pictures, cut away my friend!
Reminds me of Fab ice cream, sprinklers, and playing behind my Grandad's shed.
ReplyDeleteIt's evocative.
Some people miss it, and they also miss the simplicity/story that can be told through images, regardless if it's a wedding. I bet the couple liked it, because it would evoke a memory, which when done well, can be a visceral, which as creatives is the best response we can ask for.
Yawnsome "on-the-steps" wedding shots have their place, but there's room for imagination and story telling too.
Perhaps you made an oversight tho - this picture needed context so seeing it along side the other images in the book would give it loads more weight.
Wow, I am so surprised that there are that many haters! I saw this image and it spoke volumes to me! How one image can say so much about history, time, the people, memories - I think this is a stunning image I found it comforting and safe (sorry if this sounds sappy)and I totally admire your strength in standing by the image and agree with EVERY SINGLE WORD you have written!
ReplyDeleteHappy Dayz x
What unimaginative, boring nobheads. I love this image and I love the thought behind it, and the reason you chose it.
ReplyDeleteStay as you are.. you are a pioneer in an industry where still, boring images in a dusty album used to be the norm.. not anymore because of people like you. They have a memory of the emotions and feeling now.
ReplyDeleteBrilliant brilliant brilliant - I am one of those 'odd' people who sees beauty in many a strange thing, which is generally frowned upon in the industry because as a creative I am supposed to just love pretty. I didn't know what to expect when I saw your photo, but when I did I saw what you saw - history. Wonderful.
ReplyDeleteEmma Case my darling lady - you of so many friends because you are NEVER not even the tiniest bit awful about anyone in the industry, you treat everyone as any human would expect to be treated, with kindness and respect - regardless.
ReplyDeleteI am going to quote here a tweet I put out last week, that I know you saw as you replied to thank me, that I think says it all...
"I love @EmmaCase. She makes the simplest things that you might overlook on a day-to-day basis look so beautiful. Really makes you stop+think".
This kind of image is precisely what I had in mind when I wrote that tweet.
You add something of such value to this industry Emma - you have a very strong signature style that you pretty much pioneered in this country and people clearly LOVE it. Traditional wedding photography isn't to everyone's flavour and you offer a beautiful alternative that is crafted with such love and passion. That's why you're earning a living out of it my darling and why so many people are clammering to get on to your workshops, because they love it to. You are sensible enough to realise it won't be everyone's cup of tea, but you know what - who really cares? I've learned myself that there will always be those that criticise and you can't make people like you. So you just carry on with what you're doing because I am one of many many many people who think you are doing GREAT STUFF!
Lots of love my friend,
Annabel xXx
Whatever, Emma, I think you're totally awesome and you're so one of the people I look at before shooting a wedding to get inspired. And you know what? Your stair photo inspired me. Because it got me thinking about the stairs in my grandparents house. My aunt still lives there and my mother grew up there and I'm one of 21 cousins that have pounded up, fell down, hid under, and hung out on those stairs. Not to mention, from the photo you took, you can't not imagine someone pausing before descending those steps and flashing through her memories of those stairs.
ReplyDeleteI'm rambling. But you're awesome. Keep being! :)
Well said!! you are absolutely on the ball!
ReplyDeletePlenty of different tastes out there, it's probably jealousy !!
Keep your head held high! Joolesxx
It's like any form of contemporary art - if it's good, it creates an extreme reaction. Yay to to fabulous carpet we say!
