One of the best things about being a wedding photographer has to be some of the amazing and emotional feedback that you receive from your bride and groom and their family and friends. Kind words are always humbling and very much appreciated and they provide you with a reminder of just how important capturing the moments and telling the story of a wedding day is to any couple. As I developed my photo-film product and started posting examples on my web site and facebook page I noticed that the comments started to change. The emotional response moved up a gear as viewers responded to the fusion of photographs, video and audio with expressions which included '..being moved to tears..'
I began to realise that there is something to this multimedia wedding album which went beyond the purely practical benefits of being able to share your wedding day both here and abroad via social media for example. This really was something special which couples can treasure and look back on for years to come. However at the time I didn't have a name for my product and I certainly wouldn't claim to have invented this concept, indeed terms such as 'fusion videos' could be found throughout the internet. But for me this was still very much a photography product first and foremost with added emotional layers of film and audio.
While conducting research online I came across a link for documentary wedding photographer and former Radio 1 presenter Neale James the home of the 'Original Photo-Film' That was it! The term Photo-Film encapsulates the product perfectly especially as the term 'photo' appears first. For me this is important, as much as I am passionate about producing this fusion of visual and audio content the photographs still have to speak for themselves. The images alone must tell the story of the wedding day, capturing moments, emotions, the smiles and the tears, the photo-film element will enhance this collection of images however the foundation of good photography should always be in place. I don't know Neale's view on this however I would suggest that a quick survey of his images backs up my theory. His images are simply stunning and his photo-films are outstanding an inspiration for me to learn from and a standard for me to aim for.
I have endeavoured to add my 'own style' to my photo-films and no doubt they will evolve over time, factors such as the couple themselves, the style and location of a wedding will all play a part in the final product. The one thing which I hope to achieve with all of my photo-films is an emotional story for every couple to treasure and enjoy ... or as one groom wrote on his facebook page '.. How to make a grown man cry! Show him this ..'
For more details about Photo-Films visit: www.paulkytephotography.com