If you’ve ever second-guessed your work, held back from trying something new, or felt the pressure to deliver perfection in every frame, this episode is for you. We’re diving into the art of embracing imperfection in your wedding films and how leaning into raw, honest moments (yes, even the ones with tricky lighting or imperfect angles) can actually elevate your work and serve your clients better.
We talk about using black and white footage as a storytelling tool, releasing the pressure to make everything look perfect, and trusting your instincts more than the rules. Because the truth is, the best filmmakers aren’t the ones who never miss focus—they’re the ones who know what really matters in a film.
Let this be your permission slip to trust your eye, shoot what feels real, and keep growing into the creative you’re meant to be. You don’t need to do it all flawlessly to make something unforgettable.
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There’s this pressure in our industry to make everything feel perfect. Smooth transitions, cinematic colors, flawless lighting. We chase this idea of perfection in our edits. But here’s what we’re starting to realize: perfection isn’t what makes a film meaningful. Emotion is.
Some of our favorite moments don’t always happen in the best lighting. They happen in the quiet, in-between frames. The hug from grandma in the shadows. Two brothers sharing a moment in the tungsten lit bathroom. The raw, imperfect, deeply real pieces of a wedding day that aren’t always “technically perfect,” but emotionally they’re everything.
As a filmmaker who obsessed over lighting and perfection, I found myself skipping those moments. Or bury them in the edit. But lately, we’ve been leaning into them. And one of the things that helped us make that shift was incorporating black and white color grading into our films. It’s what ultimately led me to creating the Noir LUT pack for Illume. It gave us a way to take those less-than-perfect clips and bring them into the story with purpose. It adds texture and depth, and honestly? It’s brought so much more creativity back into our process.
Letting go of perfection didn’t lower our standards. It made our films feel more human. And that’s what our couples really connect to. Not the flashy transitions. Not the fancy gear. Just a story that feels like them with their closest people.
If you’ve been feeling stuck or creatively blocked, maybe it’s not that you need to do more. Maybe you just need to give yourself permission to do it differently. Try something new. Shake up your workflow. Lean into the art again.
Noir can help you do exactly that! Add them to your workflow today. You can use code LEVELUP20 for 20% off the new Noir pack from Illume LUTs. It’s been a game-changer for how we approach those imperfect, emotional frames and how we build connection through the edit.
Because at the end of the day, it’s not about being perfect. It’s about being authentic and capturing the big, small, and in between imperfect moments.
