I have a few very exiting upcoming cultural bridal shoots in the next few months, so I wanted to share all the things I do to prepare for the shoot. It’s a lot of work but after it’s all done, I’ve learned so much, but it feels so good to be that more knowledgeable about a new culture. My goal is always to truly honor the customs and traditions in an authentic way.
- Research, research, research. I have a science and engineering background, so this comes very easily to me, but I can suffer from analysis paralysis. I talk to as many people as possible who understand and live the culture to understand what’s important to them and what’s authentic.
- When possible, I immerse myself in the culture, which may include eating the food, attending a festival or listening to music.
- I Google the traditions and then confirm and reconfirm them, if and how they are different by region. For example, I found out that Bolivian wedding traditions and food vary greatly by region. In Uganda where I was born, the way people talk and dress is significantly different by tribes. My goal is to make sure that when I talk about a culture, I’m not over-generalizing a tradition or custom.
- I prepare a planning document in advance of the shoot so I and my team know what to shoot and how. One of my good Indian friends told me the photographer she hired for her Indian baby shower incorrectly posed and draped her clothing in a way that made her sad to share the photographs because culturally, they didn’t make sense.
- During and after the event, I also talk to people to confirm the story I’ve written to make sure it authentically captures their family and cultural story.
Inevitably I may make mistakes, but I learn, correct and grow from them especially as I shoot more events from the same culture.
As inspiration, here’s a pretty image of my gorgeous Ugandan friend Patricia wearing a traditional African attire in Barbados.