ReplyDeleteWell their aint enough carpets in this world so just keep calm and carry on rooting, tooting and shooting and see how you see.... bring on more soft furnishings please don't let it get you down. I am just over here shooting carpets and I too am fascinated with dust and net curtains. Chin u, want to hear a KAPOW out of you real soon x x
ReplyDeleteWTF? I missed all of this Em. When I saw this photo we all stopped in the office and said how wowed we all were by it, we could just imagine that bride all ready in her wedding dress about to go down the stairs to a load of gasps. Our memories are created by all our senses and the greatest photographers know how to evoke them in the best way.I'll bet that when she saw this photo it brought her right back to that amazing moment on her day. You are one of the greatest story tellers photographing weddings on this planet. I get my fair share of this kind of thing so know its upsetting but really would you ever sit around dissing another photographer? Nope because you have got better things to do. In the words of my Mum, 'Tell them all to kiss your award winning ass'
ReplyDeleteEmma, your photography is beautiful and it's shook up the wedding photography industry. People look up to you, people are inspired by your work. Anyone who can't embrace something new and fresh must be stuck in the 1970's themselves (and not in a good retro way, in a really old smelly way :-) Try not to let them get you down, your couples will choose you because they LOVE your style and they will have your beautiful timeless images to treasure forever. xx
ReplyDeleteI really adore this photo and I've always loved your work Emma. As you said, there are enough weddings/couples and your work will appeal to the people who want photos like this - I would love a photo like this in my wedding photos especially when you realise the history and meaning behind it too, its more than a photo, its emotion, memories, sentamentality and love which is surely thats what a weddings and wedding photos are really about?! As someone above said - fuck 'em
ReplyDeleteI really don't understand why, if you don't like something, you have to let the whole world you don't like it!! How about clicking onto a different picture and getting the fuck over it.
ReplyDeleteLove you and your work, Emma, never give up! Xxx
Well I for one think the image & the reason is just fabulous! Sometimes it's good to vent!
ReplyDeleteYour photos are just stunning & you would be the first person I would want to do my wedding photos for exactly the images you explained!
Head up high chick! F*ck 'em!
Right...now to divorce hubby no. 1 & find hubby no. 2 ;) xxx
There's a good reason I love your work so much and that's because it's about more than just pretty pictures, it's stories and emotions and random moments - people who can't appreciate that are the type of people who decorate their house by buying everything in next home.
ReplyDeleteI didn't realise people were saying horrid things about you but I know when I saw this image in Jen and Chris' blog post I loved it. I thought of the stairs in my much loved late grandma's house.
ReplyDeleteYou are one of a rare breed that can see beauty in the small things and you record those things, those moments for posterity. That's why I bloody love you, lady. Even though you do make me cry when I've drunk too much gin.
Haters are just people who are jealous of your talent me dearie! You're clients choose you because they LOVE what you do and many of us fellow photographers have to thank you because can finally be happy calling ourselves a wedding photohrapher! I really feel the industry has changed over the last couple of years and couples do want different kind of images. They appreciate photos that tell a story - their story, with wonderful images like this 70's carpet. You've explained so well why this is a brilliant photo! I'm sending you a big massive hug and am sticking 2 fingers up to those haters xx
ReplyDeleteI adore this photo Emma, I find it beautiful. It is beautiful. I fail to see how or why people need to debate this. Your words as to why you chose it are bang on - very emotive. It's about capturing moments, memories, details, meaning.
ReplyDeleteI haven't read anything else about this photo, just the folio blog (when I saw the link last night I think it was) and your link on FB today, so I'm not sure what people are saying...But, to put it as the youth I teach would say, "It's jus cos they 's bare jel!" You're an inspiration and there are some people that hate to see those around them succeed (a small minority, thankfully).
Go sock it to them lovely, that image and your talent and skills rock!!!
XxX
I was just thinking the other day, it has taken me a long time to 'admit' to people I now work in the 'wedding industry' as there was a time, and still is, when it has just been associated with pointless 'frau'...well the likes of you and us and whole lot of other artists/designers/photographers and even bloggers are changing that. For me I suddenly realised, you know what, seeing all this creativity now through social media everyday is huge, it's like being back at uni again, or when you find inspiration from people you meet on your travels, as true artists and designers work in this field and get to be creative, not have their wings clipped by corporate clients. I think that's pretty special and I'm now feeling really proud to be apart of this changing industry and hope that the likes of you keep flying that flag along with others to help this shift be appreciated and admired. It's not often you get so much creativity in one place. Hoorah! x
ReplyDeleteNow you can spend an hour reading comments from people who love it. As I do. Beautiful picture.
