How well do you think wedding films will age?

[Jim Snow]

Andrew, You make a good point about not confusing artistic expression and professionalism. You have earned your position in the profession. You work is a pleasure to see. You do a great job of illustrating artistic expression. I'm not sure what Don was referring to but I got the impression he was referring to sloppy or bad shooting. Leaving a dress in the bushes that shows in the frame or overusing or misusing a tool is an affront to professionalism. As you know, maintaining control of focus on a DSLR camera is difficult. Your work shows that you have mastered it. Using shallow depth of field with a deft touch adds enormously to the production value of a piece. That's a far cry from some of the ham-fisted stuff where it isn't used effectively.

Artistic expression or creativity aren't cover all terms for slop. There is a difference - a huge difference. For example, effective use of shallow depth of field adds to the mood, feeling and attention focus of a production. But if it's just thrown at you as a 'wowie-zowie' trick, it's jarring or irritating and can actually interrupt the story. There is a term that I have grown to dislike. Although it's a legitimate description for a type of shooting that can be used to achieve a desired feeling in a production, the use of the term "organic shooting" has degenerated into a catch-all term for bad shooting. It's out of focus - just call it organic; it's a shaky shot - just call it organic; exposure or white balance is off - just call it organic. No thank you, I call it bad shooting.

My hat is off to people who lead the way with new artistic expressions that are produced in creatives ways but that has nothing to do with inept junk that pretends to be artistic and creative. People can see the difference too - in an instant. The hacks and pretenders can hurt us all because those who pay for our work aren't willing to swallow anything that is coughed up just because it has a red ribbon tied around it called "artistic expression."

[Andrew Waite]

You're right Jim, you make a great point as well. There is a lot of, what I call "sub-par" work out there... as with any profession artistic or not. I feel good work comes from those who are both an artist and a technician, one who has an eye and can be creative or think out of the box, but just as importantly can think on a technical level and understand fundamentals of light, sound, etc. There are many who are one or the other, but not both. All of my employees have been hired based on being both an artist and a technician... it's a must in this business!