city library

Have I told you lately how in love I am with creating little films?

It all started back in 2012 when I made this film of my experience at Squam. I put it together on a whim because I wanted to do something different with my photos and since I had taken some video I thought I would give it a go. I loved it. I absolutely loved the whole process of finding the photos/footage, to choosing the music to set the mood, and compiling it all to tell a story in a whole new way.

After that experience I was hooked. I had felt stagnant for far too long and it was helping to push me forward and get me out of my comfort zone. It challenged me creatively and was exactly what I was craving.

It was probably good I was too excited to actually think about all that was involved in learning this new skill. I mean, I knew nothing about film except how to hit record (who am I kidding, I still don't know much) so I didn't really think about the massive learning curve, but I was determined.

So as I share this latest film I shot in February and started working on just before we moved, I thought I would share just a little about what I've learned so far (still have a long long way to go) on my journey to creating films.



01) switching my brain
I think in terms of photographs. I always have. I walk around town or in my home and I picture life in still frames, attempting to capture that one perfect moment from the scene. I have found, at least for me, video to be quite a different beast, which is why I wanted to tackle it in the first place. So my first obstacle was to switch my brain from thinking in terms of photographs or still moments, to video footage or moments with movement. It was actually a lot more challenging than I thought. They are similar in nature, but they are quite different in execution.

02) remembering to take the video
Remembering to take the video was my second obstacle. You'd think it would be the easiest, but it was almost one of the hardest. Because I thought only in photographs, I'd simply get so caught up in what I was shooting that I would forget to capture video, which meant I didn't have the footage I needed so I ended up making more slide show type films (most of these never got finished), but I wanted to make them so I would learn about putting a story together.

03) stop motion
Xanthe Berkeley's Time Capsules taught me you can make a lovely film even without video footage. Instead of capturing video just shoot a ton of photos one right after another (rapidfire) and when you put them all together it almost looks like video, but with its own special flair. I love the way it looks. This is my first stop motion film. It's rough and has a lot of flaws, but it served it's purpose by teaching me a great deal.

04) storyboarding
When I shoot photographs I don't think about it. I just go out and shoot and take the pictures that stand out to me. It's not until I'm home looking through and editing my photos that the story emerges. I don't have to find it or think about it, it just comes on it's own in one shot. It wasn't always like that, but it is now. Well, unfortunately I don't find that to be the case with video. When I first started capturing videos I would choose random things I thought would be good, but often times when I got home I realized I didn't have the footage I wanted or needed to tell the story I found in my photographs. Realizing I had to put more work into this, I started approaching my project with a story already in mind, that way it would help me capture the footage I thought would be best to tell that particular story. Again, something I had to learn to do ahead of time, begin with the end in mind.

05) learning the software
I actually love learning new software. In fact, it's almost a hobby of mine. I don't watch TV any more, instead I spend that time, no kidding, watching online videos on how to learn software. I use the services from lynda.com so I have a plethora of options to choose from. Sometimes I even watch videos on software I don't even own just because. Yeah, I know I'm a dork. Anyway, back to my narrative. There are a lot of choices out there for editing video and I've tried a few except for the mac only ones, which by the way i would love to try. I decided on Premiere Pro and man what a beast it is when you first get started, but once you get the hang of it and understand a little how it's set up and how it works it's really not so bad. I picked it up pretty quickly just from my experiences with other Adobe software, although pretty quickly still put a wrench in my learning curve and has slowed down my process.

06) time
Anything worth anything takes time, right? And so it is with film. I think this is the biggest lesson I've learned so far because I totally underestimated the amount of time it would take to not only go through my photos and edit them, but scanning through hours of video footage to find just the right clip I was looking for. It's time consuming. Really time consuming, and then putting it all together takes even more time. Don't get me wrong, I'm not complaining. I actually love the process, however, this is my excuse for why I have far too much footage on my computer just waiting to get used. TIME. I need more of it. How about you?

