A Little Long Distance: Get Back To That Feeling

Interview by Joel Porter Insight & Wisdom by Jess & Josh Helton

Although they grew up in the same town, Josh & Jess fell in love six years ago writing to each other while Jessica was living overseas. They were married within a few months, and it was from that love that the idea for A Little Long Distance bloomed. In fact, they shot their first wedding together for friends while road tripping through New England on their honeymoon! Josh & Jess are old souls, lifelong learners, and feel most at home on country roads. They are very stoked (as they put it) parents to two little ones and hopeful for a full house in the years to come. They dream of becoming farmers retirement and can’t get enough of road trips, meaningful conversations around a fire, getting their hands dirty (whether that be ink or soil), good books, and beautiful views. I had a chance to pick their brains about film making, life, discovery, and creativity. Their answers were wise beyond their years.

Who is Jess?

I hope the people who love me will remember my passion for truth, beauty, and goodness. I’m consumed with finding purpose and deeper meaning in every last detail of the human experience, so I’ve always had an insatiable appetite for books and films. There aren’t enough hours in the day for all that I want to learn, read, write, and create with my hands! I had the privilege of extensive travel in early adulthood, and living in community with people of faith amidst poverty has been one of the most humbling and transformative experiences of my life. Motherhood makes me feel like the richest woman on earth. My passion is to tell the truth —with poetry.

Who is Josh?

“Do it for the grandkids!” or “It’s worth it for the memory!” have been my mantras since childhood. Anyone who spent any time with me as a kid probably heard those rallying cries as I was leading us into adventure and mischief. As far back as memory takes me, I recall a fascination with stories. It’s easy to recognize in hindsight that from the beginning I’ve always believed it’s worth shaking hands with fear, adversity, pain, even a little punishment, for life’s golden ticket of a good story. So it was a natural progression to pick up my dad’s home video camera to help me remember them all. Even today I still get a thrill every time I press the “record” button, knowing I’m potentially catching a fleeting moment that someone will cherish years down the road. I was once told through song “We only have what we remember,” and if it’s true, I want to give myself and others a lot to remember.

How did you get started shooting weddings?

JOSH: Accidentally. I was graduating from college in December 2012 with little direction in life. I had saved up some money and bought a camper to live in the woods, and that was the extent of my plans for the foreseeable future. (I would have never imagined that I was months away from meeting Jess, marrying her, and becoming entrepreneurs together.) I’d gained a bit of a reputation for shooting and editing prank videos around campus during college, so when a former roommate asked if I had any interest shooting video for his sister’s upcoming wedding, I was intrigued. I didn’t even own my own camera or lenses at the time, so I borrowed/rented everything and shot it by myself. But I absolutely loved it from start to finish. The wedding day was a constant adrenaline rush (mostly induced by my lack of knowledge and experience), and the editing process provoked a range of emotions I hadn’t ever tapped into with Jackass videos. I partnered with a friend from college for the rest of 2013 and began shooting weddings around Nashville. I met Jess while she was similarly discovering a dream for storytelling across the world, so part of our falling in love began with a shared dream of using our cameras to make something important. We dove right in and launched A Little Long Distance right after we were married. It’s funny—growing up, the thought never crossed my mind to be a filmmaker or do anything with art. I stumbled into it, and it has been a wonderful accident.

JESS: In my school years I was always the one documenting experiences with whatever disposable or digital camera I had at the time, but I’ve always identified as a writer more than an artist. My interest in shooting always intensifies while traveling, so I inevitably began to have a lot of hands-on learning with my camera throughout my study abroad and humanitarian opportunities during and following university. My technical knowledge was minimal, but I found real pleasure in taking a portrait of someone who had never seen themselves in a photo, and experiencing their delight and vulnerability when they were able to see themselves through another set of eyes. Seeking beauty and goodness amid suffering has felt like an overarching theme of my life, so the delicate art of photographing not only the need, but the dignity and joy of the poor felt like the tangible work of that passion. Many of my favorite photos I’ve ever taken are from those days of “happy accidents,” shooting on auto, giving zero direction to my subject, having very little understanding of composition or what made an image technically good. What I *was* learning was shaping my philosophy that I’ve tried to bring into weddings as well: When you photograph someone who trusts you, they’re more willing to give you the gift of vulnerability and show you who they are. When my aim is to showcase myself as the photographer, rather than the unique magnificence of the other, I exploit the person and sacrifice the real soul of a photograph.

