Jessica & Jeremy Wedding // Super 8 + Polaroids

Jessica and Jeremy are a special one for me... mainly because they are related to me! Jessica is my sister-in-law and now Jeremy will be my brother-in-law. I was a guest at this wedding but as any photographer knows, it's hard to resist taking some photos and Jessica had actually reached out beforehand asking if I didn't mind taking a few. Uh... Yes!

This was a bit of a trip for me since this is only the second time I've ever been to the west coast! Last time I was out there was when I got engaged!

But anyways! The wedding took place in Camarillo about an hour north of LA, where they have been living, on a beautiful avocado/blueberry farm called Gerry Ranch. I must say farm weddings on the west coast are just about everything a film photographer could ask for. Great light. Great landscape. Obviously fantastic weather! I'm in.

Even so, I tried to not be that obnoxious guest with the big camera poking my way into the shots and had a great time shooting alongside Brittany of BKM Photography. She quickly fell in love with the Polaroids and Super 8 and was even shooting a bit of film herself. I was going around with my lovely Polaroid 110B with Instax Wide and expired Polaroid 689 film, my Polaroid SLR680 with Polaroid Originals color film and then Super 8 on my small Nizo 156 Macro and some glorious Fuji Provia shipped from Japan by Retro8. I don't travel light when it comes to cameras...

This time it's a mini wedding film as I was a seated guest doing my best to behave. Also it's actually an excerpt out of the 2 rolls of Super 8 I shot during the road trip my wife and I did while in the LA area. One day I'll get that up on the blog! You can see Jess's mini film below!

Overall, a really fun wedding with family and I was more than thrilled to capture a few moments of it on film.

Aileen & Philip Wedding // Super 8 + Polaroids

This is a wedding I had long been looking forward to shooting, Aileen and Philip! Aileen had contacted me over a year before her wedding raving about instant film and loving the Super 8 look for weddings so it was easy to be excited to shoot a wedding when the bride is so excited as well. You can watch their Super 8 wedding film below.

This wedding was a bit unique as well in that there were actually to be two weddings: a smaller family and bridal party wedding on Saturday (which is what I shot) and then a larger more traditional wedding on Sunday (shot by a friend and awesome photographer, Sophie Kwalek and featured on Style Me Pretty. Sophie and I both worked together on Patrick and Rachel's gorgeous Prospect Park Boathouse wedding). This was also unique in that I'd be the only photographer or cinematographer for the day, shooting everything on Instax and Super 8 film.

So we started the day at a beautiful cathedral in New Brunswick where the ceremony was held. A few guests and the families were the attendees for this more intimate ceremony. Aileen was wearing a stunning, fitted white dress and Philip was in a fantastic blue suit with red velvet accents. Very stylin’.

After the ceremony we strolled around the Rutgers campus where the couple met to take a few photos before headed over to the lunch held at one of their parent’s homes. There, they changed into outfits for a traditional tea ceremony held after weddings with close family. Then another quick outfit change into more comfy clothes for a veritable feast that awaited everyone in the backyard, cooked by the parents and included endless lobster, corn, meats, and veggies. 

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A really lovely and laid back wedding day for two really great people. I had a lot of fun shooting with them and really love how their wedding film came out.

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Szewai & Chris Wedding // Super 8 + Polaroids

This summer I had the chance to head back to the Midwest to film a Chicago wedding and I could not have been more excited. Not to mention a Chicago wedding on a farm! So I packed my bags and cameras and headed out to capture Szewai and Chris' wedding on Super 8 and Polaroids!

Szewai is a dance instructor in Chicago and wanted to uniquely capture her wedding day as well as their special first dance they planned for the day. I got to the picturesque, Elawa Farms and had a blast getting to know them and their awesome friends throughout the day. The location itself was amazing with a large main brick farmhouse overlooking their fields where the wedding would be held. For their first look, we found a cute little trail in some flowery fields and knew it'd be a perfect spot for a quiet moment before strolling around the grounds to the numerous vine covered walls and pathways for more time together before the ceremony. Check out their full highlight film below and more Polaroids and Super 8 below that!

