Florent’s Story
When I tell people that I am a photographer, there’s always an interest how I got into it. To be honest I have done nothing else but be a photographer! I was only 14 years old when I discovered the art of photography. By the time I was 16, I knew that this is what I wanted to do, so I applied to get into one of the best photography schools in Europe. They only had vacancy for 30 students, and I was offered a place. I graduated when I was 20 and I moved to Paris to work as a freelance photographer for travel publications.
One day an editor of a travel magazine asked me if I could photograph her wedding the same way I photographed the people in my travel photos: very photojournalistic and ‘in the moment’ photos. This experience completely opened my eyes and changed the way I perceived wedding photography.
Wedding photos can be ‘real’ and at the same time, creative. And these are the kind of photographs that really talk to me. It’s being able to tell the story with my images, at the same time frame it with my creative interpretation. I want couples to look at their photographs years from now and remember the feelings that they felt on their wedding day.
Angel’s Story
Like any new university graduate, I packed my bags and travelled to the other side of the world to discover different cultures. Little did I know that my European adventure would be the beginning of a lasting partnership both personally and professionally. After finishing my Art degree, it was natural that I was seduced by the beauty of Paris and there, serendipity stepped in and met Florent.
Florent and I first worked together in 2004 doing photo reportage of different European cities for travel guides and magazines. During this time, I had also seen the wedding photographs that he captured and I was immediately struck how different they were to the wedding photographs that I had seen in Australia. They were elegantly composed and devoid of any pretence. This inspired me to pursue the art of wedding photography.
From our little flat in Paris, we started laying the foundation for what would become Florent Vidal Photography. When it was time for me to go back home to Australia, we were ecstatic that we had also been commissioned to photograph our beautiful country. It was perfect timing! When the assignment ended, we both took a leap of faith and officially launched Florent Vidal Photography in Sydney. We gave ourselves 6 months to book our weddings or he’d have to go back to France!
Working with Florent as a second photographer, his skills as a photographer continually amaze me and teach me how to become a better photographer. Florent’s support has given me the desire to try and set out on my own. Now I have my own business as Port Stephens wedding photographer, capturing weddings in our backyard.
