Good morning to you my visual media vixens,
For this months blog post, I am ecstatic to have been able to interview my friend Garry McManus, who is an Ibiza based videographer. His talent for capturing those intimate and special moments on a couple’s wedding day is a rare gift, which I am sure you will see from some of the pictures I have included in this post. Without further ado, I introduce to you Garry.
(Images courtesy of Maria Simon photography)
Hi Garry, thank you for agreeing to this interview. For those of my followers who don’t know you, can you just explain where you live and what you do for a living?
Hi Keya, first of all I´d like to say a big thank you for asking me to feature on your blog.
I live in Ibiza and have been here full-time for the last 4 years since my son Noah was born here on Dec 8th 2013. I´ve been coming to Ibiza since 2004 and fell in love with the island many years ago. The energy here is like nowhere else in the world and it just feels like home so it just always felt right being here and where I feel like myself more than anywhere else in the world. It´s funny looking back to 2004 as I had never been to Ibiza apart from when I was too young to remember and I just booked a one way ticket thinking I´ll see what happens…
That summer I stayed for 4 months and things worked out so well it was crazy but little did I know that this beautiful island had so much more in store for me. It´s hard to explain but it´s been the making of me in that I have my beautiful son Noah here and the career I dreamt of. I sometimes joke and say I´ll wake up one day back in my old life but for now the dream is real and I keep that in mind everyday to stay focussed.
I have my own business here called Infin8 Images which I started back in 2014 working as a videographer which is my absolute dream. It started as a hobby just back in 2011 when I was travelling through Asia & India and I´m just drawn to it all the time and work from home when I´m not filming so I often find myself at the computer editing. It´s my meditation and I love it so I´m happy to put in the hours. As Steve Jobs once said… The only way to do great work is to love what you do. I´m fortunate that I’ve found that and to do it in a place like Ibiza but the journey to this point was far from easy. You just have to take a leap of faith and give it everything if you really want to do the thing you love.
I actually met you at one of the amazing Swankys events a number of years ago. Do you have fond memories of those years?
Yes we met many years ago during a different stage in my life. I have some great memories from those days and the guy´s from that era of my life are all still my best friends to this day with Parris also living here in Ibiza and the godfather to my son so we´re still close. He´s a DJ so we´re both in the creative industry and now we often have a chess night with a glass of red wine to wind down and chill as we both have hectic work schedules. Swanky´s was really the first of it´s kind with what we did and so many people had a lot of fun so I always look back with fond memories but I´m happy to have moved on to the next chapter in my life now.
3) Do you ever miss the modelling world?
No I don´t miss it at all. I never really enjoyed it to be honest and only really liked doing jobs with the guys so I was happy to leave that all behind. Many of my friends have had great careers in modelling but I feel much more at home behind the camera filming.
What made you get into videography and how did you start out?
I always loved photography but my background is in sport. When I first left school I was a professional footballer doing that for 3 years at Southampton until the age of 19 when I was released and my whole world fell apart as I had no clue what to do from there. I was fortunate enough to get into the modelling and promo world whilst at uni meeting some amazing people along the way all through my 20s doing some really fun jobs so I was having fun working but I always knew that it wasn´t a long-term career path and often thought what my next step would be but never really knew until I had the urge to buy my first DSLR camera back in 2009. I was heading over to New York for a few days and thought it would be cool to get a camera and take some nice pictures. I had a blast and people loved the pictures which gave me the confidence to pursue it. Being around the modelling world at the time helped as I was able to do some test shoots with friends and it kind of picked up from there. I then went travelling through Asia in India over a 2 year period where I really got into it and fell in love with taking pictures. It took me to some incredible places especially through India but I never had it in my mind about being a career as it was so hard to break into the world of photography and make money so I always just thought it would be a hobby. Maybe the best thing I did was starting to film whilst in Cambodia during 2011 and teaching myself how to edit as I went. I´m sure those first videos would make me cringe but it´s a progression and everything has to start somewhere so I have to thank my 2011 for starting as it ultimately created the opportunity to have the life I have now.
What is your favourite kind of shoot to do?
