Innovators: Ron Pogue’s “Alternative Wedding Photography”
His talents earned him one of only three prizes awarded at #WeAreYQQ PitchFest 2016. His images are iconic. His eye, cultured and discriminating. And in 2017 Ron Pogue is turning his attention to growing his #alternativeweddingphotography services.
I interviewed Ron in August 2016 about his approach to growing his creative business. We talked about his aspirations, projects he’d like to pursue, and #alternativewedding services.
What is an #alternativewedding photographer?
Ron’s vision is singular. #Alternativeweddingphotography, however, isn’t something he invented. Like many innovators, he’s building on what colleagues and peers are doing as they modernize and adapt wedding photography conventions. You can find this large and growing body of work online by search for social media tags like #alternativewedding, #alternativeweddingphotography, and #alternativeweddingphotographer.
Ron approach captures the spirit of the event as it unfolds. It’s what photojournalistic innovator Henri Cartier-Bresson called “the decisive moment. “The images my clients cherish most are serendipitous, unexpected, the things they couldn’t have planned for.”
“I treat clients’ weddings as historic, newsworthy events,” he says. “I don’t ask people to pose or smile. m y approach is more documentary, more candid than what most people think of as traditional, what I call ‘fairy tale’ wedding photography.”
Who’s buying? Where’s the market?
Our region has a wealth of talented wedding photographers. They’re meeting the demands of a growing wedding market, and part of an emergent wedding industry. #AlternativeWedding photography is part of the mix. Ron acknowledges that this style isn’t for everyone. His clients are coming a particular demographic, one that is also growing in our region: younger creatives whose weddings, like their lives, are not necessarily conventional.
“Artists, musicians, people who are looking for something different, these are the people who I’m typically working with,” he says. Couples often tell him, “We’re not having a traditional wedding.” Ron’s response: “That’s fine, I’m not a traditional wedding photographer.”
How to contact Ron
- Email: ronpoguephotography@gmail.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/ronpoguephoto/
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/RonPoguePhoto/
- Website: ronpoguephotography.com
- Text: 250-702-3001
LIFT Comox Valley and the #WeAreYQQ talent economy
This is part of a series of articles about the creatives and entrepreneurs who are growing a “talent economy” in the greater Comox Valley region. At LIFT, we help promote this talent economy by hosting workshops and events, writing stories, interviewing, and doing what we can to help startups grow their businesses bigger. We also routinely amplify social media posts using tags like #WeAreYQQ (Comox Valley) and #WeAreYBL (Campbell River). Use them. Watch your traffic grow.