Mattock Wedding Films: Capturing Precious Moments in Sayulita

Graham Mattock, originally from a small village in England called Thulston, spent a lot of his younger years growing up in Saudi Arabia. In 2010, he traveled to Mexico, planning to stay only a week or two, but never left. Now, officially a permanent resident, he is the owner of Mattock Wedding Films in Sayulita.

When did your passion for photography start?

My initial passion for photography started when I bought a DSLR and had two adventures planned – traveling in India and sailing around Europe. After these two trips with my camera I was hooked! After being a computer programmer for 10 years, I decided to try and take my passion for photography/video into a full-time job. It has been 5 years and was the best decision (other than moving to Mexico), I've ever made. I started out photographing weddings and architecture (I still shoot for AirBnB), but gradually I caught the bug for video and have been specializing in only wedding video for the last 3 years.

So, how did you get your start in filming weddings?

Knowing the basics of photography and having photographed a number of weddings gave me a huge advantage coming into filming weddings.  I had only shot a couple of promo videos for local restaurants when a couple found me and asked if I could shoot their wedding. Filming my first wedding was the hardest, but also the most rewarding and I haven't looked back since.

What was it about filming weddings that drew you to it?

I love capturing people’s raw emotions – and there are always a lot of those at weddings!  I'm constantly evolving and just love the challenge, learning new techniques, and seeing the reactions of my clients.

How would you describe your style of filming?

Candid.  99% of a wedding video is low-key and unobtrusive. I feel it's so important to give plenty of distance and not be noticed.  When you are aware of that, it's really easy to capture people’s natural candid emotions.

So, why hire a videographer to film your Sayulita wedding?

There are a few misconceptions about wedding video. A lot has evolved over the last 10 years, helped by technology, wedding videos are now much more cinematic and focus on telling a story, rather than just filming a straight edit of the ceremony.  There is simply no better way of reliving your special day than to see moving images with your own voice and music. I often show my initial edits to friends for any critique, and even though they don't know the couple, it's amazing to see their reactions, often crying!

Would you describe one of your favorite wedding videos you’ve filmed in Sayulita? What is it you like about this one?

I filmed a wedding at Villa Amor in November. It's a magical place with the best views of Sayulita. The bride and groom were a little nervous, and so decided to say their heartfelt vows by themselves, just after the first look.  They were both crying, and I must admit, even I had a couple of tears It’s probably my favorite candid moment to date.

You incorporate drones into your work. Will you tell me more about this?

Most of my wedding films now open with a few drone shots. There is simply no better way to set the scene and show people who are not there where the wedding took place.