justin recommended a movie to me not too long ago, right before the Y experience actually. i hadn’t had a chance to watch it until the past week when we had some time to relax a bit in seattle.
what i liked most about it is how it blurred the line between reality and dream. it’s a similar blur that drives our curiosity and creativity both on a personal and professional level. for me, it’s an analogy for the way i think about imagery, emotion, friendships, doing what i love, and a whole lot of other things.
and although there are many things that blur together for me, there are still a lot of things that don’t yet. but i think that the more i open my mind to this blur, the happier i become – if that makes any sense. maybe the trailer will help…
as many of you probably remember, last year over new year’s we flew down to negril, jamaica for tiff and ryan’s wedding. over the week that we were there, we grew close to their family, made some new friends, and rekindled old friendships with couples that we had shot in the past.
this year we have a similar pleasure. in two days, we are flying to jamaica, but this time to ocho rios for the wedding of serena and leonard. over the next week, we hope to grow close with their family and friends, and to celebrate their wedding in the warmth of the jamaican air!
one of the marks of the beginning of the trip is a sunset cruise on monday. serena, leonard, and their guests (about 90 people – pretty big for a destination wedding!) will celebrate the start of the adventure with an all-white affair on the golden waters surrounding ocho rios. we’ll, kick back, relax, and get to know some of the people we’ll be enjoying the week with.
the wedding itself is on rememberance day, which happens to fall on a wednesday this year. set to take place on the beach, the ceremony will include some indian traditions to incorporate a bit of serena’s background.
and being that leonard is originally from st. lucia, we take pretty warmly to him too. :)
it’s thursday. but it’s not just thursday to me. it’s the day after one of the most rewarding experiences of my life.
i’ve spent the last two days with a group of the most open, honest, and genuinely wonderful people i ever expected to share so much with.
over the last couple of days, justin and i hosted our first stillmotion workshop for professional photographers, an opportunity that forced us to truly introspect into our art, but more importantly, into ourselves. we wanted to share that experience with the photographers that were attending our workshop and from the connections we all seemed to make with each other, it seemed evident that everyone was moved in some way – including us.
hence the name, the workshop was much more about the why of photography than the how. but, in asking yourself “why”, you trigger so many more questions about yourself than you ever knew you had. this was the most incredible part of the workshop for me.
one of the main topics that was discussed was the process and personal commitment to creating meaningful images. on day two, we went out for a small shoot where we shot two of the attendees, mel and dave, who actually got married earlier this year. we had about 15 minutes of free shooting before we started into a bit of content. in these 15 minutes, i asked for the story of how the two of them met, and managed to create three images that represented that story in my eyes. what was amazing to me was how mel reacted when seeing the images for the first time. before she realized the meaning of the images, she probably noticed the photographic and esthetic qualities of the images, which is what most people see when they look at our blog or website. it’s only when she realized the deeper meaning in what she was looking at that the real emotions came. in the honesty of the moment, her tears inspired the photographers around her (including myself) to continue down the path that we are newly and constantly exploring.
i asked mel and dave if they would be willing to share their story with you all. they sent me two separate perspectives of their growing friendship and romance.
melanie:
When I met David, I was in the darkest period of my life. I was 28 and getting divorced. I was humiliated and felt so alone – I didn’t know anyone else who was separated. My friend, though a great listener had no idea how to relate to my situation. So, one morning while we were chatting, he handed the phone over to Dave in the hopes he could provide me with some insight since he’d just survived his own divorce. David was so sweet and supportive and told me I could call him anytime if I needed to chat. But everyone says that. He knew I’d never take him up on his offer so later that evening, he called me just to check in. From then on we were fast friends and confidants. We helped each other persevere and grew as people. Later, when I felt ready to resume real life, I remember a friend rolling her eyes when I said “I need to find someone like Dave”. I couldn’t see what was right in front of me. Finally it hit me – like a truck. David sees the real me. He is the light that took over once the darkness faded.
david:
I moved back to Sudbury after my divorce. My best friend, Shawn, wanted to support his close friend Mélanie through her divorce but was having difficulties relating to her situation. One morning when he was listening to Mel on the phone, Shawn asked me if I could talk to her since I had just gone through it myself and might have some advice. I agreed and he passed me the phone. I didn’t have any advice, but I understood her and that made a difference. When we were done talking I told her that she could call me anytime. I knew most people who say that don’t mean it and she would assume I was full of crap, so I called her that evening just to touch base and check on her.