ReplyDeleteWow that really is crazy! At the end of the day bookings speak louder than words and apart from that, like you say your clients like it, you like it so who else matters? If we all followed suit style wise it would be a very boring industry surely! Take no notice and keep up the inspirational work :)
ReplyDeleteYou are amazing, your work is beautiful and these people are just jealous. I know the comments hurt but you are a truly wonderful artist. Your couples love you and you know what, there is a god damn award to prove that the world loves you. You are awesome, never let anyone tell you different!
ReplyDeleteI've picked you as my wedding photographer...before he's even proposed! Your photography speaks to people in such a unique way and I now cringe at the 'typical' wedding photography because I've seen how love can be captured within photos, your photos! All the haters are just jealous that they can't do that!
ReplyDeleteignore it....i LOVE your work, it is such an inspiration, YOU are such an inspiration. i so wish you had been my wedding photographer when i got married 13 years ago. i love that you cut people's heads off and leave room for imagination, and how you see things from a different perspective. your work is art and from the heart and it ROCKS!
ReplyDeletei completely get this picture and so will many many others, it is like my hall wall where i see the marks that my children have made over the years, the walls need painting but i kind of don't want to because then that history will be gone.
stay true to yourself and don't let it bother you, some people do not have the skills to see deeper the obvious, it's very sad.
Seriously??
ReplyDeleteI love this image and think your explanation of why you picked it is so beautiful and heartfelt. It’s images like this and the meanings you put behind them that make you and your photography stand out from the crowd.
Some dick heads really need to get a life and appreciate the fact that not everyone sees the world the same way that they do…and that that is alright.
Keep doing what you’re doing as you are a constant source of inspiration and you keep pushing boundaries and setting new trends - I can only imagine the amount of carpet shots we’re going to see popping up on blogs all over the UK after this post! :-)
You rock, Ms Case! xx
Aren't images supposed to be evocative of memories, history, and by association emotions? I wish I had detailed images of places where I grew up so I could re-visit them visually again (and not just in my mind). I think this is a great picture and it will undoubtedly mean a lot to the people that matter most - i.e. the bride and her family. Who cares what anyone else thinks - although people are of course entitled to their opinion - but ultimately, anyone else's opinion doesn't really count...
ReplyDeleteat least you managed to avoid the temptation to apply split-toning...
ReplyDeleteI dont know you but I have just read your blog. I love your taste!! and the lovely picture you portray of all the feet who have walked on that lovely rug! I was brought up in house with carpet like this. Good quality hardwearing carpet. We dont all have the same taste. Would be a very strange world if everyone's taste was the same.!! Well done to you for being an individual with a lovely simple picture with a lot of real meaning!!
ReplyDeleteI refuse to believe there is someone out there who doesn't like/love/appreciate/admire what you do .. Quite sad actually .. for them!! Xx Lots of love from DK!! x
ReplyDeleteAs a stand alone image, I love it. And I've seen the whole collection and love it's inclusion. Sure, it doesn't fit the "this is a wedding image" box that we're all told to tick, but it means something to the couple. And it's beautifully captured! As a wedding photographer, we tell a story. If all we do each wedding is photograph flowers, dress, shoes, rings, happy couple...the job would get dull. We need to push the boundaries. Well done you!
ReplyDeleteIt is a beautiful photo and I love your reason for choosing it. It seems pointless for people to be this way, as there are enough people with enough different styles and tastes to cater for all. I love your work and am glad you don't let this crap get to you.
ReplyDeleteArt and artistry shouldn't always be easy to understand.
ReplyDeleteI would rather look at images that make me stop and think about the story behind them than traditionally beautiful pictures that don't tell me anything.
Sadly some people can't think beyond the boundaries of the frame.
There is a whole world beyond the frame of a picture and the best photographs draw you out of the frame and invite you to draw your own conclusions.
If people don't see or understand that, they don't understand art at all and that's fine, not everyone does and not everyone will like what you do.
And that's when the age old adage about not saying anything if you don't have anything nice to say comes into play...
Emma you totally rock and your photos capture a kind of beauty that only someone with a deep appreciation for soul-in-the everyday can recognise. You don't need to justify a bloomin thing! xx
ReplyDeleteNuff said. Right on girl! Leave the haters to their own game.
