An old-timey screening

Photography: AMBphoto

A few weeks back { First Kiss Films } was so pleased to have participated in an amazing wedding show called Wed By Hand. We decided to do something a little different –  install an Infinite Films display so attendees could witness first-hand the beauty of our film installations. Plus, we created a brand-new vintage film and screened it on loop all afternoon. Everyone loved seeing a 16mm film projector in action and watching the film move through the rollers right in front of their eyes.

We took a quick video of the set-up in order to share it with all of you.  We’re also in the process of creating an on-line version of the special film we screened at the show and will be sharing it with you next month! A huge thank you to the lovely & talented Erin of Full Bloom for making our display beautiful with her gorgeous floral design.

Instant love on instant film

We shoot everything on film. And we love it when other artists choose this classic medium as well. Other artists like Ben.

Ben owns byfield~pitman photography and specializes in shooting candid wedding pictures and edgy editorial portraits. Ben & I went through photography school together and even back then his work always stood-out because he would try things no one else would even think of. And now more than a decade later, he continues to trailblaze by launching a very cool new service called Polaroid Weddings.

Ben explains how this service came to be: “A couple of us at byfield~pitman have really been enjoying working with Fuji’s Instax cameras and film, so we thought we’d see if the medium would lend itself to wedding photography. In the fall of 2011 we had our very first couple, Susan & Alex, agree to have us photograph their entire wedding with instant film! We were overjoyed with the results, and in 2012 we’re looking forward to hopefully a few more couples seeing value in this timeless way of capturing images.”

It seems that Ben might have stumbled upon an emerging trend. Just last week BRIDES published an article about wedding photography trends mentioning the retro, grainless beauty of Fuji instant prints for couples looking for a completely unique way to capture special moments. According to Ben, the recent interest in this format may be because of the popularity of iPhone apps such as Instagram and Hipstamatic. He says they have “become incredibly popular since the demise of Polaroid in 2008. While you may not have heard the names of those apps before, you’ve undoubtedly come across pictures that your friends have posted online which look remarkably similar to Polaroids. Basically, this is our response to this phenomenon. We think that it can be done better. And it turned out that Fuji agreed with us!”

The new service can be done as an add-on to any of their wedding photography packages, and the only increase in price will be the cost of the instant film itself.  (These guys obviously love working with film). And byfield~pitman can photograph an entire wedding on instant film or if you prefer just part of the day such as portraits of the bride and groom, first dance or detail shots.

I love that byfield~pitman is offering real film photography, not a post-production trick.  You have to be technically proficient and brave to shoot with film and they’ll do it right with professional lighting, selective focus, and multiple framing formats. If you would like more information about Polaroid Weddings write or call Ben at 613.PICTURE.

Maggie & Adam’s historic castle wedding

Happy Valentine’s Day film lovers!

Here’s a special treat to celebrate this day of love, family, friends and togetherness…Maggie & Adam’s vintage wedding film :)

M&A’s wedding was classically beautiful with its pale pink, beige and cream palette framed within the elegant Chateau Laurier backdrop.  The entire celebration took place at this renowned venue  including bride and groom preparations, an outdoor ceremony on the balcony, cocktails and a candlelit dinner reception. Every detail was just perfect.

It’s so much fun to film a beautiful wedding but it is the heartfelt details that are really inspiring. The bride hand-wrote the calligraphy for the invitations and place-cards, and her father made the custom chuppah carving the bride and groom’s initials atop two supporting poles. Maggie’s stunning veil was also family heirloom – both her mother and grandmother wore the Limerick lace veil to their First Communions!

It was such a treat to capture Maggie & Adam’s old-fashioned romantic wedding. A big thank you and congratulations to the sweet bride and groom! We wish you a lifetime of love, and being each other’s Valentine.

~ Filmed lovingly on Kodak 16mm & super 8mm film ~

Photography: Kathi Robertson | Invitations: urbanfête | Dress: Pronovias Groomswear: Tip Top Tailors | Flowers: Beaudry’s | Make up: Leslie Ann Barret Officiant: Reverend Evelyn Richter from All Seasons | CupCakes: The Flour Shop DJ: Professional Entertainment Group

A Fairmont fairytale wedding

“In dreams and in love, there are no impossibilities.”
~ Janos Arany

I hand-delivered Maggie & Adam’s wedding film the night before Adam wrote his big law exam, but this lovely couple still took the time to send me this sweet email that very same night…

“ We absolutely love the film!!! It’s so beautiful and artistic. You did an amazing job of capturing all of the special details and important moments. I especially appreciated that we had some very candid looks at our guests, who are very dear to us. Thanks so much for doing such a good job and for getting it to us before the holidays! I can’t wait to give our parents their copies. We will recommend First Kiss Films to everyone we know getting married.”

Maggie & Adam’s romantic vintage wedding film will be posted on Valentine’s Day - how fitting!