10 Questions with Union Eleven Photographer: Brittany Fleming

Brittany has been a core member of the Union Eleven team for almost five years. Recently she was selected as one of the Top 30 Under 30 Photographers in Canada by the Canada Photo Convention, and we couldn't be more proud! You can view some of her winning images at the bottom of this post. In honour of her being selected, we thought we would share a little more info about this amazing photographer! Here are 10 questions with Brittany Fleming:

When did you first get into photography? I got into photography during my last year of high school. It was perfect timing because shortly after, I backpacked around Europe and took my camera with me. That's when I really started to experiment with photography. Getting lost in a new country with my camera was paradise. When I returned home, I showed my travel photos to friends and family and would get reactions like "wow you should be a photographer!". I think that's what triggered me to start thinking about taking pictures professionally.

What do you love about photography? I love how a single photo has the ability to tell a story without using words. Photos are unique because each viewer is affected by the photo differently. We all lead very different lives and because of that, we draw different conclusions when looking at the same image.

What's the best thing about photographing weddings? For me, it's after we have delivered the images to the couple. I love hearing how important the photos are to them and how all the emotions from their wedding day come rushing back when they first view their images. I love how documenting a wedding gives couples the ability to look back on those moments for years to come and hopefully bring a smile to their faces.

Why should couples have their wedding in Ottawa? Ottawa is a beautiful city! There is so much variety in venues here. Every wedding can be as unique as the couple getting married. There are modern and historic buildings to choose from downtown, or you can take quick drive outside of the city if rustic beauty is more your style.  You name it, Ottawa has it.

What's your favourite wedding photo that you've taken? That's like asking someone to choose their favourite Beatles song! There have been so many beautiful moments over the years with so many couples that are special to me... it would be impossible to choose just one.

What's your favourite non-wedding photo that you've taken? A photo of my dad with the Stanley Cup. That man loved his hockey and the smile on his face when he got to hold it was priceless.

When you're not taking pictures, what do you like to do? I love planning my next backpacking trip and going on adventures with my friends. I also love taking my dog Rufus for aimless walks around the city to scout out cool places to shoot.

What tip would you like to share with couples who are looking to hire a wedding photographer? Of course you need to love the work that the photographer does, but it's just as important to make sure that you feel comfortable around that person, and to place your trust in them. You want to feel completely confident in your choice so when the wedding day comes, you can relax knowing that they are going to provide you with the style of images you love.

What do you love about working at Union Eleven? I love that Union Eleven is centred on helping their photographers learn and grow as artists. They encouraged me to try new things and to develop a personal style. When I started there as Andrew's assistant, I thought I did a great job at our first wedding. Out of the thousands of images I took that day, he kept twelve... That really put things into perspective. I knew I had a long way to go before being able to shoot weddings on my own. It's been a lot of hard work over the years, but the team has been with me every step of the way.  It also doesn't hurt that they feed me beer when we all sit down to critique each other's work!

Finally, I love how we treat our clients like friends and family, making sure everyone is super happy. This is probably why so many of the weddings I shoot are referrals from past clients.

How would you describe the colour yellow to someone who's blind? I would tell them to go outside on a hot day and feel the warmth of the sun on their face; that's what yellow feels like. Now stand there until you start sweating and feel like you're going to pass out; now you have red. Jump into water to cool off and there you have it, blue... just like my hair!