Tiny Slices

Being present and in the moment is life-affirming. Being present and in the moment for someone else — is everything. Ever since my son was born, I've wanted to absorb all the tiny, precious, fleeting moments with him like a hungry sponge. The fear of not being present enough for him terrifies me.

It's so easy to get caught up with the day-to-day spinnings of life and work to forget to stop and realise what's most important in life. To quote the great John Hughes via Ferris Bueller:

So just before my son was born, I made a concerted effort to not only be present in those quaint or milestone moments in his life but to capture them cinematically too.

I toyed with being a filmmaker very early on in my career as I'd always been fascinated with very human stories and how individuals shift, grow and change over time. I'd always had a camera with me growing up too but I knew that in order to evoke a cinematic experience, I needed more than a phone camera. Sure, phones have come a long way but using fixed focal length lenses on a proper camera was going to get me the desired outcome not quite matched with phones (just yet).

So I saved up, purchased a relatively affordable mirrorless 4k camera, a couple of second-hand fast lenses, and off our adventures began. From the very first steps to priceless moments with grandparents and cousins, to little explorations into nature, I was being present whilst also capturing all those firsts I wanted to cherish forever. I'd then take all those moments, cut them together, lay music on top, and share them with family. To see family grin from ear to ear, to watch them over and over, or the occasional tear roll down their face means the world. As a side benefit, it's also been incredibly rewarding and peaceful, almost meditative, to make these little films after long days at work and during a pandemic. I take comfort in knowing it's one of the most productive uses of my downtime.

As much as I'd love to share the films on this site, those are best kept for families' eyes only. Instead, here are a few screen-grabs of said little cinematic tales...

Tales of past and tales to come...