5 Tips for Hiring Inclusive Wedding Vendors

5 Tips for Hiring Inclusive Wedding Vendors

We know our Catalyst readers are some of the most progressive couples out there, and the struggle to “stay woke” while navigating this super traditional wedding industry is REAL. Thankfully, one of the easiest ways to have a woke wedding is to book inclusive vendors. But how do you get started? We’ve outlined some steps that can help.

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People Are Not Props // How to Avoid Tokenism in Your Portfolio

People Are Not Props // How to Avoid Tokenism in Your Portfolio

How to diversify portfolios is a topic that comes up frequently in photography groups on Facebook. It generally looks something like this: “I want to start photographing gay weddings but don’t have any gay clients… what do I do?” or “I need make my portfolio less white/straight… should I do a model call?” A few of those conversations have resulted in white people getting called out for tokenizing members of marginalized communities and, frequently, those who were called out responded with mild (or not so mild) outrage and wondered how to get away from their straight white client base if they can’t do model calls for LGBTQ2S+ folks or POC to expand their portfolios.

There is very limited information regarding tokenism as it pertains to fine arts generally and photography portfolio building specifically. This article is an attempt to compile the information I did find and present it in a way that is applicable to the photography industry. It might seem straightforward and obvious to some, but I think it is needed

 

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Tulle + Fury // Diversifying Your Portfolio is Simple

Tulle + Fury // Diversifying Your Portfolio is Simple

From Facebook groups for creatives, to one-on-ones and networking events, I’ve heard again and again, “I really want to break into ‘that‘ market.” Or my personal favorite, “Well how do I find ‘them’?”

Y’ALL. Honey. Baby. Sweet Lord.

I promise I will try not to be condescending, but it’s a little obtuse, don’t you think? If you’re a photographer that wants to do more black weddings, do a shoot with black people in it. I promise y’all it’s that easy. Do you know why? People just want to see themselves represented. People want to see themselves.

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Black BeauTEA Talk // When Diversity is Cool, Black Women Are Still Ignored, Tokenized, and Used

Black BeauTEA Talk // When Diversity is Cool, Black Women Are Still Ignored, Tokenized, and Used

Diversity and representation are important, but before you send out that model call, stop and ask yourself these questions.

1. Why is diversity important to black women?

2. What do I do regularly to help fight against the white supremacist world we live in?

3. What will this black woman gain from doing my photo shoot?

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Meet Chloe Jackman, the Unicorn Photographer of San Francisco

Meet Chloe Jackman, the Unicorn Photographer of San Francisco

“Calling all shapes, sizes, colors, vibes, and unicorns! It’s your story, baby, tell it your way.”

Meet the Unicorn Photographer, Chloe Jackman.

She’s based in the Bay Area, and she is a multifaceted photographer “with freckles, a fro, some glitter and sass.”

“Let’s talk about real love,” she says, getting straight to the point. “I want couples to tell their story their way. However your wedding looks, it’s your chance to express yourselves as a couple, and it’s beautiful.”

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