A Family of Superheroes: Baby Marlow

What I've learned from being involved in a family shoot, with a family and photographer that have history together, is the value of patience. For my new mothers out there wanting newborn photos, feel free to take breaks to soothe or feed your little one. For parents of young children, it's okay if we take breaks to play. As videographers and photographers, we're there to capture moments, and we'll take the time needed to let everyone settle in to having us around. What's most important is that your family (and you!) feel most at home and comfortable.

For something new, I was able to travel along with photographer January Newbanks as she took photos of Baby Marlow and her family. Mom and Dad, Brit and Brandon, have four great kids now and so this short film focuses not only on the newest addition, but also shows the value of siblings. Reese, Emerson, and Foster are all so different from each other and it's only a short matter of time before Marlow's own little personality begins to shine as well.

Bottles and Balloons: Evie Turns One

Here's what I love about children: they just can't help but be themselves. These smiles are genuine and these quirky little faces are all their own. What I also love about children is their parents. How, in a fraction of a second, they're there to help you walk over the back of a chair because it looks like fun to you. How mom and dad are there to hold you so you forget all you really wanted to do was jump in the pond and swim with the ducks.

This is what I loved about my time with Evie and her mom and dad, Kristin and Colin. Sure, there were balloons and the most awesome smash cupcake you can imagine, but it's finding these little natural moments within it all that really, really make it for me. Like the "I'm such a movie start" moment, or the "I'm so proud of myself" moment. Photographing children is a neat reminder that even though you're an adult, you can still enjoy the small things in life. Like a child. Next time you put on your oversized sunglasses, you can have your own "I'm such a movie star" moment too!

Featurette: Jason and Yolanda

I had the pleasure of working in tandem with Todd Seimer Photography for Jason and Yolanda's wedding. We both met with the family a few times prior to the wedding and instantly felt connected to them. The special cog in this wheel is Yolanda's son, Jordan. All three of them already function as a family and the looks captured as Yolanda is ready to walk down the aisle say as much. When I came across these shots in the editing room, it took my breath away. Without even knowing what each other was doing, both Jordan and Jason had private glances at each other. These glances said to me that they were more than ready to become family on this day:



My heartiest of congratulations to this little family! Your friends and family are all testimony to the care you have for each other.

36,000 Pictures

Did you know that's about how many individual pictures make up your wedding video?

On average, your wedding film has a running time of 25 minutes. The camera creates 24 individual frames per second. That makes for 36,000 individual pictures when you crunch the numbers (and I love numbers, even though I'll never admit it to my high school math teacher). String all the individual images together over the course of seconds and minutes, and Voilà! You get an idea for where the phrase "moving pictures" came from.

In a few second clip, say about 250 pictures worth, of your groom seeing you for the first time, how do you know when exactly that winning moment is? When your dad tears up as he's dancing with you and listening to the song that says (play it while you continue reading; it'll change your life):

"Where are you going my little one, little one?
Little pigtails and petticoats, where have you gone?
Turn around and you're tiny, turn around and you're grown
Turn around and you're a young wife with babes of your own

Turn around, turn around
Turn around and you're a young wife"

Words like that make you tear up a little yourself, right? I know I did. You can see in the still frame how Allie's dad is clinging to her. How he's squeezing her as he remembers Allie as that little girl. How he's squeezing his eyes shut as the reality hits home that his little girl is now Jeremy's wife.

How do you find that one picture, among hundreds of thousands that tells the story? That's where I come in and also where I love spending most of my time. About 60 hours gives me the time to scan through these myriads of frames to find those magical fractions of seconds that shows just what your story needs. The key is seeing it and hearing it as your eyes and heart are drawn to that specific, touching moment. That's what creates the emotion you feel when you watch your film.

That's what I live for in making these stories. I want you to see the same moments that bring you to tears in the same way I experience them (and I do my fair share of tearing up whether seeing these individual moments for the first or hundredth time). I can't express how much it means for us to have the same from our wedding day. To remember the words we said to each other. To remember my grandparents replacing my garter on grandma since we now share the same anniversary. Oh, how embarrassed (in a good way!) she was. And I love it and smile when I think of it! I'm sure you have those moments you want to remember too.