july was jammed packed with weddings on the weekends and we’re working on some highlights to share here on the blog, but before we get to that we wanted to share about football. yep, football.
we took a little editing detour this week and spent a few days with the gang from stillmotion at their nfl workshop. everyone there was from the broadcast world with seemingly unlimited resources and a ton of experience producing pieces on and off the field so it was certainly a very humbling experience for a small studio like us. i took the opportunity to roam around the stage during the sessions and snapped some neat behind the scene photos. you can read up on patrick’s take on the workshop at the sm blog and if you’re interested in learning more about using dslrs, you can also check out their education page for more info.
when we saw tiff+mike at the rehearsal joking around with smiles from ear to ear, strolling arm in arm we had a feeling the wedding was going to be distinctly them and so it was. they were so in tune with each other, so sure about their commitment and so incredibly in love that nothing could have hindered them from declaring their love to each other and boy did they ever. before the wedding they had insisted we take whatever creative direction we feel is fitting for their film and when they gave their vows to each other at the ceremony we knew instantly that this was their same-day-edit. they are an amazing couple and we are so glad to have shared in their big day with them.
it was a rather hot day at the park and we didn’t have much time to do this, but we had a ton of fun with these little guys. we wanted to keep it genuine and not ask the kids to do anything out of the ordinary so i wasn’t sure what we’d come out with – if anything at all. it was father’s day weekend and we thought it would be very fitting to tell the story of a child’s pureness, joy and innocence through cinema.
since they were playing hide ‘n seek, we thought it would make for a neat entry for a short film challenge our friends at stillmotion are hosting. you can check out their post and other top entries on their education blog. i would love to hear your thoughts on this piece.
music is ’stars out’ by daniel dixon, licensed with etiquette
we’re often looking for ways to tell a story in a way that’s genuine to our couples. whether it be through photo or cinema, we’re always looking to find what is true and real through our art. the framing, the colors, the textures and all the technical details that make up a particular piece come with purpose. we find that gives the art so much more meaning, for us and for them.
we spent the afternoon with kristen and brian and asked ourselves, what do you see? for me at least, i see warmth and a whole lot of love. it was a rather warm day and when i picked these teaser shots i decided to tone their set of images a tad warmer still because that’s what i felt best represented them. if you’ve met kristen and brian, you know they’re warm and laid back so having their engagement session at the beach with golden colors was very fitting. they also happen to be getting married later this year on the beautiful island of maui so it very much ties into who they are as people too.
so here we go. kristen insisted that we post at least a few teasers for her while we spend some time designing their album and i’m holding up my end of the deal. however, i thought it’ll be neat to really make this set a true teaser where i don’t show their faces. we got such an awesome set of stills for them, i just have to hold back and show only this for now : )
life events are usually full of tradition and culture and weddings are no exception. i always find it fascinating when we encounter something new and sheri+will’s wedding was such a treat. they had a traditional persian ceremony, know as ‘aghd’ performed in both farsi and english.
the aghd was held around an elaborately decorated spread called a sofreh. this wedding table is setup with an intricate layout of fine cloth and adorned with all sorts of items that symbolize traditional values and well wishes for the bride and groom. the most notable, to me at least, was the grinding of two sugar crystals — called ‘kalleh ghand’ — over the couple. this is meant to bless and shower them with sweetness for their new life together.
it’s events like these that make our days so memorable. yes, weddings are where people get married, but it can be so vastly different from week to week. the location, the venue, the culture and the people make it so interesting and different each and every time. we spent a good deal of time chatting with sheri before the wedding to learn about not just what events will take place, but all the significant meaning behind it all. if you have an special tradition in your culture that you’d like to share, we’d love to hear about it.