In the early stages of your creative journey, what were a couple of things you learned about yourself?

JESS: I became more aware of the challenges (and later, the benefits) of being an introvert on a wedding day. I often felt pressure to mimic the personalities of other successful photographers or planners I saw who were the life of the party in any room they walked in. I envied the way they were able to confidently direct large bridal parties and family photos, and seemed to be actually fueled and energized by the constant socialization and interaction with hundreds of strangers on a wedding day. I’m thankful that the role of wedding photographer has forced me to practice speaking up in authority and challenged me to not always hide behind shyness. But I also began to see there is unique value in a quieter personality, even for wedding photographers! I think for some clients it can actually be a comfort to work with someone who feels like a calming presence amidst the stresses, nerves, and high energy of the day. I’ve also been able to embrace more of a “fly-on-the-wall” approach, allowing my clients’ wedding days to unfold as organically as possible without imposing or drawing attention away from the real purpose of their day— the commitment they’re making to one another.

JOSH: For a while, I was insecure I didn’t meet the stereotype of a “videographer”-not technically savvy enough, not a gear nerd, unaware of “correct” ways to shoot and edit—thus somehow making my art invalid. However, taking on weddings for free in the early days or our business enabled me to take some creative risks, and I found I loved making unconventional films. I’ve always shot and edited more with the content in mind than aesthetics. That raw, unpolished look didn’t follow the norm, but it made me feel something, in the same way, looking at someone’s childhood home videos did. So we leaned into that from the start, seeking out that nostalgia and making work that felt true to us and our couples. It turned out to be a great business decision as we attracted a niche of clients that resonated very strongly with the films. One day it hit me that if 100 video editors were given the same wedding day footage, no video would come out the exact same. I learned that we all-myself included-have unique storytelling abilities, so we should seek to understand that first before we follow a formula to try and replicate the industry standard. I’m grateful we found the freedom to explore our business philosophy, and I think our films still resonate with people who see the world in a similar way as us.

What do you think the biggest challenges are for creatives today?

JOSH: Market entry is easier than ever, by a long shot, in the photo and video world. It used to be that if you invested the tens of thousands of dollars into your gear and were at least average at your craft and marketing, you could find work. Nowadays, the professional gear is unbelievably affordable, and most everyone is decent at marketing (read: knows how to use Instagram). Not to mention that the path from newbie to impressively good is faster than ever thanks to online education. Countless talented creatives are out there, but they get crushed by thinking they have to be more affordable than the competition. They do it for a year or two then realize it’s unsustainable. So you have to find other ways to stand out and plan for long-term success.

How does creativity exist in your life? Is it something you manifest or do you rely on inspiration?

JESS: One of the beauties of being a creative in the wedding industry is that we aren’t crafting a story from scratch-the couples already have multi-layered, unique, fascinating stories of the families they came from, how their lives intersected, the experiences they’ve had separately and together—and our role is to uncover and celebrate what is already there. We’re more anthropologists than we are designers, which alleviates some of the pressures of creativity, but also makes it crucial that we really know and adequately represent the real people and their real story as they’ve experienced it. As much as we love keeping up with and being awed by other artists in our industry, we both tend to draw more universal inspiration from life outside of weddings and try to bring that into our work.

Regarding what you do… What do you love about it? What frustrates you?

JESS: It’s such a humbling and exciting gift that our “job” is being invited to intimately participate in the most important, celebratory days of people’s lives. We feel honored to be able to offer a product that will hopefully become a tangible memory and legacy for a couple and their families. One of the highest compliments anyone has ever paid to us is that they were able to view their wedding photos and film during a difficult day in their marriage and be reminded of the joy-full, hope-full beginning of their marriage and the promises they made to each other in that joy/hope. If the works of our hands are able to help any couple endure in their commitment, we can hope that our work is eternally important. The most frustrating element of this work for me is the necessity of social media for it to grow and prosper. We really struggle with the ways we’ve seen these little devices change us and our human experience, and we feel torn about consequently succumbing and contributing to that culture while trying to showcase our work and put ourselves out there for future clients. If we weren’t in the industry, we’d love to be totally off the grid, so our heart aches for that simplicity even while we love what we do.

