Hello! I am Florent of Florent Vidal Photography. When I tell people that I am a photographer, there’s always an interest how I got into it! I guess people in the industry or the arts in general, always find themselves being asked this question. Well, to be honest I have not done anything else but photography! Yes, I am one of those odd people who knew exactly what they wanted to do and followed it through. It started when I was 14 years old and I discovered the art of photography. I did my Baccalaureate in Photography in France and worked in Paris when I was 20 as a freelance photographer for travel magazines.
"Wedding photos can be 'real' and at the same time, creative."
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 photographs, at the same time frame it with my creative interpretation. I want my clients to look at their photographs years from now and remember the feelings they had on that day.
On the wedding day, I tell my couples that I am everywhere and nowhere. This day is about you and the commitment that you're making. I want them to full experience the day, every unexpected moments: the joy, the tears, the laughter and even the nerves that come with it!
One of my favourite photographs captures three sisters in a car on their way to the church. The joy, love and excitement was palpable, and at one point, I could sense the sisters’ emotions building. My approach was simply to respect their space, to be ready to capture this emotional moment, and to photograph this once-in-a-lifetime experience.
From Europe to Australia
After 5 years of documenting love stories in France and Europe, it was also love that brought me to Australia! I met an Aussie girl and I followed her to the other side of the world! 12 years later, I am living in and loving this beautiful country with my wife and two daughters, and still doing what I enjoy to do.
Australia is such a beautiful country and it was soo different to the settings that I was used to in Europe. I love incorporating its vastness and natural beauty into my wedding photographs.
To sum up in a few words (or a bit more!) my favourite photos are those that transport us to the moment when the photograph was taken. Those that make us feel long after they were taken. Those that make us wonder what the subject was feeling and thinking. Those ones that force us to see the story behind the photograph. And I do love black and white photographs! They are timeless and they have magical quality that cannot be fully explained with words.