“When I am photographing a wedding day, it is as though I am producing, writing and directing a film,” says Eric Ronald. Ronald trained as a cinematographer and has had a successful career in television production. Among other shows, he was Technical Manager for Dancing with the Stars, Australia’s Got Talent and Deal or No Deal.
A family tragedy pushed him to change direction. “My brother died from cancer in 2007,” he says. “It forced me to reassess who I was and where I was going with my life.” Ronald felt that, in television production, he was missing the creative outlet he needed. “My wife, Brooke, and I quit our jobs to travel the world for a year,” he says. “It was at that point that I reconnected with my passion for photography. I fell in love with documenting our travels.”
Ronald photographed his first wedding assignment at the request of a friend. Initially hesitant, he soon found that wedding photography suited his interests and creative style. “Weddings represent an opportunity for me to capture life itself,” he says. “I am naturally drawn to photographing real people, with real stories and real emotion. That is what I am passionate about, and what I think defines me as a photographer,” Ronald says. “
A professional wedding photographer for over three years, Ronald still finds time for other projects. “In the [wedding] off season, I love to do as much personal work as I can,” he says. “This year I went on a trip with some other photographers to the Northern Territory to photograph a series of portraits on large format 4x5 film.”
In 2014, Ronald was a finalist in the AIPP (VIC) Wedding Photographer of the Year, AIPP (VIC) Album of the Year, and Australia’s Top Emerging Photographers (Wedding category). In 2013, he achieved the AIPP (VIC) Highest Scoring Print of the Year and was the AIPP (VIC) Album of the Year runner-up.