ReplyDeleteYou know that you don't need to listen to them Em. Like you say, you probably don't think too much of their work either but have a nicer disposition and better things to do than to spend time looking at their pictures and putting them down. Loves ya lady x
ReplyDeleteI haven't had time to read all the comments or the who-ha about this, but photography is an art. It is a creative outlet. What you find beautiful becomes your art, and as with any creative subject - it's all down to how the person views it. We love seeing the world through your eyes, and I for one am glad that there is the diversity in the wedding industry with people like yourself within it. There's no hard and fast rules, what suits one person doesn't suit the other. As a bride to be and a planner looking to inject a bit of personality and creativity in what can be a stale, stuffy, tacky world of weddings thank god you (and many others with a similar outlook) exist. Plus, what the heck, doing what you do makes YOU and YOUR clients happy. End of. xo
ReplyDeleteI don't understand why some photographers are so mean to other photographers. Yes we all have different tastes - thank god! If we were all the same how boring would the world be?
ReplyDeleteThe image above speaks volumes about who the people are that you have photographed, it shows their strong family connection and love for their grandparents - isn't that what weddings are all about, Family and Love?
So long as you love the work you are creating and your clients do too that is all that matters. People are always going to put others down to make themselves feel better and bigger. It's a shame you have had to feel the brunt of that. Keep doing what you love.
Wow, I felt moved to comment on this.
ReplyDeleteIn my (humble) opinion, one of the main considerations when choosing a photographer to capture your special day is to find someone who you trust to depict who you really are - your personalities, quirks, those little looks you give eachother - and to highlight the things that are important to you on that day.
Your photos will become your memories, after all.
From what I can tell, this photo has done that perfectly. An image that will mean more than anything in this world to the bride and groom when they look back over the photos in years to come.
Keep doing exactly what you're doing Emma - it means more to your couples than you know xx
Photographs are so subjective. They either evoke interest or disinterest. Your choice of image has created a springboard for debate and you should be pleased about that ... but I'm saddened to hear that it has become a personal attack of sorts because that's just not fair. Your style as a photographer is why people book you, along with your personality and the way that you interpret people's celebrations. The people who love your style are paying you to photograph their weddings; those who don't love your style aren't. i'd stick with those who "get it"!
ReplyDeleteP.S. I didn't intend to post this as "anonymous" but the system wouldn't recognise me!
Oops, it did recognise me ...
DeleteEmma,
ReplyDeleteI've been following you on Twitter/Facebook for a while now, after seeing your work on IdeasTap. I just feel in love with your images straight away - anyone can see your pictures showcase people and character, but most importantly, love. We're lucky to live in an age and a country where for the most part, we are free to marry for love. Gone are the days (I hope!) where couples get married in order to make family connections or financial ties (which is where I'm sure portraits/paintings of massive family groups must come from).
Your photography is breathtaking and beautiful. Anyone who has said anything malicious about that can only be speaking from a place of jealousy or insecurity.
Just keep doing what you do. That's why we love you.
Hx
Emma
ReplyDeleteYou know what I think of your work. Don't let this get you down. You must be doing something right as people even try to copy what you do!!
Beautiful work and a beautiful Lady! xx
I've kind of missed all the stuff but I just want to say Emma you're fab, you're talented, creative and one of the loveliest, most genuine people I have had the privilege to meet in this industry. You are a breath of fresh air in what can sometimes be a very stuffy, mean and unpleasant industry and you need to hold your head up high and know you are GOOD, both your work, and you. Lots of love xxx
ReplyDeleteI don't love this picture but I don't hate it either but no-one asked for my opinion they asked for you to pick a picture that YOU liked and tell us all why. End of. Who's anyone else to judge?
ReplyDeleteI was brought up by the rule 'If you havn't got anything nice to say, then say nothing at all' so why do people need to be so opinionated on what is actualy an artform, so completley subjective. OK so people may not like this image so what! don't look at it! move on and go and look at something your not going to moan about!
ReplyDeleteEmma and anyone else that is creatuinbg art, or driving the industry forward don't listen to the haters, they are just fuled by jealously and small minds!