At this point, Mélanie believed me and took advantage of my offer after that. Our friendship grew out of our honesty, a genuine desire to help each other through an experience no one else we knew could even understand, and a shared sense of adventure.
When I was ready to date again, I found myself wanting to find someone like Mel. Apparently, she felt the same way. We found our counterpart in each other. I couldn’t have trusted or loved anyone else as easily as Mélanie.
I have studied Journalism and English Literature, but I have never found a combination of words capable of describing the depth of my love for her. We are partners in everything, even learning how to live.
Amina, you might find this hard to believe but I\’m speechless. I\’m pretty much changed as a result of those few days. Great to meet everyone and plan on hearing back from me!
Aww, Amina, you are so awesome. I am so excited that Lovanna and Will had their engagement session with you and cannot wait to see the pictures that you produced for them. I know they adore you! :-)
Words cannot describe the enlightening two days spent with you, Justin, and the 10 other unexpectedly open and genuine photographers within the group. I am forever changed by the experience and saying thank you just simply isn\’t enough. Justin – I think you could captivate a crowd just by the simple act of flossing your teeth. :) Your humor and the intensity with which you express yourself is infectious. Amina – I wish I could see inside your mind. Your incredible talent is astounding and your willingness to share even more so. Jessica – you\’re a sweetheart. Thank you for all of your help. Looking forward to Fusion! :)
Amina – the tears are still flowing. This experience has turned our entire world upside down in the most wonderful ways. The changes have already begun and I am so inspired. Thank you for this.Also – thanks to both you and Justin for inspiring us to question EVERYTHING.
‘the gear doesn’t matter’ is quite the cliche. while i think it is certainly true to a good extent, there is much to be said for having tools, understanding how to use them, and what they can add to your story. i think we cold do great thinks with an iphone, but i do think a MKII or 7d makes our stories that much better, or at the very least makes them that much more attractive so that more people watch and see your story. to me, it all matters.
content is king, but we couldn’t do what we do without the tools we use.
While I\’m sure we\’ll all agree there\’s so much more to stillmotion than the gear, it\’s nice to be equipped with the right tools for the right shot. Your list has items that have been on my list for a long time and something tells me I\’ll be waiting for that FedEx truck next week :) Thanks for sharing P.
Just to be the devil\’s advocate, here\’s some good insight on gear- http://kenrockwell.com/tech/notcamera.htm Not to bash you Patrick- because I know you get it- but I wish more people understood what Ken is saying…
so, a few things have changed since the Y experience was first announced. but the biggest change is justin.
since justin is now a part of stillmotion, he won’t just be guest speaking at the workshop – he’ll be co-hosting it with me! we think that this union is going to bring so many good things to stillmotion in general but also bring our workshop to a whole new level!
so, we are inviting a couple more attendees to fill out the group.
this has got to be one of the best exclusive offerings to date. we have partnered up with steadicam for them to put on a couple of their workshops right around the evolution experience, in the stillmotion studio. for 2 days per workshop we will have peter abraham (a certified steadicam op) who has shot on such films as malcom X (and many more). not only will you get to learn everything from the fundamentals to advanced techniques, but you will also get to do it inside the walls of stillmotion. we are very excited to be able to offer and share this with you, and tie the date into the evolution experience, so those attending both can apply what they learn right away.
in each workshop we will be taking on a minimum of 6 people and a maximum of 9. which means you have to hurry up and call the studio to get your spot reserved!!!
we ask for the full price of $550 US upfront to secure a spot. you can reach me at the studio monday to friday at 647-477-5308 or 213-596-0885 or even better: jessica@stillmotion.ca
stillmotion + steadicam will provide you with all the gear you need. breakfast/lunch will also be provided.
choose to join us either october 25th + 26th. 09′ or march 21st + 22nd, ‘10.
don’t miss out on this amazing opportunity! this is going to be so cool that i will be getting into one of them myself to see what i can do with a steadicam :) just you wait. i’m going to show the boys how it’s really done!
