My letter to Applied Arts

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"There’s something very special about being part of the peak moment of someone’s life. I love being there on the wedding day, part of all that emotion. And with babies, most of the clients hire me within a week or two of the baby being born. It’s a wonderful time in their lives. Weddings and babies—the two go together, I guess [laughs]."—Toronto wedding photographer Nikki Charlton, a Masterworks profile in the March/April 2008 issue of APPLIED ARTS MAGAZINE, on the newsstand early this month.

I sent them a letter, and I share it with you here because I doubt they'll print it.
To the Editors of Applied Arts Mag:

I am commercial photographer toughing out in the far reaches of Winterpeg and a long time subscriber of several years, maybe decades.

Just when I thought that maybe, just maybe Applied Arts were finally widening their focus with the recent issue showcasing work west of Toronto, I received the latest issue.

Running out of Toronto based commercial  photographers, Applied Arts has now turned to the baby/ wedding crowd to interview. No disrespect to the work, it's all very nice, well executed. But I question the showcasing of that kind of work, when there are a vast number of us commercial shooters in this country, who just happen to live outside the GTA.

What's it like to be a commercial photographer "way out here"?

Let's talk about dwindling budgets, surviving in these smaller markets while watching head offices leaving, the lack of copyright awareness, virtually no resources like equipment rentals, even the deep cold, all issues facing shooters in these smaller markets, issues that also relate to the broader readership of your magazine.

I get lots of glowing descriptions of the wonders of wedding photography in other publications.

This will also play in to my decision to sign on to the recent Artcards promo I have been contemplating.

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