Photographing one thousand weddings, it is inevitable there have been pivotal moments where I have discovered things about myself and in terms of my vocation, how I make photographs. This following Photofilm is dedicated to the most courageous, unique and special person, her husband and their daughter. It is where the Photofilm originated, the occasion that introduced me to presenting weddings as stills and sound as a special film. I’ll not forget this day. It remains with me every time I press record on the sound recorders I use for my work. I’m proud that I was a part of this day and ever thankful to Wilson that he is happy for me to share this film so publicly. Sarah and her story remind me how incredibly important photographs with audio can be as a legacy. What you’re about to watch above was the first Wedding Photofilm. This, is Sarah’s Story.

AN AUDIO TIME CAPSULE

When my father passed away in 1997, I had one piece of audio to remember his voice by: the cassette tape that held his outgoing voice message on the family home’s answerphone. It remained there for a couple of years and it was often comforting to ring home, just to hear his voice if Mum was out.

And then one day, my mother changed the message.

It’s hard to forget a face. Certainly, our photo albums and smartphones are filled with that detail, and that’s a testament to how dear pictures and sight are to us. But what about the sound of our personal stories? Remembering what someone said and how they said it, or holding a voice that is now only an echo within our memory, is as precious as any photographic legend.

That’s why with a background in making radio programmes, I developed the Wedding Photofilm.

For couples who choose not to have their wedding filmed, a Wedding Photofilm uses still images in a photographic film accompanied by real audio from the day. This is not a slideshow where pictures transition simply to music; this is a Photofilm, a unique blend of photos and sound, an experience for couples who celebrate the still.

Sound has played a pivotal role in my life, both professionally and personally. Before photographing weddings, I worked in regional and national radio as a broadcaster and documentary maker.

Quite unexpectedly in 2011, seven years after I began photographing weddings, the medium of sound made itself heard again in a literal sense when I was asked to photograph a wedding for a bride who was terminally ill.

I wanted the pictures to celebrate her life, and the sound of the day to serve as a time capsule for her daughter. The following short films are unique wedding audio and pictorial documents made from still photographs, featuring sound recorded on the day. In the hundreds of weddings I have produced these films at, I find myself emotively connected as much by what I hear, as by what unfolds pictorially.