in pursuit of my passion | from Long Island to Ontario to Austin, Texas

I have been blessed to be a part of some incredible experiences lately in an effort to better my skills and quench my thirst for knowledge in the world of wedding and event filmmaking. Last October I made a four hour drive each way to attend a workshop in Long Island, followed a couple weeks later by the three-day evolution experience with the StillMotion family in Ontario and most recently a three day "gathering" last week at IN[FOCUS] 2010 in Austin. Along the way I've met many new friends and gotten to know several of the world's most talented wedding cinematographers. I sought out these opportunities with a goal to simply become better at what I do and came home with so much more then that. The knowledge I've gained and the friendships I've made are absolutely priceless and I'm looking forward to many more opportunities like this in the future.

Here are a couple of videos others have made to give a behind the scenes look at what these events are all about. If you look closely you will actually see me in front of the camera a couple of times, very unusual (although I'm not afraid of the lens!). First is StillMotion's behind the scenes film from their third evolution experience which I was so lucky to be a part of. These guys have done stuff that has literally changed the way wedding films are made, and they have been a huge inspiration for me for quite some time...

I met Kaipo from NYC's 15 Minutes of Frame in Long Island, was pleasantly surprised to see him in Ontario as a last minute addition to the evo experience, and he was also one of the 130 or so video geeks at IN[FOCUS] in Austin. Here's his take on the IN[FOCUS] 2010 experience...

While I am already looking forward to IN[FOCUS] 2011 I'm sure there will be other opportunities in the meantime. One of my greatest fears is to become stagnant in my work. I can honestly look back at everything I've done and see a steady progression in the quality of work we produce. With all the ideas crammed into my head for this year I couldn't be more excited for 2010 and I am more confident then ever that we are going to produce some kick-ass, personal, emotional and beautiful wedding films for our couples and their families. Every day I think about how lucky I am to get to do what I do, but I believe the greatest reward has been in getting to know so many incredible people, the relationships I've built, and all the little experiences and great moments that have come along with it. It truly is an incredible blessing and I absolutely love my life!

jeff