I love that image too! And I love it even more after your beautiful words. Don´t ever expect other people to see the world the way you do, not everyone is an artist the way you are. You see beauty in places where they don´t and vice versa. People have always "laughed" at me and what I find beautiful, but you know what; it´s their loss!!
ReplyDeleteI love what you do, Emma. You are a lovely person inside and out and go about your business with not a bad word to say about anyone. I squeel when I know my brides are having you as their photographer. Much love x
ReplyDeleteLinda www.no9bridalcouture.com
did i miss something?
ReplyDeleteis emma ACTUALLY cutting peoples heads off?
hahahaaa!!!!! SCANDAL!
DeleteI heard she does it with a vintage sword
DeleteShe does, I've seen it #letsstartaproperrumour :)
DeleteHAHAHAHHA - PLEEEEEAAASE bring your vintage sword to my wedding - I will use it to cut my cupcake... ;p
DeletePhotography is art, art is subjective.... and i have to say i think this image and the meaning behind it is beautiful. It makes you think and imagine the story behind it. Stay true to yourself, you have so many fans Emma :-)
ReplyDeleteBig love, Lou xx
baby your a star and i love you, and i cant wait to make creative babies with you and your camera. off to read the hoo-hah now x x x x x
ReplyDeletehaters are gonna hate anyways. keep doing what you're doing! love your work. xo
ReplyDelete- sue
If only people put all that effort of criticising and moaning into doing something for their own business, they'd be unbeatable.
ReplyDeleteWhether other photographers like this shot or not, the personal attack on you is disgusting.
You shoot for your clients, for what they want and what they love. Ignore the haters.
x
well done for inspiring a debate- people will always have an opinion on something creative. Some just can't see past the trees for believing that the only right way to do things is the way they do it. They will never open their minds to the possibility of something different.
ReplyDeleteYour response has been perfect- this is what I like doing and bugger Off... love it well done
Ignore them - I'm very lucky to have you shooting my wedding in September and I can't wait.
ReplyDeleteClaire x
I agree with Kelly - if you can't say anything nice don't say it at all.
ReplyDeleteYou didn't ask for a critique of your work and it's bloody rude of people to comment, especially in public. It would be a boring world if we all liked the same art, wore the same clothes, decorated our houses the same, liked the same music, but that doesn't give anyone the right to rubbish personal taste.
I don't know you Emma, but you seem to have a successful business and a lovely life. Jealousy and meanness is not an attractive quality in anyone!
As far as I'm aware you don't hold the headless couples at gunpoint till they choose you as their wedding photographer? Supply and demand. People want what you offer. If they didn't, you wouldn't have a business, but they do, and you're successful. Different strokes for different folks. Ignore the blinkered green eyed monsters.
ReplyDeleteWell said Emma. I think you're a truly fantastic and inspiring photographer!
ReplyDeleteIt seems to me these people are missing the point. These people work to a 'forumla', don't take any of their couples history/story into account and don't see themselves as anything more than people who 'document' a wedding day! Leave them to it I say. They'll continue to get clients... the type of clients who look through our work with a fake smile repeating the words 'hmm interesting' as they just 'don't get it'. Leaves all the lovely couples for the rest of us!
ReplyDeleteIt's a beautiful shot taken by an amazing (wedding) photographer. *lisax
oops *formula* - though they might actually work to a 'forumla' too... who knows ;-)
DeleteEmma, I think you read your bride and her character very well, hence, the carpet shots really work.
ReplyDeleteI've not read the whole or even part of the argument. Whoever is slagging off the carpet pics has basically not studied some of the older/previous more 'controversial' life documentary photographers' works. I'm impressed because I would have narrow mindedly thought along the lines of, 'ugh how can I hide that' You've incorporated it very well. Great shots. Bet the bride & groom were delighted.
I think all the support above says it all Emma. xxx
ReplyDeleteI lllooooovvveee this carpet...and your photo of it....and how you have found meaning in it....
ReplyDeleteYou are lovely YOUR WORK IS INCREDIBLE and anyone who spends their time and energy trying to make other people feel bad with their short-sided opinions can EAT IT. Keep on killing it, girl! xoxo
ReplyDeleteYou give each of your couples something from the heart and pretty amazing images. I think you should just give the haters something also - a very particular finger.
