particularly like peer review comps where you
get feedback on your work. The truth is that
none of us really enjoy critical feedback, but
my view is that if you can expect the worst and
learn to handle it, it can be incredibly helpful.
"Still, I know it’s hard not to be defensive, but
if I’m going to enter a competition where there
is potential for both exposure and financial
gain, then I have to be prepared to take on
the criticism as well. That’s the world of photo
competitions – you get some exposure and the
feedback that comes with it.
“Even if you don’t come first, entering
competitions keeps you active. In many
competitions, if your work is in the top 20 or
30 photos in a category, chances are you’ll
be published somewhere and that’s great
exposure. There can be many side-benefits from
entering competitions because you get your
work in front of a new audience.”
ARTY OR WEDDING?
Dan is known for shooting weddings in a less
conventional style, although given the number
of awards he’s won and all the workshops he’s
given, there are more photographers following
his lead today than when he began.
“I shoot weddings the way I do because
of my background. I started as an art
photographer who accidentally got into
weddings, only to discover I loved doing them.
“Due to my background in the art world,
I applied a different approach to wedding
photography which has paid dividends over
time. I was probably a little lucky because,
when I started, there was a common style of
wedding photography that everyone seemed
to follow. If you wanted something else, then
there was only a handful of photographers who
were doing anything different – so clients who
wanted something unique didn’t have many
options!BEING DIFFERENT
“I’d hate to be starting out today as a wedding
photographer because it is so difficult to stand
out from the crowd. There are a lot of really
good photographers who produce really solid
work and this makes it incredibly competitive.
“When I started, there were only a few of us
doing something a little different, so if a client
didn’t like the standard style being offered by
the majority of photographers, they more or
less had to choose one of us. We ended up
with more work than we could handle and this
helped establish our careers.
“But I know being different doesn’t last
forever and I’m very aware of the fact that I
can’t drop my guard creatively. Things move
so quickly and newcomers are so good, so I
have never been complacent. I’ve always had
the attitude that I might not be here next year,
so how do I ensure that I am? I don’t take my
position in the market for granted.FEATURE