JOSH: I often think what it’d be like to watch a wedding video of my grandparents. What if you could hear their voices, see their dances moves, feel their emotions, really just witness who they were on the happiest day of their lives? What if you had that kind of model to see as a young kid? These kind of reflections fuel my passion for creating wedding videos that will be watched for generations to come. It excites me to pay attention every second of a wedding day, finding all the gem moments and thinking about someone reliving them 100 years from now. Sure, it’s pressure, but more than that, it’s an incredible privilege. I also love new friendships, believe strongly in marriage, and feel overwhelmingly grateful to create art for a living. And I savor the freedom and flexibility-both artistically and in our personal lives- this job provides.I’ve found it frustrating that running a sustainable, profitable business as a 1 or 2 person team requires wearing many hats. You must be client relations, sales, marketing, branding, technician, artist, customer service, administration, vision-caster, implementer, and everything in between. I do not loathe all the roles, but it does stifle my creativity and force me to put energy into business management that is sometimes time-consuming and emotionally draining. It’s led to a piled up workload at times, and that makes it hard to turn off work and be content outside the office.

Do you have a daily routine? If so, what does that routine entail?

JOSH: Start the coffee, change a few diapers, eat family breakfast (ideally on our back porch if the weather allows), kiss Jess and kids, bike 5 miles to co-working space in Old Town, arrive around 9:00am, more coffee, typically spend 80-90% of the day editing video, the rest goes to all other business matters, home by 5:00pm, family time, kids’ bed time, possibly physical exercise (running or mountain biking), more work, The Office, or reading.

Are there any practices, habits, or tools you have discovered that significantly impacted your creativity and/or the quality of your output?

JOSH: Two things come to mind. First, the most recent realization, has been working at a co-working space. Up until a few months ago, we both worked from home. When we moved to Colorado, we decided it was time to give an office a try. For a creative with any extrovert bent at all, I vouch for the co-working space even more than a private office. Creativity can be hard to come by, and it’s overwhelming and depressing when you sit alone in a room facing a creative road block. For me, this led to distraction, avoidance, and compounding stress and workload. The office space not only gives the accountability to not be mindlessly browsing Facebook and YouTube, but it also incites a feeling of camaraderie and togetherness. It takes me out of the editing hole when I need to see the light of day!

Second, I have tried to avoid consuming too many wedding videos. I have several go-to wedding filmmakers I draw inspiration from when I feel dry, but I mostly try and avoid it. If I do it too much, I find myself wanting to replicate styles, meet the status quo, and jeopardize my creative inspiration for social acceptance. Instead, I try and watch films that inspire me outside of weddings. I’ll visit Vimeo’s Staff Picks section every few months and binge watch these exceptional short films. If one particularly resonates or moves me in an emotional way, I rewatch it and analyze why it did that, breaking it down by shot selection, pacing, character development, music, etc. I then try and channel this into wedding videos.

What advice would you give to your younger self at the beginning of your career?

JESS: I would tell her that the source of insecurity in my work/ anxiety before wedding days was mostly pride, and fear of being exposed as a fraud to other creatives. I would tell her that I can’t fully love the people I’m working with if they’re merely props for my vision. “That others may be praised, and I unnoticed,” should be the desire of my heart going into and going home from a wedding day. And that success isn’t measured by industry accolades or a shot going viral. Success is clients who feel served and supported by me on their wedding day, who cherish their photos because it takes them back to a moment worth clinging to.

JOSH: Artistically, find your inner voice that makes you YOU. No one can be you, and that separates you from the competition. You will find pleasure in your work and attract ideal clients that connect with the heart of what you’re doing. Practically, hire someone to do things you hate and outsource work that you are willing to give up some control of. Do this as soon as you can afford it. Spiritually, do not forget—the work you create is not the full measure of who you are. You are already loved because you exist, and creating art is a gift to offer the world, not the path to your identity.

Be free in that.