It was an intimate wedding, thankfully, with the sweetest couple you'd ever meet. I was immediately enthralled by everything. The connections between the couple - the relationships between the families and friends - the way I saw light and was inspired by the spaces I was in. It was also the smallest of details that made everything feel so beautiful & important.
On the drive home I realized this is what I wanted to do. 16+ years later I'm still here. Still enthralled - Still inspired.
If you would've asked me if I'd be a wedding filmmaker as a kid I wouldn't have even known what you were talking about. I would also have likely made a snarky remark. Documenting weddings was never something I pursued. It was something that came to me with an out of the blue opportunity. In 2007 someone asked me to document their wedding and while I had no idea what that really meant, I was in!
How did I get here?
The moment I finished documenting my first wedding, I knew I’d found what I was meant to do.
Since high school, Michael has had a camera in hand. He studied photography and film at University of the Arts graduating in 2005. 3 years later, the year he married the love of his life, Melissa, and they started photographing weddings full time. Fast forward to 2016 and that's when he started filming weddings.
He takes everything he knows about moments, lighting and compostion from photographing weddings and uses that to inform his filming.
Michael also finds inspiration in other art forms as he creates large scale fine detailed drawings & has also meandered his way into abstract painting. He still photographs and his favorite project is photographing his twin daughters every day for the past 16 years.
Photo by Afrik Armando
Photo by Afrik Armando
Photo by Afrik Armando
Melissa, Ava & Bella. The loves of my life. Waking up everyday, I get to relive the excitement that they're part of my life and who I am.
Melissa, the giver of love and light.
Ava, the kind hearted. She's creative, witty & smart.
Bella, the artist through & through. Thoughtful & big hearted.
favorite people.
My THREE most
Photos by Afrik Armando
Photos by Afrik Armando
My family is everything to me. I'm infinitely inspired by them and want to preserve memories of our life. I want to capture everything on camera so it can outlast us. So our future family can see who we were and how we loved.
A wedding day is one of many opportunities to do just that. And with film it's not just the visuals - it's the movement and sound.
WHY do I film weddings?
Everyone is an treasure chest full of wonder. We all have so much to teach & give.
Bringing two people together who love each other simply magnifies this. There's so much magic to find in people and being able to spend time with couples on their wedding days is such a gift. I'm fortunate to get to show them who they are through our films.
with people.
My FASCINATION
-when harry met sally
“When you realize you want to spend the rest of your life with somebody, you want the rest of your life to start as soon as possible.”
