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Hopkins Heirloom from Northernlight Filmworks on Vimeo.

PRESS PLAY AND THEN PAUSE TO ALLOW VIDEO TO LOAD THEN PRESS PLAY FOR OPTIMAL EXPERIENCE.

I remember as a child sitting and talking with my Grandmother and listening to her stories and just observing how she lived her life. It wasn’t until I was a grown adult that I realized the impact that she had on my life from her influence on my faith to her value of hard work and education.

It has been 1yr ago that my wife Jennifer lost her Grandfather to cancer. We had talked about sitting with her Grandparents to do something similar to this but the door had closed on that opportunity. But it did remind us how important it is to not only rely upon memories but to somehow memorialize the people that have shaped and molded you into who you are. Life moves on and sometimes we have to observe it in our rearview mirror only to realize that moments no matter how insignificant at the time mean so much in the present. After you watch this short video, think about those that are important in your life, spend some time with them. Soak it all in.

Our Heirloom sessions have been a joint effort between our studio and Carpenter Photography and Design. These sessions are about telling a story, no matter the length of the video. It is an un-hurried session capturing images and video. I enjoy capturing the authentic moments in between photos because this is where you get those little soundbites and the interraction between people. Sometimes we ask questions and other times we just let things play out. Mel Carpenter and I seem to have this certain chemistry where she knows some of the questions to ask and we just play on that like it’s a dance.

The Hopkins family shoot was a true joy to film. We had promoted this session and had asked people to submit their story as to why they would be a great candidate for this Heirloom session. We remembered that one of the Grandchildren, Serena had wrote to us. It was more about a focus on her Grandparents than it was her. We thought this was important because it caused us to then reflect on the dynamics of how these sessions evolve. In this case it was a focus on the Grandparents.

We sat down with the Grandchildren to get their take on how Grandma and Grandpa impacted their lives and continue to have an influence on their lives. This short video doesn’t tell their whole story but it does shed some light on their character and personality. It was never about material things, it was as simple as spending a little time here and there that mean the most.

Feel free to comment and share with us who has impacted your life.

Below was the lovely message we received from Serena.

“I know you can’t see me right now, but I’m in tears. It’s a beautiful representation of a beautiful love, truly the greatest of all heirlooms I could ask for. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. ”

What is it about art, movies, documentaries, novel’s and images that seem to grab you and pull you in? Is it the imagery? Composition? Framing? Structure? Content? Music score? It’s probably a cohesive mix of all of these elements.

At Northernlight Filmworks we have been delving more and more into the wedding day story. For 2010, we are going to continue with our search for the story. We believe that everyone has something to share. Something that explains a unique aspect of a couples relationship. Often times it is stories of how they met, how the Groom proposed or the first time that the words “I Love You” materialized into a pivotal moment of their relationship.

Interacting with the couple, we learn about the significant parts of their lives. We learn about their goals, hopes and dreams. We love knowing about the couple, their family, and their friends. Their wedding day, in turn, becomes more meaningful to us. Stories and personalities add texture and enhance our wedding films. Our couples are more than clients to us. They are friends who for a brief moment in time, allow us into a very intimate part of their life. You are not going to find us aggressively asking people to say something on camera. We tend to take a very laid back candid approach. If we sense a discomfort then it is not something that is authentic for that individual. From experience, we learn to identify when to get the footage we need. Often we hear clients say, “we never even knew you were there”. That’s they way we want it because we want what is real.

Have you every started watching a documentary and you notice the footage is a little rough around the edges? As the characters in the documentary are introduced you find that you are drawn into the subject matter and there is a transition where the imagery becomes secondary to the content. We still believe that beautiful images play an important role but content can be equally and many times more powerful than the cinematography. We like to find a great balance between the two.

We are very excited about the weddings we have for 2010, it’s going to be a fun year.