June 2025
Reflections on the 2025 wedding season
This year brought me to some of the most beautiful locations I've ever filmed. From Lake Tahoe to the Chicago Riverwalk, I feel like I've been slowly reeling in the thread that ties together all the work I've done throughout my journey as a creator.
That thread: witnessing people in their vulnerable moments, and gifting that to them with love, care and shared vulnerability. By creating work that says "you don't need to pose, you're already enough, I'll capture you honestly," I prove to myself, over and over, that being seen can be sacred instead of threatening, that vulnerability can be honored instead of exploited.
Constant performance has slowly compromised the true feeling of special moments. I'm releasing that need to perform and focusing on the real memories.
This year I finally solidified my mission and who my work is for.
this is what it's all about
Tahoe Wedding — September 2025
Chicago Elopement — Fall 2025
Bloomington Wedding — October 2025
December 2025
Why I shoot on vintage Hi-8 camcorders
I create Hi-8 archaeography wedding videos for brides who want their wedding day to be their wedding day. This is not a Pinterest board. I don't over pose you, direct you, or tell you how your day should go, because your day is already beautiful enough.
When you shoot on Hi-8 film, the light from your wedding day — the actual photons bouncing off your skin, your dress, the room — are physically altering the magnetic particles on the tape. This isn't a digital approximation or a series of 1s and 0s representing what the light looked like. It's the light itself, permanently imprinted. The film holds a physical piece of that moment.
When you watch it back, you're seeing the same light that existed on your wedding day, preserved as a tangible artifact. Digital video creates a translation, a code that reconstructs an image. Film creates a relic. It is actually something that was genuinely there, touched by the same light that touched you.
It's the difference between a photograph of a fossil and the fossil itself. This is why I use analog: because your wedding day deserves to be preserved with the respect that a real, physical moment in time deserves. This is the closest thing to a real memory.
Primary Camera — Sony Hi-8
Dock Footage — Atmosphere
September 30, 2025
Layne & Brett — Lake Tahoe
Golden hour on the lake. The boat entrance was stunning! And such a cool idea. It's one of those perfect moments that you can't forget and I feel like really showed the personality of this couple.
This wedding reminded me why I treat every frame like it's going in a museum. Fifty years from now, someone will watch this and feel like they were there. The interviews were especially impressive. I love how people react when you give them the opportunity to speak. After meeting the people who are important to Layne and Brett and hearing them share why they love the couple so much, I feel so much closer to them.
I am beyond grateful for the collaboration with my dear friend Abi Harte and her impeccable taste. She is one of the main reasons that I am able to courageously declare myself an artist and her work continues to impress me everyday. Check out her website: abihartephotography.com
Boat entrance — 2:22 PM
Reception cake cutting — Interior — Evening
"Favorite Place on Earth" — Afternoon light
Various dates
Random favorites & outtakes
Things that don't fit anywhere else. Moments I loved but couldn't categorize. Test shots. Happy accidents.
Behind the scenes
more film stock!!
Camera test — new lens
Candid moment
who knows but I love it
Detail shot
