Beth Flick is a family & wedding photographer & filmmaker based in Athens, Ohio, and also one of our valued FilmingLifers her at the FilmingLife® Academy + Network

Tell us a bit about yourself

Hello – I’m Beth, I live in Athens, Ohio which is the really hilly part of Ohio! I came to Athens for a Fine Art Degree (printmaking) at Ohio University and started BFlick Photography 11 years ago as a family and wedding photographer.

Most days you can find me at home with my husband, two kids, 3.5 horses, chickens, bunnies, dog, cat and a whole lot of poop! I love to spend time outside especially if it is near the water.

My family loves playing together and being home. We love our friends and hosting people around a campfire on the weekends laughing and with chili in our bellies gives us so much joy.

I don’t really know how to sit still. I’m always creating and making something. I’m not really much of a book reader. If I have free time I love to be making and baking things. I love to bake and cook.

I also love to explore new places and always see what’s around the next corner. When hiking I have a hard time turning around, because what’s around the next corner might be the best thing ever.

I carry a similar attitude with my business; whatever is around the corner might just be the next best thing!

Tell us about the kind of photography & films you create

I have always been drawn to family stories and I believe this could be on the day you begin your family, your wedding day, or your 153rd weekend of making pancakes together with your family of 5 now.

I truly believe these stories are precious and priceless for you and your children to remember. I love to be there as the story unfolds. I always feel like photos really help a person form their identity and their place in the family. When I think back to my own childhood, it is the memories with photos linked to them that hold the most significance in my history.

How did you first get started in photography?

I went to art school and got a degree in the fine art of printmaking (lithography, woodcuts, letterpress etc) and simultaneously took as many photography classes that I could both in highschool and college.

Shortly after getting married I got a digital camera and had a few friends ask me to take their family photos and I loved it! I loved working with kids and capturing them in the moment doing things they loved. It just naturally progressed from there.

What made you decide to learn video? What was your motivation?

I first noticed that little video switch on my camera about 4 years ago when I got my first DSLR camera with video capability (Nikon d750). I took my kids to a park one day and recorded little clips of my almost 2-year-old son.

Looking back on it now, I made so many technical errors and there are certain things I would do differently now, but I really treasure those clips. Watching my sweet boy toddle around so many years ago brings me much joy. Now my kids are big kids and I wish I could just go back a little bit to remember more of the way they walked and talked.

I first started really pursuing filmmaking because it was something new to learn and develop as a skill. As I said earlier, I’m always drawn to making and creating new things. Not that you ever perfect a skill or trade, but I felt like my photography skills were pretty good and I was yearning for a new artistic outlet for creativity.

What was your biggest challenge when you first started learning video and how did you overcome it?

Capturing good audio from a family session has been one of the biggest and most important hurdles I’ve been trying to overcome. I know how deeply moving good natural audio can be, especially when it is tied together with an amazing cinematic soundtrack. The films that I always get teary-eyed with have both of these components seamlessly weaved together.

To help my audio game I recently got Rode Video Mic Pro+ and that has helped me to capture much better quality audio. I also make sure to be quiet during the session! When I’m photographing clients I am used to interacting with them so much. I had to force myself to stop talking!

Then of course FilmingLife® Academy has helped me learn more about capturing quality audio through their courses and how to time that with music to make a moving film.

I’ve certainly not overcome my audio hurdle, but I feel like I have made improvements.

Did you find it a challenge to educate clients on the value of films, how were they first received by clients?

It was hard at first for people to see the value in a film. I think it’s because they don’t know they need those memories in motion until they are gone. I feel the same way about looking back at my own children’s voices and behaviours…I didn’t know how much I would miss them until they were gone.

Now that I have been solidly offering family films for a year I feel that it is finally beginning to catch on for my clients and I have begun to book a lot more of them. It’s been really lovely to see mothers begin to value being in the frame with their families and capturing moments and memories all together.

Tell us about your favourite film and why it's special to you

My favourite film was of the Smith family and I made it a little over a year ago (below).

This film was about their baby girl, Scarlett. At the time of the film, she was one year old. She was born with a congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH) which is a defect in an unborn baby's diaphragm, the muscle that divides the chest cavity and abdominal cavity. In her one year of life, she had eight major surgeries (including open heart) and a number of ICU admissions. She travels from Ohio to Florida regularly to see specialists.

Her family is the sweetest and they work tirelessly to get her the love and care she needs. I love that this film focuses on their family life being so much more than medical stuff like physical therapy and g-tube feedings but the playtime, books, snuggles and cuddles in between it all!

What is your best piece of advice for those just getting started with films?

My best advice is to just keep doing it. Even if you aren’t booking film sessions find a way to keep doing them. If you have a goal of booking one film session a month, then make a personal goal of making a film a month regardless of whether people are paying you or not. You could make personal films, films for friends, films for ideal clients who have a lot of friends and will share the film, offer a film as a giveaway or do a model call for a film.

One thing I like to do when business is a little slow and I want some more film experience is during a “normal” photoshoot after you feel like you got enough photos of a scene, ask the family to repeat what they just did and this time film it. Don’t tell the family what you are doing, that way there is no pressure to create a film, but if you have enough quality footage from the session you can piece together a little 30-60 film to surprise them. This is a WIN WIN! You have happy surprised clients who share the film AND you have some clips to share on social media now. Plus you got no-pressure practice with filming.

I wish you the best of luck and success as you go down this filmmaking journey with me!

See more of Beth’s work via her website - www.bflickphotography..com - and social media - IG: @bethflickphoto