February 15, 2018

How to Avoid Tokenism in Your Portfolio

February 15, 2018/ Catalyst Wedding Co

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

November 14, 2017

Tulle & Fury // Should Wedding Professionals Consider Active Shooter Training?

November 14, 2017/ Catalyst Wedding Co

I’m sure a morbid game of Six Degrees of Trigger Separation could be played by every person in this country. How close have we been to death? How close have we been to being in that congregation, or at that concert, or in the sights of a killer? We mourn for a few news cycles. We run stories about the shooter and his family. We scrutinize the details of the day. We ask how this could happen in a year in which it’s already happened 376 other times. We watch analysts and pundits debate every point except the one that matters. We hold vigils instead of being vigilant about preventing another tragedy. It doesn’t have to happen but it does and it will.

October 10, 2017

Tulle + Fury // Diversifying Your Portfolio is Simple

October 10, 2017/ Catalyst Wedding Co

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.

September 11, 2017

Tulle + Fury // Diversity is Too Often a Tokenizing Buzzword, Especially at Conferences

September 11, 2017/ Catalyst Wedding Co

I’m not going to lie, I love conferences. The networking, the speakers, the development, and an awesome trip? Count me in! But the more I started to research conferences for the next year, the more frustrated I grew. Why the hell did everyone look alike?! ’m fascinated by influencer conferences that can’t seem to find black, brown, queer, differently-abled, or female voices for panels. I’m even more fascinated how if you’re any combination of these identities, it’s even harder to find representation at major events.

July 06, 2017

Tulle & Fury // Being Sexually Harassed by Married Men at Weddings

July 06, 2017/ Catalyst Wedding Co

To make it even worse, the large majority of men who’ve hit on me at weddings are married. Physical safety aside, there is an emotional cost to working so hard to plan a celebration of marriage and then witness someone else shit all over theirs. What is it about weddings that emboldens guests to act like they aren’t married? Is it the desire to feel in control? Or to assert power over a woman? Especially a woman of color? Is it simply because they’re A-holes?