today marks day two of our speaking schedule in las vegas. justin and i are at wppi (the wedding and professional photographers international convention) and were asked by canon usa to speak on the advantages, strategies and techniques of adding cinematography to the photography repertoire.
being that justin and i are photographers that often shoot cinema, we have a pretty unique perspective on the matter. we know how challenging it can be to shoot photo on its own, and to shoot cinema on its own – but to combine the two…. let’s just say that the results can be out of this world.
but does it have to be daunting? that’s a question that many photographers are asking themselves. with HDSLRs at our disposal, so many are itching to test out the waters.
so here’s where we come in. over the last few days, and for the last time tomorrow at WPPI, we are sharing our perspective on how the transition can be made smoothly and in a really fun way. so for those of you who’d like to join us, check out our talk at the canon booth tomorrow (wednesday) at 1:15.
friday morning, i hopped on a flight from toronto to san francisco, and this actually is good for my jet lag. see, my body is a little confused right now. when we returned to toronto from melbourne, we had a 16 hour jet lag – and it took some work to get used to the shift. but now, with an additional 3 hours difference, for me it’s closer to a 19 hour jet lag. and when you’re at 19 hours, it’s so close to 24 hours, that does it really make a difference?
this coming may, we are shooting a wedding in san fran – rachel and cecil’s. since we live so far away, we thought it would be really great to get together before the big day. cecil and i started talking about organizing a trip a few months ago, and this weekend our plans materialized. they flew me to san fran on friday, cecil showed me around the city, treated me to an awesome lunch… we just got to hang out. rach joined us a little later, after work, and we went out for an awesome dinner. everywhere they took me was organic!
yesterday, we went out for a pre-wedding shoot. having talked to them all of friday, i got to know a few of their little quirks. this was actually my favourite part of the whole trip – the quirks. cecil said that rach can be shy at first – but they both certainly opened up and let me see how sweet, funny, “buddy”, thoughtful, patient, and interesting they can be. :)
sorry guys, i have to share the quirky ones first…… more to come soon.
as many of you know, every year stillmotion takes on up to three industry professionals, whether photographers or cinematographers, for its mentorship program. it’s a year long commitment that is intensely personal, specifically targeted towards each individual’s goals and hopes, and a channel for personal and professional growth.
in december, nicole anhel of confetti films decided that this is a journey she would like to take. over the next year, she and i will be sharing, viewing, creating, flying, shooting, laughing, crying, and a whole list of other things that i’m sure will come our way.
i’m looking forward to helping nicole achieve the things that will truly make her happy, while sharing an experience that is already proving to be unforgettable for me.
over the next year, both nicole and i will be sharing our views, successes, road blocks, breakthroughs, and excitement on the journey that we take together. this is my first blog post with many to come. to view nicole’s complementary post, click here.
as i sat down to write this post, i reviewed the images i wanted to share and made some points about the things that i loved most about serena and liang’s day (and about them). the problem is that the list grew and grew…. and if i write it all, i’m afraid i won’t get anything else done today!
so here are a couple of things that i think back to when i look at these images.
i’d like to quickly give a shout out to james day who came out and shot with us. it was awesome having you!
the day started out on the courts. liang and niko don’t get to play much anymore since they live in different cities. after the game, they all got ready – separately and together. since serena and liang had already seen each other the night before, they figured that if they spent the morning together, it just meant they’d get to hang out more on their wedding day.
serena crunched, crinkled, and eventually rolled her vows into a tiny tube that would fit amongst the stems of her flowers. liang spritzed his cologne, which reminds serena of their “uni” days. and they headed off.
at 3:30, they said their vows, exchanged rings, and became mr. and mrs. liang. yes, liang’s last name is liang. it thought that was interesting. :)
at 4:30, they explained to me why liang’s left ear hangs out a little farther than his right, and read to me the faint inscription carved by a dental drill in their pebble. we then walked to the reception – well, serena only walked part of the way….
when we got there, i proceeded to photograph the table numbers (or words). liang’s grandfather, a renowned calligrapher, is too elderly to continue his art, but found the strength to create these in honour of the occasion.
what i love about these images is not just the story they tell, but the way they tell it in conjunction with their same day edit. there are things in these images that you will only get if you listen closely to their vows – and there are things in their sde that will only be completed with a photo.
so thank you, serena and liang, for letting us in. it was truly an honour getting to know you, and we can’t wait to see you when you come to toronto in april!
as i sit at the back of the presentation room, i realize just how lucky we are.
we are in the middle of our third evolution experience in australia. we’ve already had a chance to inspire 30 people, and now we’re sitting with another 15. but what many don’t realize is just how inspired we become through all of this.
it makes us realize how incredible our opportunities are. it forces us to question everything that we do. it makes us realize that we make mistakes all the time and that through the passion for what we do, these mistakes turn into possibilities.
but the biggest thing that i feel makes us feel so privileged is the friendships we create in the meantime. whether these are relationships that are built with attendees, people at the camera store, or our couples, they are what pushes us to constantly evolve.
i’d like to share with you an email that we got this morning from serena and liang – a couple who got married this past saturday in sydney (whose SDE and photos you’ll see shortly), and who also came to our workshop on day 2 to model for our attendees’ exercises.
