TPX01: Ian Weldon – The Experimental Interview

Ian Weldon of www.ianweldon.com is todays guest and a familiar name to long time listeners – he was interviewed for Episode 111 of PhotoBizX where he shocked, inspired and provoked listeners and me.

Todays “experimental” interview was a chance to get into Ian's head and learn about his approach and techniques as opposed to purely focussing on business. In fact, the brief was to stay right away from business but the more you get to know Ian, you'll understand, the business of photography is not the driver behind his photography and it all just… happens.

His photography has been labelled as innovative, creative, unique and total SHIT. You draw your own conclusions about his work but rest assured, your views will not change him or his approach.

Below, you'll see examples of Ian's work and quotes taken from this very interview. There were many more I had saved, too many to list. My hope is you find some of your own in what I hope is an interview that will affect your photography and business in ways that pricing and marketing and sales can't touch.

Here’s some of what we cover:

• Why you shouldn't be bothered by what other people think about your photography work
• Verify the source of criticism and their work before reacting to negative feedback
• What is a successful photographer?
• How Ian measures success
• Coping with negative feedback
• How Ian developed his photography style
• Why you should do what you want to do with your photography
• Do you really have any responsibility to your clients as a creative photographer?
• The importance of managing your client expectations from the start
• The reason Ian has turned down more weddings this year
• How to chose which photos to share on your social media channels
• Responding to people questioning your technique
• Trends and fads with photography
• What is the real foundation of a photography business?
• Has wedding photography become boring?
• What Ian would teach to get better at photography
• Why you need to learn about the history of photography
• How learning the history of photography will affect your style
• Quit following current photographers on social media and study the works of old photographers
• Why you need to lose that need to be popular quickly
• Why you should never expect too much from your photography
• How to guarantee your success as a photographer
• Why you should never edit a wedding right after the shoot
• Base your photography judgements on the photography, not your relationship with the subject
• Judging someone else's photography
• Photography awards – good, bad or indifferent for the aspiring photographer?
• Should your stick to your photography style or shoot what the clients want?
• Shooting with only one body and one lens
• Flash technique
• Ian's workflow when post processing his images
• Thoughts about leaving a legacy of your best works
• Ian's photography inspiration
• Going after the ‘snap shot' aesthetic
• Why people can't talk effectively about photography today
• Photography today seems to be all kinds of style but no substance
• The difference between following the works of past and present photographers
• Whose work should you follow to get inspiration and become better at photography?

What is your big takeaway?

Following this interview, I’d love to know what your biggest takeaway is – what is the one thing that you’d like to implement or learnt from what was shared? Let me know by leaving your thoughts in the comments below.

I'm not shooting for people who criticize my work. I'm shooting for people who like what I do – Ian Weldon

If you have any questions that I missed, a specific question you’d like to ask Ian or if you just want to say thanks for coming on the show, feel free to add them below.

We only get one life, man. We only get one lap – Ian Weldon

I'm just not going to bend what I do to fit another person's mindset or another person's idea of what wedding photography should be – Ian Weldon

To become a photographer, first you really have to become a photographer – Ian Weldon

I'm photographing for me as a photographer and I'm making images solely for me – Ian Weldon

Links to people, places and things mentioned in this episode:

Ian Weldon Website

Ian Weldon on Facebook

Ian Weldon Photography on Facebook

Ian Weldon on Instagram

Ian Weldon on Twitter

The 100 Best Wedding Photographers in the World: 2015

Episode 111: Ian Weldon – Taking a Stand With Your Photography Business

Martin Parr

Garry Winogrand

Bruce Gilden

Ezra Stoller

Julius Shulman

Mark Cohen

Joel Meyerowitz

Ed Templeton

Vivian Maier

Walker Evans

Susan Sontag

Daguerreotype

Calotype

Mark Cohen: Dark Knees (book)

Episode 012: Jerry Ghionis – Cooking Up Wedding Photography Success, Don’t Get Caught in the Fire

Episode 077: Yervant – It’s Time to Get Serious About Your Photography Business

Episode 025: Jonas Peterson – Ignore Wedding Photography for Wedding Photography Success

Episode 100: Jonas Peterson – How to Use Storytelling Through Your Photography

Episode 087: Sue Bryce – How to Make Real Money From Your Photography Business Right Now

Episode 141: João de Medeiros – Challenge The Way You Think and Work as a Photographer

Links to people, places and things mentioned in this episode:

Fujifilm X-Pro2 Body Professional Mirrorless Camera (Black)

Fujifilm X-Pro 1 16MP Digital Camera with APS-C X-Trans CMOS Sensor (Body Only)

Fujinon XF 23mm F1.4 R

Fujinon XF 18mm F2 R

Fujinon XF 35mm F1.4 R

Thank you!

Thanks again for listening to the show and thanks to Ian for coming on and experimenting with a new and different format for a potentially new show. His outlook, photography and way of thinking always pushes me to be a better photographer and for that, I'm thankful.

Try to find your own way – Ian Weldon

If you have any suggestions, comments or questions about this episode, please be sure to leave them below in the comment section of this post, and if you liked the episode, please share it using the social media buttons you see at the bottom of the post!

That’s it for me this week, hope everything is going well for you in life and photography!

Thanks and speak soon

Andrew