Have you ever thought of making films with your photographs?

Happy Friday! Have an excellent weekend friends.
xo

old photographs

Yesterday afternoon I was looking for something in my attic and ended up going through boxes of old photographs. I was up there for a good hour before I decided to bring the boxes down an make an afternoon of it. It's crazy how with each photograph I could picture where I was, who I was with, and the time in my life the photo was taken. As the flood of memories came back it was strange for me to recall each moment and wonder, was that really my life, did I do all of those things? It just seems like so much time as past between now and then.

While looking through the boxes one of the last prints I found was this...


[Washington DC December 1995, left to right: Randy, Jill, Robyn, Lori, me, and Adam]

I had forgotten how much I loved this picture until I saw it again. Not only do I love the composition (I'm not sure who took it, Jill was it a stranger?), but I enjoyed the day we spent in Washington DC and the trip I took to Maryland to visit Adam over our Christmas vacation in 1995.

I don't have all the details, I mean I can't even remember who took it, but I love how an old photograph can help you remember the days and help fill in the missing blanks. If you look closely there really is a lot of things in a photograph that can jog your memory.

1. I remember how smitten I was with Adam and how I was anticipating our 6 month separation while I would be in Jerusalem. I did not want to leave him behind.

2. I'm reminded again how much I loved his long hair.

3. I hated my hair then as I still do today. Sad, but true.

4. I remember walking a lot, it being on the cooler side (nice for a December day), going to the Van Gogh Vermeer exhibit (thanks Jill for the clarification), and eating at Planet Hollywood.

4. I think it's interesting I'm the only one not carrying a bag. I like to think my stuff was in Adam's bag, but the truth of the matter is I never bought anything. I've never been a big shopper and still have the hardest time spending money...well, that is unless I really really want it.

5. Adam and I laughed last night as we realized we just recently gave to Goodwill my shoes and his shirt (we had stop wearing it). I guess you could say I keep things for far too long. I am working on it and getting better.

6. I can see I'm wearing the necklace Adam gave me. It was made of clay with beads by a woman in Mexico. It was very rustic and charming, and well, I loved it even more since he gave it to me. I use to wear it everyday...just like the Celtic charm I wear today (remember this).

I'm so glad I stumbled upon my old box of photographs yesterday. I enjoyed what it led me to remember and I look forward to the other stories I'll uncover as I continue to search through my stash of old photos.

-What do you do with all your old photographs? I want to get mine out of the box once and for all..

seven

This is what seven years looks like....

2002




2003


2004






2005


2006


2007


2008


2009




Happy Birthday sweet Tess!! I love you to pieces.

she's nine.

[few months old spring 2000]

I remember the day she was born.
I remember I didn't sleep very well in anticipation of getting a call from the dr.
I remember being terrified not knowing what to expect...delivery and becoming a mother.
I remember when they put this tiny person on my stomach for the first time, I was amazed she was mine.


[spring 2001]

I remember this shy little girl who didn't want to leave my side.
I remember her crying a lot.
I remember her first word was "du" aka "dude".
I remember learning this new life together.


[fall 2001, photo by Jill]

I remember her teddy bear never left her side.
I remember how much she loved winnie the pooh.
I remember reading "Goodnight Moon" and "Will You Still Love Me" over and over again.
I remember she knew the alphabet by name by 18 months.
I remember not knowing that was early.


[birthday 2003]

I remember at 3 her hair was finally filling in.
I remember 3 was the age she tried going down the slide for the first time.
I remember all she ate was peanut butter and honey sandwiches.
I remember my mom was the one who finally got her potty trained.
I remember how much she loved Blues Clues.
I remember how much she disliked swimming.


[spring 2004]

I remember everything she did was so methodical.
I remember wondering if she was autistic (I was not the only one).
I remember getting her tested and was relieved when they told me she wasn't even on the spectrum.
I remember her reciting movies after only seeing them once.