“hi Amina
Day 1 workshop – go team Melbourne! so wish we were there……
I remembered that Patrick said he had 150 emails to reply to, and here’s hoping you don’t, so I’ve forwarded my email to you. Have looked up some free range/organic restaurants and sent links. DOC is Italian/pizza that we love but isn’t free range. Can’t vouch for the others but fingers crossed they’re like Peasants feast.
Basically just wanted to confirm dates so I can book Toronto flights. For us anytime fr 18/4 to 8/5 is good so if you just give me a couple of dates that work for you guys, I can fix up our end :)
talk soon!
xoxo
S”
maybe this hit me a little harder because i read the email as patrick was explaining the importance of getting to know your couples during his presentation this morning. but we didn’t ask serena and liang to look up restaurants for us in melbourne. they simply knew us well enough to know that we love organic fare, and they cared enough to send us an email with recommendations (2 days after their wedding mind you).
not only this. they are planing a trip to toronto this april so they can visit with us.
THIS. THIS is what drives us. people like this are what inspires us. but i feel like it is our involvement and participation in people’s lives (and not just their weddings) that allows for such rewarding payback.
here’s a little peek into last week’s evo. a big thanks to cinevate for being the coolest corporation we know and donating three uno DSLR rigs for our personal reflection competition on day two. after our shoot out tomorrow in melbourne, we will be able to debut all of the winning and runners up and we are so excited to share these very thoughtful, inspirational, and original pieces with everybody. so thank you cinevate for your continually supporting all of our educational endeavors.
Sunday, 14 February, 2010 - Posted in: photo, by amina
today, P. and i had a day to explore. it’s the first day since we arrived that we’ve had a chance to go out without any prior commitments and without having to be anywhere at any particular time.
we decided that it was about time to see a bit of nature. so we drove out to the blue mountains and visited the “three sisters”.
we stepped out of the car to find that the rain wasn’t about to stop. so we headed out with our mkIVs (thank goodness for weather sealing) to shoot a little photo and cinema.
well, i got a little grumpy. isn’t australia supposed to be sunny? IT RAINED THE WHOLE TIME! but then the amina in me kicked in and i started taking some photos that wouldn’t be possible without the rain. with our cameras dripping wet, we both hung out with our cameras, exchanging lenses, wrestling with a tiny umbrella, crossing our fingers that our gear would last the day (it survived with flying colours).
P. only had a monopod today but as soon as he saw the clouds flying between the mountains, he knew that he had to figure out a way to do a few time lapses. in true p fashion, he found a way. and although they’re cool, i think my photos turned out better, don’t you? :)
-amina
(it was so wet, my fingers were prunes by the time we finished shooting!)
the thing we love most about weddings is that we get to capture people as they are in a very unique time. we get a glimpse into not only who they are then, but also who they are as people – with their families, friends, and with each other.
the other day i received a phone call from a groom who is inquiring with us for his wedding. throughout our phone call we covered many topics, including the philosophy that governs the way that we shoot weddings. as an example of this, i asked him to take a look at a recent blog post, it’s the little things.
he sent me an email after seeing the blog post. here’s what he wrote:
From what I can tell, Liam’s a neat, level-headed guy that seems to have a decent control over his emotions but not so much that it keeps him from having fun. I say neat because of the focus on the watch, the cuff links and the concentration on his face as he ties his bow tie. The sequence of 9 shots at the bottom show that genuinely happy side of him…something not too over-the-top but just loose enough for you to know that he’s happy to be there with the love of his life. I’d also say that he’s a fan of symbolism and maybe Liz is too…considering the maps on the cuff links, their wedding date, the jewelry, the time on the watch, etc.
Maybe I was searching for it since you mentioned it, but Liz on the other hand definitely looks confident and looks like the kind of person that will make you happy with her laugh alone. She seems very energetic and that final 9 shot sequence shows a spectrum that goes from “really happy to be posing for this picture” (frame 1) to “hey this thing we’re talking about is pretty funny” (frame 4) to “oh right that part of the story really funny” (frames 6 and 7) to “I forgot how funny that was that I’m now starting to lose it a bit” (last frame). It’s really well captured and in many ways, arguably more meaningful than just having one pretty picture of the two of them. It’s the little things, as you said.
the fact that he was able to deduce so much about Liz and Liam from just 19 photos makes me really proud.
it’s finally here! with etiquette has launched! but what is it?
with etiquette is a music licensing house designed for independent artists and smaller labels to license their original music to wedding photography and cinematography studios!
Wednesday, 6 January, 2010 - Posted in: photo, by amina
i’m catching up on some editing today. it’s been a while – traveling, christmas, and busy-ness in general has kept me away from photoshop for a little bit.
ever since i started editing this shoot, i’ve been smiling. i just feel so much happiness in these images. here’s a little teaser that i had to post. more to come after angela and anthony come to see them all.
last night we drove up to midland, the small town up north where P grew up. after dinner, we went over to his grandma’s (gram’s) house to visit and to show her some of our wedding photos for the first time. after the show, she asked if we’d like to see her wedding album. here’s what she showed us.
every photo was in black and white with the exception of one (the fourth in this series). but it didn’t look like a normal colour photograph either. since colour photos were hard to come by back then, this was taken in black and white and manually “converted” to colour. in other words, someone painted in the colour.
the last photo i just had to share. for those who think patrick is pretty cute now, just look at him when he was 10!
