The media does not reflect society for everyone


When starting my photography business I knew that inclusivity would be something that I would always be passionate about. Having met and worked with families who have a person or child with a disability in their home I understand some of the many challenges they face on a daily basis, one of the minor ones being not seeing others like them being represented in the media. This is not just the case for disabled people but also for those in the LGBTQ community who experience many barriers to services and discriminatory attitudes.


My photography will always aim to promote diversity and inclusion with everyone encouraged to let me capture their family in the way that is easiest for them whether that be outdoors, in their home or at a respite facility. Capturing family moments and connections has no bounds and I feel privileged that have a range of experience which helps me to offer a tailored service without judgement or pressure. It is neither groundbreaking nor difficult to be inclusive, talking openly with families about what suits them as with any other client is one of the first steps.


I found that the wedding photography side of my business was in need of some attention to enable me to be more inclusive of the LGBTQ+ community. I attended the LGBTQ awareness course offered by The Wedding Business school which gave me an insight into the ways in which i may be showing bias towards heterosexual couples. It taught me a lot about the struggles that have been and are still faced by many. The road to same sex marriage for many same sex and LGBTQ+ couples has been a long one fraught with pain and discrimination. Finally in 2013, parliament passed the legislation of same sex marriage, with the first marriage taking place in London in 2014. Prior to this, the only option for same sex couples was to enter into a civil partnership. However, although this could include a ceremony and celebration, the government made it very clear that this wasn’t a marriage, but a legal partnership, in the eyes of the law.


I am aware that I still have some way to go before I am happy to say that i am truly inclusive, this includes representing members of the LGBTQ+ community in the images on my website as well as being aware of the language I use when discussing the needs of prospective couples. My aim is to find some styled events to update my images as well as reach out to the community to see what I can do to better represent them.


Sophie

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