[fall 2004]

I remember how sad she was to leave her sisters and go to kindergarten.
I remember how hard it was for me to watch her walk into the big world without me.
I remember witnessing her blossom into the bright chatty little girl I know today.
I remember how picky she was about food.
I remember how she loved to communicate with notes. Still does.


[june 2005]

I remember she's always being keenly aware of her emotions and how she's feeling.
I remember how she needed time to herself.
I remember how much her look changed when she got her big teeth.
I remember how much she loved hello kitty.


[fall 2006]

I remember how beautifully she sang in church last year and how amazed I was by her voice.
I remember watching her fears recede as her prayers where answered.
I remember each of her stuffed animals and how important they are to her.


[birthday 2007]

She has the most beautiful uniquely gray eyes.
She's one of the most generous people I know. She told me recently she stayed in from recess to help a friend clean up his desk. When I asked her about it she said, "I'm always willing to help when I can."
She enjoys being funny.
She loves reading.
She love hamburgers and really wants to try 5guys.
She watches shows like Everyday Italian and Nova by choice.
She loves animals and wants to be a vet.


[Sept 2008]

She will talk your ear off if you let her.
She loves to write and makes up stories. Her teacher expects her to be the next Judy Blume. (can you imagine a writer coming from me?...go Bella).
She has the biggest heart and will do anything for her sisters.
She soaks up everything she hears.
She has a strong testimony of Jesus Christ.
She finally wants to learn to ride a bike so she can ride to school and save the earth by not driving so much. (her words).
She is dying to see the Disney Earth movie coming out next month.



She loves music and dance.
She loves the song Mr. Roboto.
She loves getting a compliment.
She is beautiful in every way imaginable and at times I can't believe she's mine. Actually, I'm keenly aware that she's mine for a reason and thank God she was brought to our family.
She teaches me a lot about life.
She loves with her whole heart and I do believe she sees people from the inside out.

Happy Birthday my sweet Bella! I hope this year will better than the last and that your dreams will continue to come true.

flashback friday

I've decided since most of my photos from my film days are stored in boxes and rarely visited, if ever, that I needed to occasionally put them on my blog so in the years to come they will be remember with all the digital photos because let's face it, those photos will never get scrapbooked and I don't want to see them get lost in the past.


[Bella and Tess spring 2004]

I don't remember a lot about this day, but I do remember Tess wanting pig tails and after the struggle I went through to do them for her I knew it was something I had document (Poor Tess has always had to fight her hair growth. I've never ever cut her bangs...they just don't grow.)

This makes me unbelievably happy to see. I'm actually really looking forward to searching through my boxes and finding treasures from the past so i hope you don't mind me sharing them. What do you do with all your old photos?

old photo

Since my HD filled up I've been looking through all my photos yet again figuring out what can be dumped. I happen to come across this one.



I'm not sure what it is, but I love this shot of us. I don't know whose taking it, Jill maybe, what we are doing, or what I'm smiling at, and I may never find the answers to that, but in this photo I see so much...I see the beginning of us.

It's funny what emotions are brought back by such a simple shot. The good times we had and the bad, the experiences shared. It's a good feeling to look back at us and see just how far we've come together, all the stuff we went through early on, how we fought to stay afloat in so many ways. How through love, understanding, faith, willingness, hope, and determination we find ourselves where we are today...happy, in love, and grateful for our commitment to us.

There is not a day that goes by I am not utterly grateful for this man. Grateful for our journey together and what we've taught each other. Grateful he will laugh about my quirks. Grateful for his patients and how he loves me with his whole heart. Grateful to know he will do everything he can to make my dreams come true. Yesterday I found this note in my studio waiting for me with some art supplies.


I cried as I realized, yet again, I've got everything I ever wanted...him.

I'm not sure, no, I know that I'm not deserving of him, but I am determined to give him back all that he has given me so he too can see his dreams come true.