ReplyDeleteI really like the image and your photography style, people will always criticise others I dont get it why not celebrate the fact that we are all different and have different ideas!
ReplyDeleteI thought it was a great idea for an image and it shows the thought behind it and how you really think about the couples and get involved in their wedding... I love all of your bridal prep/getting ready photographs that feature objects in couple's houses, sometimes with wedding things mingled in. It really captures the moment.
ReplyDeleteI said this morning "I had a lecturer who went back to her old childhood home and photographed it for a project, and it was in a published book. It was good viewing but obviously meant (even) more to her, Emma's photo reminded me of that. Being creative is surely thinking outside of the box and pushing boundries, otherwise we'd all be doing exactly the same....!" so someone who didn't understand your photo at all....
Some people really just don't 'get' art..... leave them to their awful cheesy poses and carry on with what you're doing missus!!
Em, I saw this pic on Facebook and immediately got goosebumps. A few people have talked about how memory-evoking the image is...everyone's nan has had something similar, and every bride has had that 'oh my god' moment standing at the top of their staircase, seeing THIS, and thinking "this is it"...I for one LOVE it, so yes you're right, your brides get it and that's all that matters. Maybe there's just not enough selective colour in the image for those haters ;0P
ReplyDeleteLove ya x
Chin up Emma and keep shooting in your own style
ReplyDeleteI have to politely disagree with Kat there, you can be a success WITHOUT rubbing people up the wrong way and you, my darling girl, are living proof of that. This relentless bitching and sniping will bite Gill in the arse soon.
ReplyDeleteVery, Very well said Emma. I love this image.. for everything it is and says in it's nostalgia and simplicity. There are always going to be people who have nothing better to do than try and put others down... funny how they keep coming back to look at your work though isn't it ;)
ReplyDelete...I loved the one you took downstairs in the hall too - because it transported me - a nostalgic trip that made me remember snippets of being a kid at 'me Nan's house' - similar carpet, headscarfs on the bannister and the smell of coty l'amaint drifting out of the gas cupboard as that is where she kept her make up bag for some reason - probably because it was the closest cupboard nearest to the hall mirror - I may ramble but that is what your image did for me and I love it!!!!! If you decide to sell it as a limited edition print can I have number 0001 please...? x
ReplyDeleteClaudia (my girlfriend) just read your blog to me Emma. It blew me away. There is, especially in Facebook groups etc, a movement of photographers that seems to aspire to some nightmarish "perfect" way of taking pictures. I love artists who are doing their own thing and not doing things 'the way'. In history this accounts for such folk as The Beatles in Music ... Marlon Brando in movies ... George Best as a footballer.
ReplyDeleteSay no more. Be yourself. Always.
This is totally insane. Cannot believe people could be SO horrible about an image! It's nuts! Don't even waste your time being upset about it. They are SO not worth it. You ROCK!
ReplyDeleteThere are reasons why people love you and your work (seeing beauty in carpet epitomises that!) balls to the rest of 'em. You rock xxxx
ReplyDeleteJust been reading the twitter feeds of a couple of photographers and I assume they were either drinking during the day, or got their children to tweet this afternoon, such was the immaturity of thought and language used. Photography is subjective, it's difficult to truly ascertain if an image is good / bad / absolute crap. There are images that wow some, and are cold to others.
ReplyDeleteThis subjective opinion is why there is are different brides for different photographers. Some people will think, it's just an image of some carpet, and other will see something beyond that. Neither viewpoint is wrong. End of?
I find some photographers work incredibly dull and depressing, despite that kind of style often winning awards - do I look at their work? Not really. Do I feel the need to diss it on twitter? No. I like to surround myself with more positivity than that.
..and surrounding myself with positivity is the reason I enjoy (the far too few) times I get to hang out with the Smyths.
