what’s this, a photographer promo without a camera or shooting ?!? preposterous.

as with our wedding films, the idea behind this promo was to capture the unique essence of justin and mary. when we got right down to it, that didn’t involve them actually shooting. rather, it was more about what inspires their shooting. the writing of the VO also ties in so well into who mary is (just read their blog and you will understand, i keep telling her she should be writing books not blog posts).

i love the contrast of the scenes shot in HD and the super 8. to me, this contrast really conveys the contrast in their personalities. at times they are very outgoing, quirky, and quite silly. yet at others they are very quiet and romantic. by filming the same scene in the two different formats, we attempted to convey those two sides to the same couple.

thanks to justin and mary for being so open and trusting throughout the process. they are both such amazing people and they sure made it tough to leave new haven, CT.

check out their site here: justinmarantz.com/

music by amy seeley ’surprisingly so’ licensed at with etiquette.

thanks for watching.

P.

on the second day of the workshop we had a set of shooting challenges. we had groups of five and roughly 2.5 hour rotations between the challenges. one challenge was to create a 30 second commercial, the other was a 90 second film about the couple, and the last was a self-reflection piece. the behind the scenes are moments from all the different challenges.

we are working with cinevate to debut a gallery of all of the winning clips across the three workshops. we have been so inspired with what everybody was able to come up with and we can’t wait to share it with all of you.

P.

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.

-amina

with that konrad has decided to go down a new path and pursue his own studio. we are both saddened to lose such a great friend, and so very happy for the bright future that lies ahead for the one we call krazy with a k.

for stillmotion this also means a new path will be created. we are very excited for what lies ahead and in the coming weeks we will have some exciting things to share about the future of SM.

thank you konrad for your passion, devotion, and commitment to always being a better shooter, editor, educator, and father.

- P. and the rest of the stillmotion family

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!

-amina

when most couples would exchange gifts on the wedding day, they created them together in the same room. a mixed CD they filled with songs that meant something throughout their relationship. for their first meeting, liang brought the surprises, and serena helped with directions (which is often the case with these two).

as models for our evo australia one and two, we got to spend so much time with both of them and it was such a treat to get to know them both so personally before the big day. having them be around for so much of the workshop also gave them a completely different insight into what we do and the process behind it and from what we’ve heard, that also brought a whole new level of meaning to their film.

amina will be sharing her story of their day shortly.

the soundtrack is ‘i want to belong to you’, used with permission from katie herzig.
www.katieherzig.com
iTunes

P.

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.

DOC
Drummond St Carlton 3053. VIC (03) 9347 2998

http://www.bestrestaurants.com.au/restaurants/VIC-Melbourne-chocolatebuddha.aspx

http://www.bestrestaurants.com.au/restaurants/VIC-Melbourne-bcoz.aspx

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.

-amina

with that, i wanted to share a behind the scenes film from the first evo. experience here in sydney. we had such a great time, made some awesome friends, and are so inspired to get back out there and shoot.

P.

1. shannon and jay  (it’s impossible for them not to smile, which then made us smile, which then made them smile more, and on and on)

2. jordan (jay’s daugther, and lover of all things pink)

3. a break mid day to sit down together and enjoy a delicious lunch at the local cafe (see below)

- justin

- justin