Hey, I read a lot of blogs on a daily basis and for the most part, people lack substance but, I just wanted to make a quick comment to say GREAT blog!…..I”ll be checking in on a regularly now….Keep up the good work! :)
Jessica – Lord-willing …. I would love to come in March!! After watching your clips … I am so ready. :) Would love more info …. where in Canada are you guys? Stan
the rant // when i write this under ‘the rant’, i REALLY mean this is a rant. if only you could hear me tell this story in person. then, you would fully understand how much i am ranting….
i was the last to fly out from thunder bay. my flight ended up being 2 hours delayed, which made it 11:30 pm. well, better then it being canceled, which is what they told me was happening in the beginning. i finally boarded the plane and got seated beside a very kind, very talkative, older man who had breath that could make me drunk in 5 minutes. yuck!
when i landed, i ran off to grab a taxi, get to my car and go home. the taxi driver that was standing there told me that it would be a 30 dollar flat rate, but i needed to grab some cash from inside. when i got back outside, i jumped into a cab that was from the same company as the other one. except that this guy was trying to charge me a much higher price. so, i explained to him what the other guy told me and he turned around to yell, ‘CALM DOWN, GIVE ME A BREAK, LADY!’ ….not quite sure why he got so upset so fast.
he proceeded to FLY down the highway at 160 km/hr, weaving in and out of traffic. i thought it was all over when we were getting off that highway but then i experienced a ride of illegal turns and running red lights. FINALLY! we were back. he SLAMMED the door as he got out. i got out of the car to find him THROWING my luggage across the parking lot. literally THROWING it, in different directions.
i handed him 40 dollars, and told him that i expect 10 dollars in return. i mean, he couldn’t possibly think that i was going to tip him! he didn’t hand me my change back. HE THREW IT IN MY FACE!
“sir, you are very rude.” i was alone, 3 am at the studio, with a crazy cab driver. i left it at that.
the random // i was giving amina a hand by going through all the emails she needed to reply to and answering any questions that i could handle for her. i clicked on an email that was from ‘flight school.’ what’s this?
Dear Amina,
Thank you for your interest in National Helicopters. Please find attached our full information package to this message which outlines our courses and their costs, plus a lot of other useful information. If you have any questions give us a call. I encourage you to book an appointment any time and we’ll show you around our operation here and take you up on our Discovery flight.
very interesting. “amina, are you learning how to fly?” i couldn’t beleive my ears when she told me that it took her almost 4 hours to get to aaron + jess’ wedding a couple weekends ago and while she was stuck in traffic on the way there and the way back, she thought “this wouldn’t happen if i had a helicopter!” and so, away she went on her research! don’t be surprised if she lands at the next wedding in her own personal helicopter. hey! she’ll be on time, that’s for sure!
the real // only in my dreams could i imagine getting married in a REAL castle at the top of a hill in new york. then, to end the night, turn the reception into a modern club-like party. i had the pleasure of meeting the couple who will get this experience in early november, mike + chrystalle. a couple weeks ago they flew to toronto to have lunch with us, and to explore the city. we were having some small chit-chat, before heading out when chrystalle said something so casually, that it really caught my attention. i honestly don’t remember what she was telling us, but right in the middle of it she said “you know, pre-sm.” which is something that she says if her story occurred before she found stillmotion. now, whenever i tell stories that occurred before december 01, 2008 i say “you know, pre-sm.”
we sat down for lunch and as patrick and i were listening to all their amazing ideas about the day, patrick got really excited (and when i say excited, i mean EXCITED) about an idea that came to mind. this meant a ’slight’ price increase of their collection and would involve the whole cinema team to pull it off. it didn’t take much convincing until mike + chrystalle fell in love with the idea too. fall is my favourite season and now i am especially looking forward to this one. i don’t think i’m allowed to share the idea, but hopefully that’s what makes you come back for more! :)
the funny // it was sad to say goodbye to the smart car this week. it was fun while it lasted but it just couldn’t keep up with us. patrick ranted about how amazing the mochaccino’s were at the dealership and that i HAD to try one. so, while we waited we went straight for the machine. he already had a coffee in his hand so, being an environmentally friendly guy, he thought he would just pour out his coffee in the sink and use the same cup. what he didn’t know was that they were having some work done on the sink that day and didn’t actually have any pipping hooked up. it was just a sink sitting there. he poured his coffee out and it went EVERYWHERE. he looked at me with such a confused look on his face. then we started to laugh, but it was the type of laugh that you try and hold in so no one knows you’re laughing. then it all of a sudden seems a lot funnier then it actually is. kind of like when you’re in class, at school, when your friend does something silly and it seems impossible to keep quite during the lecture. good mochaccino’s though.