Szewai & Chris - Highlight

During the ceremony, a couple of Szewai's close friends played as the family and friends poured in. The ceremony was really sweet and the skies held out just long enough for it to finish before giving everyone a slight sprinkle. Not phased by it at all, things transitioned indoors for a cocktail hour with bubbling "Game of Thrones" inspired drinks and the wedding party literally danced their way into the dinner. It was really awesome!

And of course once the reception started getting going, so many good dancers in one place makes for a killer dance floor, accompanied by a live band "Gussied" who were killing it. Chris and Szewai then had their big moment for their first dance and they absolutely nailed it. A unique request from Szewai was to capture the entire dance in its entirety on Super 8. A thrilling experience to shoot a whole roll in one pull of the trigger but I think the final result is a really lovely memory of their dance. Catch Szewai saying "100 per-cent" at the very end! Ha!

Szewai & Chris - First Dance

After the night wound down, a sparkler exit sent the two off after a spectacular day! You can also see their little teaser film I edited to their friends playing during the ceremony. All in all a wonderful wedding for a wonderful couple. So happy to have been there to shoot it all on film.

Szewai & Chris - Teaser

Maggie & Alex Wedding // Super 8 + Polaroids

Flying home is always nice but when it's for a close friend's wedding, it's even better. My wife has been friend's with Maggie since childhood so we were pretty thrilled to be at this wedding and personally I'm always excited to be invited to shoot such a special day for a friend on film.

The setting for their beautiful wedding was at the Forest Park World's Fair Pavilion overlooking a large area of the park, a stellar view and great setup for a wedding. The day started at the Chase Park Plaza where both the bride and groom were getting prepared. I was shooting Super 8 throughout the day and of course, brought along my Polaroid 110B to shoot some Instax Wide film.

Once the bride was ready, she hopped in a vintage-styled trolly car with the bridesmaids and headed to the ceremony. No first looks here! Except... the bride did share a lovely moment with her dad for a father-daughter first look before we left the hotel. It was so sweet! When we arrived, the guests and the groom were all ready for her entrance! You can see the entire wedding film below and be sure to listen to their very cute vows.

After the kiss, a surprise bag-piper showed up as is tradition in the family. It was amazing to say the least. Then the entire wedding party hopped on board the trolly and made their way around St. Louis for some scenic spots to take photos.

The reception was a total blast and plenty of dancing and good times were had. All in all, a fantastic wedding and so much fun to capture a little vignette of their day on Super 8.

Katie & Ben Wedding // Super 8 + Polaroids

Katie and Ben's New York wedding was such a fun wedding to film and it nearly got rained out! I was arriving to the venue midday when I got caught in an absolute downpour and got a bit soaked to be honest. Luckily for everyone, the rain completely stopped just minutes later and the skies cleared up just in time for the festivities! It was a gift from the heavens for Katie & Ben for sure!

Shooting Super 8 got plenty of looks and is always quite the conversation starter. The bride opted to challenge the weather and have her first look outside and it was totally worth the risk! It was amazing outside and we even got to step into Gramercy Park itself which is pretty rare. A lucky break for the couple and it's a private park the nearby residents technically own. Worth it! A great wedding all around so I hope you enjoy Katie and Ben's wedding film!

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This wedding at the Gramercy Park Hotel looked amazing as the venue has a lot of fun, eccentric accents that really make it unique. Plus the terrace on the roof is really a fantastic spot for a wedding and the team there along with the florist did a great job. So much sun, flowers and greenery in that room! It felt almost like a greenhouse. And this all doesn't even include the blast the wedding party had on a yacht the night before for the rehearsal dinner! A yacht on the Hudson! That's the best pre-wedding party I've ever seen.

I shot both Super 8 as well as Instax Wide throughout the day into the reception alongside Jonathan Scott, their main photographer. Shooting Polaroids during the reception was quite the hit with the wedding guests. Being able to hand them their photo mere seconds after taking it was a lot of fun. Honestly, some people didn't even think instant film still existed! I even got pulled into a few Polaroid selfies with some wedding guests! All around a wonderful wedding to shoot!