I’ve spent the last 6, maybe 9 months trying to come up with something new. Something extra, something a little different, something that would complement my style of documentary wedding photography. Then I had a brain wave – silent, black & white, stop-motion, wedding movies! It’s not a catchy title, I know but it is pretty self explanatory.
As with all the best plans, the idea was simple. I’d use all the photographs I take during a wedding day and create a fast paced stop-motion film from them. They really are “Raw, Dirty & Uncut” but that’s what I like that about them. They’re not meant to be a glossy, slideshow set to romantic twinkling music.
They are rough around the edges. To edit each image individually would take months, so I have to batch process them – something I’d never do with a wedding photograph.
My photography comes first and always will. These wedding films are a little bit like getting scraps from the chippy – they’re a by-product, but a delicious one.
When I’m documenting a wedding, my aim is to tell the story of your day. That means that I need to react to situations and anticipate scenes before they unfold. Not every photo I take is awesome, some aren’t even good. But in a weird turn of events, I think it’s actually the over exposed, the out of focus and misfires that make these Silent Wedding Movies so charming. Oh and there will be at least one photo of my feet – it’s just something I seem to do. Anyway, these films are a perfect example of the whole being greater than the sum of its parts. I’m sure there are photos in there even my Mum would struggle to like. But it doesn’t matter, it’s there for a split second before a better one comes along, and it gives context, and life, and movement and… it becomes something more.
Although it’s been months in the making, this is actually a very new idea and one I’ve only shared with a few people… So here’s a short trailer for you to get the idea. Follow this link if you’d like to see a whole Silent Wedding Movie