The way to success and satisfaction lies in just being yourself. If that includes loving photos of stairs, then that's what has to be done :)
Hugz
x
Emma, in my experience, people who feel the need to criticise someone with such obvious talent and imagination such as yourself are often lacking those very things (or have none of either, more often than not). As another commenter said, haters just like to watch the world burn and when you start attracting the naysayers, no matter how much it hurts, that's when you know you're somebody. If you weren't doing something important nobody would bother to tell you what they think, good or bad. Keep up your beautiful work. xxx
ReplyDeleteThis photograph is quiet and poetic, it tells the story of the couple and where they came from, it translates to my life - it reminds me of my gran and our life growing up, it makes me warm and happy and anyone who cannot see as we see, can quite frankly go f**k themselves. It upsets me when supposed "wedding photographers" with no artistic vision can so easily stand up & criticise. Blog comments is not the place to slag off someones work. If you dont have something nice to say..dont say it all. It is simple and polite.
ReplyDeleteYour work is amazing Emma and i am glad you will keep being you and not bow to these haters xxx
Maybe somebody secretly wants to be you ? .... Take no notice because the nice people in the world get what you're about. Keep up the good work !
ReplyDeleteMr F
Those people have nothing better to do that talk rubbish, ignore them, they're afraid to change and intimidated by your difference! And enjoy reading some of THESE lovely comments instead of the bitter time wasters!
ReplyDeletesometimes people get scared when they suddenly see the future.
ReplyDeletecarry on.
I love this photo and I loved having you as our wedding photographer, it's clear you love your couples and that shines through in your work. Wedding photos are for the couple and their families, and I bet this couple love that particular image. If this photographer thinks that the meaning of every image needs to be explicit to the general public then maybe she's lost sight of what her job actually is.
ReplyDeleteAlso, is she so self absorbed that she wouldn't realise potential clients might actually read her comments on her public Twitter and Facebook pages? How unbelievably unprofessional.
I'm a day late to whatever happened on the internet yesterday, but I love that this picture has been chosen and prized.
ReplyDeleteI love that personal significance and meaning are becoming more important in wedding photography.
I love that wedding photography does not NEED to communicate to 50,000 people but only to one couple and their family.
This will mean a heck of a lot more to Jen and Chris than to all the haters out there, so keep doing what you're doing. :)
This photo and your description of it are just lovely. Reading it this morning, I suddenly feel more calm and peaceful. I'm so sorry other people couldn't or chose not to understand the quiet beauty and reverence in your image and in your approach to wedding photography generally. This is a very classy response.
ReplyDeleteEmma, I love this photograph. It evokes memories of grandmas and grandads for me. I haven't read any of the feed back because I'm not interested. I'm only interested in what the image has to say to me and it says a lot. People who have so much time to bitch on and on so much about this and that clearly don't have enough work to do. Keep up your lovely work. It inspires me.
ReplyDeleteLisa Aldersley
Oh Emma, I think I love you a bit more after this :-)
ReplyDeleteYou've dealt with the criticism so graciously... I love your work and I love your pictures, and if my wedding photographer even bothered taking a picture of the staircase in my home I would have been a very happy bride. In fact my photographer, an assistant who was supposed to be a second shooter but turned out to be the main tog because the original one cancelled at the last minute, only took portraits, which is not what we wanted. At all. When I questioned it, he replied that the environment where I got ready (my parents' very pretty home) wasn't inspiring enough for him... I read that as 'it wouldn't have looked appropriate for my portfolio', which is fine, but it proved that he wasn't the right tog for me because his notion of wedding photography was considerably different from mine. The bottom line is, everyone has a different perception of beauty and this dictates the fact that the perfect wedding picture doesn't exist. I find your picture beautiful as it makes my mind wander in a world of endless, untold stories... Those photographers who don't appreciate it probably don't reason the same way. What is not on is the fact that they would publicly criticise it... How sad when one is so arrogant as to think that it's ok to openly offend someone else's work because it doesn't subscribe to his/her canons of beauty! xx
Emma, you amaze me and just your honesty to come out and say it all! That's why I love you. You've come so far from the first time I found your blog and I'm sure people are jealous of your success and that's why the haters come out. You don't need a photograph to prove your work, you have one of a kind styles that draws brides to you and I think you're awesome! Lots of love, Yuliya from Cali.
