Last year I began talking with MacKenzie and Philip, the insanely talented husband-wife duo behind Inkspot Crow Films, about doing a branding film for Cuppa! I knew that I wanted the film to serve as a way for clients and potential clients to get to know me a little better, to help communicate who I am and what my life is about. I really, REALLY believe that having a connection with my clients is absolutely essential to great images and I wanted my branding film to provide one more peek into who I am to help that connection along!
MacKenzie and Philip were awesome to work with right from the beginning! We began with a Google Chat (or was it Skype? Or Facetime? You get the idea…) to do a little brainstorming. It didn’t take long for me to know that I didn’t really want the film to be about my photography or my business specifically, but about the life I lead that informs and drives my work. All of the love in my life that gave me the impetus to jump off the lawyer track and bump on over to a world where I capture incredible moments. The love I am so insanely lucky to share with Justin, who is my partner in all things, from canoeing to running to second shooting weddings. Our love of the outdoors, of food, of community. The love that fills our tiny house, beginning with our fluffy dog. Chatting through all of this with MacKenzie and Philip began to bring the vision some structure and I pulled together this litle inspiration board for what I wanted our film to convey, and ultimately, what I want my photography to feel like to those whose lives I capture:
So with this vision in mind, we began planning logistics! MacKenzie and Philip are based out of North Carolina (you may remember the incredible film they created from Barbara & Douglass’s wedding where we worked together for the first time!), but it just so happens that MacKenzie hails from a family of creative geniuses who have come to call Maine home (her mom is an amazing florist and her uber-talented sister played a huge role in my becoming a photographer!) and so she and Philip (and Pax!) make it up to Maine pretty regularly!
We tentatively scheduled our day to shoot, knowing that we only had one day to make it all come together. Justin and I built a gigantic table for our backyard and started inviting friends for a bonfire and dinner al fresco. We made a list of our favorite places to run and hike and canoe and picnic. We called our favorite farm stand to make sure they’d be open. And then we crossed our fingers and prayed for good weather, considering there aren’t a lot of indoor variations for what we’d envisioned.
The day dawned overcast and foreboding, but MacKenzie and Philip were enthusiastic and totally game to push forward, even if it meant filming from a canoe on very choppy waters! We were drizzled on a few times, but thankfully the hard rain held off until we’d shot most of the critical outdoor stuff! We moved the shindig inside and the bonfire to our woodstove and I have to say…it’s not really a party unless you wake up the next morning to roasted marshmallows stuck to your ceiling!
Okay, okay…I seriously could keep going on and on about how incredibly amazing it was to work with MacKenzie and Philip (you guys HAVE to go watch all of their films as soon as you finish watching mine! Warning: it’s totally addictive and you may become obsessed!) and how over-the-moon excited I am about the film, but you should probably just see it for yourselves instead! So…enjoy!!!
MacKenzie and Philip- you guys are so fantastic and creative and WONDERFUL! Thank you thank you THANK YOU!!!
