Jul 11 2011

Caitlin + Ben “Fly Safe Please.”

First up in a series of posts is a film we made for Caitlin and Ben. When Caitlin emailed me their story, I got chills. Instantly, ideas were popping into my mind. I can’t wait for everyone to see this piece!

A couple reasons why this shoot was awesome… First, Caitlin and Ben were so much fun to hang out with. To see them together, taking those first few steps of getting reacquainted, kept me smiling all day. Second, I was listening to Pandora on my iphone during the Fly In and just as Ben was getting out of his jet, the most beautiful song came on. When they were embracing for the first time in 7 months, the moment and the music moved me to tears. Good thing I was rockin my giant aviators to hide my eyes… had to look tough in front of all the fighter pilots.

Another reason was that the moment we were capturing had immense meaning. Both Caitlin and Ben had a hard time deciding which day was anticipated more; their wedding or the Fly In. That’s pretty big considering how much goes into a wedding. But living without your loved one for soooo long makes the moment you get him or her back a pretty important memory to have captured.

Huge thanks to Shaun for flying out to Virginia Beach with me. From a filmmaking standpoint, we put a lot of thought into the visuals. You can see a lot of Blue and Gold in the second half of the film to give it a feeling of Navy pride. You’ll also see that we incorporated the sky into MANY of our shots. Aside from the whole pilot theme, I did this as a way to keep reminding the viewers how big the world is. Just IMAGINE how big the world must have felt when Ben was on the other side of the world. Also, for the intimate moments of their first embrace, we go from that very wide view to a very close view. A way to make that first contact feel so big. Because if you ask Caitlin or Ben, that moment was huge.

I’m delighted with this film and am so excited for the kinds of stories we will get to tell in the future. Welcome home Sunliners.

Posted in Love Stories

show hide 20 comments

email a friend

Fellow military aviation wife - Thank you for making this film. My husband and I were recently married last summer as well, right before he got deployed for 7 months. This is our third deployment, but the feeling of anticipation and of that special moment you captured in this film never changes. I have a few months to go until he comes home and this video has reminded me and given me the strength I need to get to that day. This film is exactly what we go through and you captured it beautifully…. even to the ride in the car home, exchanging of gifts, moment in the grocery store.. Its exactly what we go through. Thank you.. I have never seen anything like this

Lauren B - What a wonderful video and unforgettable memory for them both. I look forward to sharing it with my boyfriend who is an aero major at USNA and has a dream of becoming a Naval fighter pilot :) Definitely brought a lot of tears and I can only dream of becoming as strong as Caitlin, but I am going to try my best! <3 God bless!

Amanda - Thank you so much for sharing your story, Caitlin and Ben. You are a source of hope and inspiration. I will be saying goodbye to my fighter pilot for 6 months in December and your story hit home. This video is a reminder of why our brave men do what they do, and how much good there is to come! I can’t wait for his homecoming!

Holly - stunning. thanks for sharing.

Kerri - Thanks for sharing. My deployed husband made a surprise call while I was watching. It made the video even better. It is beautiful.

Caitie Mitchell - Thank you so much for sharing this! My fiancee and I are engaged to be married next June and she is currently on her first deployment. These kind of videos warm my heart and keep me looking forward. :)

M.K.McCleary - I’m Caitlin Horn’s Mom and Ben’s Mom-In-Law. Thank you for such a beautiful video that captured this special moment that we will have for a lifetime! Cried from beginning to end…

Coretta, Independent Stylist for Stella & Dot - Okay, okay, you got me. As an Air Force officer and one formerly married to an A-10 fighter pilot, I felt that one. :) Love it.

Evelyn Roberson - Thank you for your service Ben! From the wife of another pilot who understands…God will not give you more than you can bear and He will bless you both for your committment.

Brent @ Live View Studios - Wow – this is incredible guys. As a photographer, I had tears in my eyes when I got done watching it. Great job!

Brittany - What an incredible moment that you were able to capture! You know that love is so real when readers have tears of joy rolling down their face! Congratulations to that adorable couple and your amazing videography!

Erica Ann Photography - Well – you made me cry! Beautiful video – thanks for capturing this! And thank you Caitlin and Ben for all of your sacrifices.

carla - As i watched this it reminded me of the feelings i had when i was married and my ex came home from tours of duty,the mix of feelings was immence but the moment you see them walk towards you is like the world stops turning.I still experiance those feelings as my fiance now orks abroad for months at a time in fact i may see him for a total of 7 weeks this year,

To anyone who is seperated from their loved one for long periods of time where ever you are in the world. keep you chin up abd remember each day is a day closer to them coming home.

God bless

Jessica - Beautiful! I loved it!!!

Raina - just beautiful- I cried! Very, very special, gorgeous cinematography, beautiful document

Jessie Allen - I started to just melt when I saw this video. Not just because it is so heart felt, but its like I am watching a video of my husband and I. I met my husband exactly two years ago when he was stationed in Texas and I was in Fort Wort in school for my medical degree. He was stationed flying fighter jets in Del Rio,TX about 6 hours from fort worth. We drove every other weekend to see each other for about 6 months until he moved to Phoenix where he was stationed there. For the next year we saw each other exactly 48 hours a month. One weekend trip a month… Sometimes we had crazy schedules or couldnt afford the plane ticket…so we would go two months. We got married on Dec 18, 2010, went on our honeymoon and then he went back to Phoenix, I went back to Texas. This July, 2 years after we had met, I was able to follow him to South Carolina. Little did we know that less than 2 months after we got here, he would be deployed for 7 months. So after 3 years of knowing each other, we will have probably spent a cumulative total of 3 or 4 months together. As much as I feel God has taken away in my life, he has blessed me with a love worth so much more. Congrats to the both of you and congrats on finding that love. God Bless both our husbands for what they do. I do the same thing with my husband….every not I write him I fill in at the end….”Smile Big, Fly high, see you soon”

Never forget, you are not alone! God only gave us this challenge because he knew we were strong enough to handle it. God Bless America.

Amy Rodrigues - Hey Guys-

Every so often I check out your website to see new videos you’ve posted. Even though we are still 9 months out, I get more and more excited by the day. And the more videos I see from you, the happier I am, as I know that our wedding day will be documented to beautifully. I wanted to comment on this video specifically because I grew up with the Horn family. Ben was a few years above me in school and I was so surprised that I still recognized him! Great film!

Melissa - Tears!!! That was so beautiful.

JessieDawn Photography - I am in LOVE with this video! I cried from the time it started until 10 mins after it was finished. Thank You for sharing this!

Some videos, for your perusal. | oak and owl - [...] From the lovely Elise, a Navy couple’s homecoming: “Fly Safe Please” [...]

Your email is never published or shared. Required fields are marked *

*

*

There was an error submitting your comment. Please try again.

© 2010 SandboxLove designed by delbarrmoradi.com | ProPhoto Photography Theme by NetRivet