AMY DEPUTY
Sparks, Maryland
amydeputyphotography.com
Amy Deputy confides that after working as a photojournalist and picture editor for the Baltimore Sun, "I discovered my intention to save the world was flawed." Disillusioned with newspaper work, she shot a wedding as a favor for a friend in early 2001.
"The wedding day sparkled with color," she recalls. "And there was the bride shining bright as light, a symbol of hope, standing strong, offering herself as a gift, accepting her role as leader, standing in power, all eyes to her. I was smitten. Wedding photography had quietly tapped me on the shoulder."
Within a couple of years, Deputy had established a clientele in the D.C. area and garnered recognition for her documentary wedding photos. "My work is a style fusion. Moments delight me; portraits delight me," she says. "I love the delicate ritual of a bride preparing for her ceremony. I love the symbols of beginning and end. I love seeing a couple's first moments as husband and wife. I love kisses and first dances and toasts. And I love families and friends honoring the balance of two in a relationship."
She's quick to add, "I see my work as unending practice. I am a beginner-my 13-year-old son reminds me often. 'Remember to look at the space between the stars,' he tells me."
While consulting with clients, Deputy stresses service. "I ask them what is important," she says. "I brainstorm picture possibilities based on their responses. I create a thorough photo timeline before their big day-I check my notes and precise group lists, then tuck it in my pocket."
Then she focuses on the craft. "Photographs provide an opportunity to speak in a language beyond words," Deputy says. "They conjure memory and validate experience. They are a way to say, I honor this moment."
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