The Three Seconds That Changed Everything…

The Three Seconds That Changed Everything

I’ve had plenty of people film my booth over the years.

And somehow, they never quite captured it. Quite frustrating for me..

When I arrived at Brad and Nele’s wedding at the beautiful Botanical Gardens in Liverpool, the first person I bumped into was the brilliant wedding photographer, Mark Horton.

As wedding suppliers do, we started talking shop. (Wink)

I’d been telling Mark that I desperately needed a new promo video.

“I know exactly what’s missing,” I said.

Every video seemed to miss one of the four moments.

The outside of the booth.

The drawing, not when I’ve just started, but when it’s almost finished.

The portrait being passed through the opening.

And finally, the reaction.

Because the reaction is the product!

I’d even been wondering if I could cheekily persuade Mark to stage those shots with me the following morning before we all travelled home. We were both staying over in Liverpool after all. If you don’t ask, you don’t get.

I never needed to.

Mark simply smiled and said,

“I’ll do that now for you.”

Three minutes later, I had exactly the footage I’d been trying to explain for years.

No fuss.

No staging.

No asking guests to do anything twice.

Just someone who completely understood the brief.

Brad and Nele’s wedding was an absolute joy to be part of. The Botanical Gardens team were brilliant to work with, everything felt relaxed and effortless, and their family and friends couldn’t have been lovelier.

Then there’s Nele.

On the very same day she got married, she also graduated.

What are the chances?

Most people would have spread those milestones out a little. Nele simply booked both because that’s exactly the sort of person she is.

There’s a lovely film of their Town Hall ceremony too, which I’ll link below because it’s well worth a watch.

Back to those four shots…

The finished video only lasts a few seconds.

Which is funny really.

My portraits take three minutes or less to draw, but asking someone online to watch the whole thing is another matter entirely.

People scroll.

Fast.

So instead of showing every pen stroke, Mark showed the transformation.

Booth.

Drawing.

Reveal.

Reaction.

Your brain fills in the rest.

That little video has now been watched more than 50,000 times on TikTok and, more importantly, it’s generated 35 enquiries for next year’s weddings.

TikTok still feels like a bit of a mystery to me. Some videos disappear into the void while others take on a life of their own.

But I don’t think this one was successful because of the algorithm.

I think it worked because it finally showed people what my booth actually feels like.

Not what it looks like.

That’s a big difference.

People think I’m selling portraits.

I’m not.

I’m selling curiosity.

Conversation.

The queue.

The laughter when someone sees their portrait for the first time.

The drawing is simply how all of that begins.

So thank you, Mark.

Sometimes all it takes is someone who really listens.

And sometimes the three seconds that change everything start with a three-minute conversation.

Watch Nele & Brad’s story about there wedding day here

Oh yeah and you can follow me on Tik Tok

PHOTOS BY MARK HORTON