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.

Baby Blues: Lydia

Steve and I spent a lovely long weekend in Boston visiting our friends Dave and Katie and their now 10-month old daughter, Lydia. I admit it, Katie and I schemed to have some fun photographing Lydia while we visited, so here are a few of my favorites from our photo shoot.

One of the best things about infant photography is that it's an age when kids begin to become so expressive and all Mom or Dad has to do is make a silly face or say something to get those baby blues to light up. Laughter becomes contagious and I usually have a hard time keeping my camera steady once we get rolling. The other fun thing about photographing infants is that they're still small enough to put them on and in just about anything.

Wishes in the Well: Guest Books

Steve made us a wedding webpage when we got married back in the "good ol' days". We thought we were so ahead of our times by having an online RSVP on our website. People seemed to appreciate it, or at least that's what they told us. If only we had Facebook and Twitter, we could have done so much more! If you're addicted to Social Networking sites like Twitter (like me! Please stalk me @lzeidner), you'll understand why it peaked my interest.

I recently came across this post on The Knot's blog. According to the post, Dave and Chanelle signed up for a unique Twitter account and invited their guests to sign into the account and tweet throughout the event. Friends and family could leave well wishes and also provide live updates throughout the entire night. It sounds like a good way to invite guests to participate in a unique way. I can only imagine what some of it could look like:

I'm sure it was a smashing hit for Dave and Chanelle (unlike my convoluted imaginary tweets here). There's going to be a writeup in the Fall/Winter 2012 Ohio issue of The Knot, so I'll be looking it up to see what they thought of their Twitter guest book. Other creative ideas I've seen and thought up for individualized guest books:

• Thumbprint tree - you draw the trunk and branches, and your guests leave their inky thumbprints and names as the leaves.
• Photo book - Have your guests directly write in a book filled with your engagement photos. You can find these on Shutterfly.
• Favorite book - Even better, find a favorite picture book and have your guests sign that.
• Wine corks - Probably only enough room to write their names, but then you can keep your corks in a jar or mount them in a wine cork frame.
• Typewriter - Everyone loves a good, vintage typewriter these days. Have your guests type out a short message to you and your newly minted spouse.
• Cute cards - Have your guests write on pretty paper cards and later compile them into a scrapbook.
• Audio recorder - Leave a few .mp3 recorders around and have your guests tell you how much they love you. You can even leave a list of prompts and questions.
• iPad - Wary about an audio recorder? Have your guests leave video messages via iPad.

Phew! Now that my brain is a-rollin', I'm going to keep my camera handy at future weddings and will gather guest book ideas on Pinterest. You can follow my Wishes in the Well board and also feel free to send me (via Twitter!) any creative and unusual ideas you have. The more extraordinary the better, I say. Let's do it!

Sincerely,
Leigh

Everyone Is Videogenic

Dear Brides (and Grooms if you're reading),

Have you ever dreamed of being an actress (or actor for you guys)? I think I have at one point or another, but standing in front of the camera seems to freeze any natural expression I may have. More practice in front of the camera taught me that the key to looking your best on film is:

1. Feeling awesome
2. Having a fabulous videographer

Feeling Awesome. Most reasons to be in front of the camera stem from being awesome. And you are. It's your wedding day, it's to commemorate something at which you're very, very good (and being in love counts). This is your day and there is so much to enjoy. It's the fruit of your months of planning and endless dreaming and discussion. You have reason to be confident. Plus, I guarantee you that after a few minutes of being filmed, you'll resume feeling stunning and looking natural. You may even show off for the camera a little - a pretty little wave here or the batting of the eyes there. Go ahead and try it now. I'm not looking.

Having a fabulous videographer. I couldn't resist making this plug, but even if I'm not your videographer, I hope you experience this with whomever you do have create your wedding story for you. A fine videographer will help you feel comfortable in front of the camera and give you simple direction when needed until you reach that natural comfort level, and eventually, you'll forget the camera is even there. I'll have you primp a little, let his guys give him a hard time about this being his last day of freedom, let you and your groom whisper sweet nothings in each other's ears. You can even suggest things. I love when my couples get involved! I also sense when it's best to be invisible. Like that moment your dad comes to visit you where you're getting ready and then once you and your groom run out of the ceremony to relish those first few moments of "I can't believe we just got married!". I can be very, very sneaky. What it comes down to is this: do what comes naturally and a good videographer will get the flattering shots without you even knowing it.

So to answer a recent question from a client, there are no "non-photogenic" people. It's your day to shine and your videographer's job to make you look like your beautiful, shining self. I'm not sure how others have reached that level of comfort with their photographer or videographer, but when it's my turn in front of the camera, I imagine I'm all that (and then some) and settle for denial. Camera? What camera?

Sincerely,
Leigh