ReplyDeleteHi Emma, I left something a long these lines on your FB page but would like to put my 2 peneth in here if thats OK with you. We don't know each other and I only found out about your work through the guy's at Folio
ReplyDeleteAs I said on FB, when I first looked at this image I thought nice light but thought it was an odd chose. Then I went away and your image was in my mind all day. And I've realised why, it could be my nan's house. I love my Nan (gone now bless her)and her house. I grew up in a very dark, small 2up 2down. So going to my nan's was bliss. A light bright house with a hallway and a landing and a garden that wnt all the wau around by the South East coast and if I'm not mistaken that carpet. She made great chicken pies :). I spent lots of happy holidays at my Nan's. Your image reminded me of all this.
Photography (and this is just my thoughts and no body else has to agree as it's all subjective)is about recording or creating a memory for the viewer or the photographer. This image is very clever and now having stalked your FB page and web/blog I think you'er an amazing photographer with great vision who stands out from the crowd. I can only hope to be this creative in the future as I start my business.
I believe the industry needs all styles to meet the needs of it's clients. Thank goodness we are all different and for those that don't get your work........well that say's more about them I think.
Best Wishes x
Jealous - pure and simple!
ReplyDeleteThis image is beautiful and even if it wasn't, nobody was asked to critique it.
X
I love carpet like this, me my mum & sister lived in a bungalow once and my bedroom carpet was turquoise with brown swirls. Months it took for me to be parted with it, can you tell I still miss it?! Those that truly get & love your work will never question your taste.
ReplyDeleteArt is always pissed upon, no matter what art form you love. It's really a question of how the frick these Down right rude people can call themselves artists and then be all nasty.
Just know you rock and there's oh so many people that love what you do and what you stand for.
: ) x
I can't believe this - It's perfectly acceptable to not like something as it's not to your taste. But to actively seek out to hate and pour bile on someones's work, someone's wedding, someone's house is immature and pointlessly mean.
ReplyDeleteFor the record I love that photo and love the idea of memories and sentiments attached to these pieces from a family's history - and I know most people don't get that. It's so good to see something like this.
let. them. hate. i admire you for so many reasons. you're one of the photogs that taught me to think out of the box....to look at things in a new way. experiment and learn. i ((SOOOOOOO)) wish i had you as my photog 12yrs ago...my kids would have loved to see every detail of my wedding day....happy smiles....real life action rather than some posed shots. we are anything but posed type of people.
ReplyDeletei'll never understand why people have to be out right rude and cruel.....you're work is delish and i'm glad you don't let them get you down...we'd miss out on great work and inspiration!
Wow - who knew that carpet could be so frigging offensive! I think we should start a petition to ban all carpets forever - lest those with a weak stomach fall about with arms flailing.
ReplyDeleteDAMN YOU CARPETS!
;p
To be fair, that '1970s calling' comment is pretty funny.
ReplyDeleteYou're photography is thoroughly inspirational. There can't be many wedding photographers in the UK who have the following that you do and that speaks volumes. Ignore the haters who clearly have far too much spare time on their hands and focus on all those who admire and are constantly inspired by you and your work. xx
ReplyDeleteI have only just discovered this post, and thus what all the carpet tweeting was about yesterday. Carpetgate. Everyone else has said everything I wanted to say, so I'll just say I think this photo is beautiful and I think you are ace. Hugs from Germany xxx
ReplyDeleteI love your photography, I think you have a very beautiful eye for an emotional picture. People are just jealous because they don't 'get it'. They say, "It's just a picture of a carpet." They can't understand why it evokes emotions in the viewer... Consequently they can be technically brilliant photographers but they will never be outstanding photographers....
ReplyDeleteI have no problem with people being critical, but it sounds like it was nasty rather than honest feedback.
Ignore them - you have a glittering career ahead of you.
If you have 'haters' it means you're successful. Use them as a measure of your success but ignore what they say. x
ReplyDeleteI freaking love this image.
ReplyDeleteVery motivating and supportive too .Hope you keep on sharing a greater amount of your ideas .I will very much want to peruse.
ReplyDeleteThis is the post I was searching for roulette I am extremely glad to at long last find out about the Thank you definitely.
ReplyDelete