My main line of work is filming weddings. It´s been an incredible journey from 2014 to now which I sometimes look at and say how did this happen, it´s crazy but I appreciate every minute of it. The thought of filming weddings back in the early days around 2012-2013 when I was still living in the UK didn´t interest me and I thought I´d never do it but as soon as I did my first wedding here in Ibiza I was hooked. It´s a whole different ball game and the weddings here are amazing. That´s not to say the weddings in England aren´t good but I just feel like I´m in a bubble here and everything reflects that. I will often have client meetings sat around swimming pools with Noah playing in the pool splashing us which wouldn´t happen in the UK and that makes it feel extra special having him involved on some level.
It´s a very personal experience filming a wedding so I like to meet the couple before the big day and really get to know them so we´re more like friends and they feel comfortable with me having the camera on them. During the day I try to be in the background as much as possible but during the getting ready shots i´m often in hotel rooms with a lot of people so they have to feel at ease with me being there so I get the natural shots.
Also, knowing that they´ll have the film in the family for the rest of there lives and beyond makes it a very special experience and creates a really nice connection between myself and the couple. The feedback over the years has been incredible which I don´t get from shooting anything else like fashion as an example which makes it all worthwhile and makes me want to create something special for every couple.
Couple´s often have film screening parties at home and send me little video clips of everyone watching which makes it feel very real and that´s when I feel the pressure as up until then i´m on my own making the edit so seeing people watch it and their reaction makes me see and feel the importance of doing a great job by giving the couple a film there proud to share.
Besides work, what hobbies do you have or what do you enjoy doing in your spare time?
Well I have to be honest that over the last 2 years it´s been non stop work as things have really taken off now so I´ve neglected my hobbies for the time being but when I had the time and when I go back to them my hobbies include… Kite surfing, Bike rides, gym and i´ll be doing a yearly snowboarding holiday with Noah. For me, kite surfing is the one which I learnt 2 years ago and plan to do some amazing adventures around the world kite surfing in all the best places with Noah making a movie of our life together as we go. I´ve been filming him since he was born with this in mind so now that he´s getting a little older we can start doing some adventure sports and make things a lot more interesting. It´s going to be amazing, I can´t wait to share those experiences with him seeing his face.
Have you mastered the work/ life balance?Definitely not! I´m a workaholic but if I´m honest I was always drawn to taking pictures, filming and editing when I wasn´t working back before this was my career so now I just get to do what I enjoy the most and can make a nice life from so I never feel like I´m working. I do have to get the balance back in my life more than I have now but starting a business from scratch doing something I haven´t made money from previously in another country isn´t easy but I´m happy that it´s paid off so I´m happy to work as much as I need to make things the best they can be.
Where do you see yourself in 10 years time?
Right now I call these the building years… It´s like playing chess. I have my goals and surround myself everyday with my vision board which is now a whole wall full of things I want to attract into my life but it´s not about the material possessions it´s about the freedom and the choice to do what I want whenever I want with the people I love. I want to create a life full of adventure that I can share with my family and friends and film the moments along the way so we never forget. I didn´t have much growing up but I owe my determination to that upbringing and wouldn´t change it for the world but I want my mum to have a nice life so I have that in mind. I´d love to be the best wedding videographer in the world so right now my focus with work is on that and then I´d like to branch out into other areas of filming but I also love boats and plan to buy a boat so I can go between filming and being out on the boat fusing the 2 together as I´d be filming people have fun on the boat so for sure in 10 years that´s the life I imagine living here in Ibiza. And then travelling with my family having adventures and seeing the world together during the winter months.
Thank you so much for your time Garry. For those of my readers who are looking for a Videographer, what is the best way to get in touch with you?
Now for a bit of fun, here is my infamous quick-fire round. Just answer with the first one which comes into your head.
Sea or snow?Sea
Book or podcast?Book
Formal wear or casual? Casual but I do love a good suit.
Couture or street style?Street style
Beach or pool side?Hmmm… Beach
Clubbing or bar hopping?Bar hopping but prefer a good restaurant with nice food and a glass of red wine.
Photographs or videos?Videos
until next time, take care
Keya
Keya 