Spotlight: Alice Lodge
In this series we are sharing some of the wonderful photographers who make up the NineDots Community. Finding out what makes them tick and the what, why and how behind some of the work they are most proud of. Today York Wedding Photographer Alice Lodge shares her favourite 2 images and why she loves them so much.
WHY WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHY?
For me it was not about weddings at first. I just always loved photography. One of my biggest treasures in life is the 30 photo albums that I have of my childhood which my amazing mum made for me. It’s not just pictures of me but everything I and my parents did. It’s the biggest treasure and a fundament for who I am today. From there I knew the importance of photography. As a teenager I just really enjoyed scouting for old film cameras with my friends at the car boot sale and producing images of all sorts over the years. Once I shot my first wedding I knew that it’s right for me. Being surrendered by love, inclusiveness and happiness within your job whilst making memories for people that will carry them in good and bad times for years to come just sounded perfect.
Alice’s 2 Spotlight photos
This was one of my first weddings I ever shot. It was for a friend of mine in Munich and it was a double wedding. Two couples! I am forever grateful for this opportunity as it just really shaped how I run my business today. The people felt free, happy and themselves and they did what they wanted not what was expected of them. It also reminds me always that yes, my gear is better now, I would have probably shot this image in a different way but really that does not matter. The memory is there and it’s beautiful. It’s the emotions that count, not if you shoot Canon or Nikon! 😉
When I started my business I thought about what’s important to me and what I would like to be important to my ideal client and that is the environment. I started writing blog posts about how to plan eco-friendly weddings early on and used my social media to promote sustainable wedding ideas. It’s still one of the aspects that brings me so much joy from my business and it’s a great feeling when I get feedback from my couples on what they do to make their day more eco-friendly. The picture below is of one of my couples who took the sustainable approach to heart. We got on so well and the photo makes me very happy.
WHY NINE DOTS?
My mum always called my social butterfly. I need people and colleagues around me to feel happy. Although I love time by myself too I knew very soon that I couldn’t sustain a happy and healthy business if I keep myself to myself and work alone in my self employed bubble. I started reaching out to other photographers and I could not believe how kind, interesting, helpful and wonderful the colleagues are I have met through networks like NineDots and others over the years. It makes my work life better every day and I am very grateful for that. As working for yourself does not mean working by yourself!