glad you’re safe jess! what a mean person! and you guys always keep us on the edge of our seats waiting to see all the exciting stuff that gets you all excited! can you imagine what it does to us? :-) and maybe we’ll be seeing you guys flying in on a personal jet next may! :-)
Eek, sorry to hear about the nasty cab driver Jess – I’m glad you at least got back safely. I can’t imagine anyone turning down one of Patrick’s amazing ideas and am excited to see what the guys have in store for the ny wedding in november :) Mmm…now off to make some iced coffee.
stillmotion is a family. we’ve always felt that way, both on a personal and professional level.
we are always sharing with each other. when one team has an idea, it doesn’t just stay within the cinema or photo team, it gets shared with everyone. this means growth. this means refinement. this means that no matter what, that idea is going to be better as a result of it passing through so many creatives.
for me, personally, it means that i get a lot of different perspectives. it means that i can talk to the cinema team and learn from incredible people that have the same passion for creating fascinating imagery, but have a very different medium in which to create it.
for them, it means the same. they can pass ideas through me, share something they are proud of, and get back something that is so much more than what it was before.
however, there is something they have that i do not. each other.
they are a collective of world class cinematographers who are constantly working together, whether in shooting, editing, brainstorming, critiquing, or educating. they are always building on each other. as individuals, they are all fabulous, but together, their creativity, drive, and focus is immeasurable.
i, on the other hand, don’t have another photographer that i can grow with. i don’t have someone that can constantly push me. until now.
and so, with the collective good in mind, we have made an addition to our little family.
justin demers.
justin is an internationally renowned artist whose photography reveals the truth in people. his vision is unlike that of any other photographer, his work is distinctive and fun, and his principles and ideas are going to allow the stillmotion photo team, and the entire stillmotion family to grow in ways previously unimaginable.
we believe that the combination of his and my perspectives will create something that is far beyond what either of us can do separately, and we cannot wait to share it with you.
INSPIRED BY // you
EXCITED BY // good design
GROOVING TO // beirut, loney dear, coeur de pirate, nada surf
PAST LIFE // a bird
DEATHLY AFRAID // flight
LIFE LOVE // exploring canada
WEDDING LOVE // happy people
we are so excited about the images from the first wedding we shot together. we’ve been editing the last few days and will be ready to share some photos with you on wednesday. see you then!
Okay, I’ve honestly sat here sobbing for the past two hours. I can’t tear myself away from your videos. I’m not sure if it’s the beautiful expressions of love that you’ve captured, or my fiscal inability to fly you to the states for my wedding, but I’m honestly sobbing. Thank you for this site. You have renewed my excitement for weddings that sometimes gets blurred under all the hard work they entail. If you ever get tired of Canada, come see me…:)
Thanks,
Annie, the bride and the brides’ planner…
awesome! i was first exposed to justin’s work when i saw his photos of amina and patrick. how amazing is it to work together with one goal in mind–challenging each other while producing amazing images– you guys are going to rock the world of photography!
Absolutely nothing but massive congratulations to you both – I know how important it can be to surround yourself with inspired individuals who understand your craft. I can’t wait to see what the future holds for the still side of stillmotion.
i think you hit it right on the money. sharing and collaboration is huge in making leaps forward and you guys aren’t afraid to take those steps. looking forward to seeing justin’s work – love that shot with the tires and of course, the firebreathing groom :)
does this have something to do with the yellow recycle teaser film? maybe Coldplay is stopping by for a StillMotion studio concert during the October evolution experience? enquiring minds want to know!!!
I saw the film! I like how weird it is..but it still makes sense.