Before starting photography, filmmaking was my passion.
I attended a film charter high school in my teen years growing up, East Hollywood High School in West Valley City, Utah. When I was young I had a few acting roles, and it was something I wanted to continue, alongside learning other moviemaking roles such as directing and writing.
After high school, I drifted away from this becoming interested initially in pursing illustration, and then moving to photography, which I've stuck with since. Though my career goals changed, I never really lost that passion for movies and the art of filmmaking, and thankfully through one of my best and oldest friends, I was able to jump back into that world.
My friend James Morris had joined with an indie filmmaking group called Witching Season Films. Based in Spanish Fork Utah, this filmmaking crew shot horror themed anthology shorts. I was pretty impressed with their stuff, and James told me they could use extra help on set. I hadn't really done that since my high school years, but being back on a set again helped me rekindle my interest in being a part of this process.
The group was full of really cool people too, and I gained extra friends having worked with them though two full feature films now! During the production of films, there's often many still photos taken. These photos are a way to document the process on set, they're also used for marketing a film such as with articles or interviews. Still photography can be an important part of the filmmaking process. Some production still become well known among a films devotees, and there have been entire books of set photography published for larger productions.
Though it was natural for me to contribute with still photography, being a part of the Witching Season crew has also inspired me to get more into video. Video is increasingly valued among photographers as many clients have projects that call for both still and motion based media. I've gained more experience with video techniques in recent years. Though I drifted away from filmmaking before, it's something I want to stay involved with now. I can't wait for whatever project I'll be taking on next with Witching Season Films, and who knows... I may have a project of my own in the works too.
If you're looking for a photography professional who can handle both stills and video, feel free to contact me below! I'd love to help other indie filmmakers document their process.
