A little Lilly Experiment

Well, here's the surprise! A little "fusion" as some photographers call it ("fusion" is a blending of still and video production). It's nothing new (well, new to us), but I thought I would experiment. Hey, being an artist means pushing your boundaries and thinking outside the box sometimes. One of our new cameras has the ability to shoot video, so I thought, why not give it a try on a portrait session? It's not an original idea by any means. One of our friends and mentors, Tina Wilson, has been doing this for over a year. Other photographers have been doing it long before the advent of HD DSLRS. Me; I just felt like an experiment.

Enough jabber... check out the movie:

Lilly from Wes Hope on Vimeo.

So does this mean I want to become a videographer? No, not really. I'll readily admit I have no idea what I'm doing, but I'm having fun learning along the way. And boy, there's a lot to learn. This is by no means a perfectly shot or edited piece. But it's not bad for a first go (I don't think anyway). And I already know our clients love it. :)

Experimenting with video reminds me of my community college days back in the mid-90s when I had this itch to play with my parents' old Sears 35mm film camera. I dusted it off, checked out a book about photographing nature, and headed to the Smokies to play. I had no idea what I was doing, but by george, I had a blast figuring it out. Back then I had no idea I would end up as a photographer (oddly enough, I took a class in video production and editing back then and was thinking about a career in broadcasting) just like I have no idea where this will lead.

I've always had an interest in filmmaking. And maybe this will open new doors for me. I love documentaries and the old photojournalist in me loves to share peoples stories. Maybe this will be a new avenue for my storytelling. Will we shoot video at weddings? Maybe some day. Will we do this at every portrait session? Who knows?. Right now, I'm enjoying the learning process. And let me tell you brother, shooting video and editing is a whole other world from still photography. But the great thing is that they have roots in the same principles... light, emotions, and beautiful imagery.

A big thanks to Lilly's parents, Chris and Kristin for letting me play during their session! I've had this video done for a couple days now, but we didn't want to share this with the world until they say it first, which they did tonight. And they loved it!

Please leave us some feedback in the comment section below. We'd love to hear your thoughts on this experimentation. :)

Wes