PURPLE THISTLE

Amanda Rose Wilder / As an artist I began as a poet, and then found filmmaking, and continue to bounce back and forth between these two mediums. I am drawn to the subtle, colorful, honest, and the place where grounded and elevated states meet.

The first picture was taken at a film festival in Spain. I was there to screen a feature documentary film I made, Approaching the Elephant. This film played at the Museum of Modern Art, won multiple festival awards around the world, was written about in The New Yorker and recently in The New York Times.

The second picture...well, I was always nurturing and protective of the class pet. I bring this same sensitivity and empathy to my interactions with people, and to my filmmaking.

On a wedding day, I show up as an observer and supporter. My role is to capture your day artfully, observantly, and to let you be present. I do not direct. My process is collaborative and very much based on each couple’s energy. I consider wedding days exciting opportunities to step into communities and make something beautiful that reflects who people are and their experiences.

More: I have one daughter, and we live in sourthern Rhode Island, homeschool, and do a lot of traveling. I love to work with my hands, and have built out a camper van. I am also trained as a birth doula, and find a lot of similarities between supporting people during the great life transition of giving birth and the transition on a wedding day into married life. In both situations, I strive to celebrate you for who you are and what you want this day in your life to be.

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