From Self-Criticism to Self-Discovery: My experience with Dreamodd’s wedding storytelling

Loryn | 9 Sep 2023, 21:21

Hello! I was told by our planner, Panos - from LovWed that he had blocked our date with you! Excited! My fiancé and I loved your stuff right off the bat. Panos had sent us several options, without any pricing attached so that we could organically choose what we liked and not have any influence over “how much they cost”. The photos/video are an important thing for this event and I did not want to make any decisions on such an important item beyond - I love the work.

I’m not a “wedding woman”… whatever that means. My fiancé and I were the type that always said… marriage and children are not in our future. We just wanted to find a person and hopefully a person that could acclimate to all of the changes that life brings— and be there forever. Having the photos and videos is important for us to share with the family and friends that have been “bummed” they aren’t being included in our day.

Long story short… I was in an accident in 2017. I pretty much went through a car window and don’t remember ALMOST a year of my life. I have a weird eye because of it. And if that is the only thing I ended up with after that… I’ve come to peace with that. I’ve been photographed a few times after the accident in friend’s weddings and other stuff. I shy away from the camera.

Most photographers don’t have the direction— to tell me to pose differently to not notice my eye. I’m an ICU nurse. I’m very direct and I can’t tell you the last time “my feelings”, were hurt. Just want you to know that I am looking for this type of direction. Might even be over thinking it… but… just wanted to be up front!

Themistocles | 10 Sep 2023, 00:31

Where to begin..

First of all thanks for the kind words. We are a team of three doing both photo and video.

Based on the way you write I thing you guys are the type of couple we want to shoot and serve. I don’t like the word “clients”.

I appreciate the fact that you shared your story with me and I’ll make sure that me, Thanos and Dimitris will do our absolute best to document your day the best way possible.

Loryn | 9 Sep 2023, 21:21

Appreciate your time and response! I lack communication and emotion…something I also like to just blame on the accident. But I legit have a rough time sharing direction when in person and I have no real experience or expertise to what is being done. I HATE when non medical people try to tell me how to be a nurse… and I imagine it’s like that with most other professionals. I won’t speak up … mostly because I try and look for people that it seems I won’t have to do that… but not I’ve just learned to speak up about my “disability”… on several occasions I’ve witnessed people not know how to tell me my eye f*cked up their shot. So it’s said now… and I won’t bother you all on the day! Full trust in you and your team!

Loryn’s google review | 25 Oct 2023, 22:35

Thanos and Dimitris of Dreamodd shot my elopement. As someone who absolutely HATES to be photographed and even worse, filmed—I had indifferent feelings about the experience, but photos and video is just a must for a wedding right? I am my worst critic and I had a ton of issues with my wedding dress and other newly acquired physical features that left me feeling completely ill prepared for making the best of the photography. I went into the photography/videography of this day with an acceptance that I would most definitely find issue with any photo or video that I was in and I made a deal early on with myself to just forget about this part of the elopement and not make photos or video a big deal at all.

My partner and I picked Dreamodd based on their portfolio alone. We asked our wedding planner to send a list of options without pricing so that we chose the photography and videography organically. Dreamodd was our first choice-visually. Immediately LOVED what we saw. The artistry of the work in their portfolio has CONFIDENT PROFESSIONALS, written all over it. This was important for me so that I didn’t have to think about this stuff beyond just having it happen. I felt better about having to be photographed after choosing Dreamodd. My thought, “these guys are so good, there just has to be at least ONE photo of me that they take and I like”. Flash to the day of our ceremony. Dimitris and Thanos made everything seamless. I had no worries and I literally followed their lead. They literally lead us to all the spots they knew of to capture cliffside Santorini at its finest. It’s cheesy to say, but I could see the passion for their art in their eyes. This was a huge reason I felt so at ease to have them around. Again— these guys are so good, they’ll get at least one photo I like.

Fast forward to having our photos and video sent to us. I’m completely floored with feeling our day was captured on film and how I could relive such an intimate day just by looking through photos and watching a video. Feelings and all. My own self loathing, gone— after feeling that these photos existed to simply tell a story and capture a beautiful moment in time that feels like a dream to me now. Dreamodd told our story with their art in a way that I hadn’t considered existed.

Thank you, Dreamodd for introducing me to the beautiful art that is photography and videography. Thank you for removing my sentiments of the importance of looking a certain way in photos and replacing it with the importance of how photos and video have the power to make you feel and relive life’s fleeting moments.

Humbled with a heart that has been set at ease with learning the profound impact photography and videography, done well; can have on such an intimate and important life event.