We caught up with the brilliant and insightful CHELSEA RODRIGUEZ a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
CHELSEA, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Let’s kick things off with your mission – what is it and what’s the story behind why it’s your mission?
At Merge Film & Photography, our mission is deeply personal yet universally relatable. Driven by the enduring memories of our daughters, Adeline and Evie Grace Rodriguez, we harness our professional skills and experiences to seize life’s fleeting moments through photography and videography. We come into to every shoot with a different perspective than possibly anyone else.
We are compelled by a profound desire to provide others with tangible, real life memories that we had very few of with our own precious daughters. Through offering our expertise, we celebrate life in all its diversity, endeavoring to encapsulate the priceless moments that define our shared human experience.
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
Life constantly throws curveballs our way; there’s no predicting what’s around the corner. And sometimes, these unexpected turns lead to life-altering experiences. We, too, have walked down that path, felt the soul-shaking ache of losing a child, not once, but twice and nearly losing my own life in the process. In addition to my two other immediate family members who passed unexpectedly all this occurred within a 24 month span.
These stark realities have underscored for us the profound importance of documenting precious moments while we still can. Leaving my secure position as a nurse of a 24 years and my husband his job as well, was no easy choice. Our personal journey compelled us to pick up our camera, to frame and highlight the beauty of life’s fleeting moments for others – those tender instants that are often missed until it’s too late.
In our roles as full-time Videographers and Photographers, we truly understand the priceless significance of memories. It gives us immeasurable satisfaction to help others craft enduring keepsakes, tangible mementos for when their loved ones aren’t physically present anymore. Whether we are filming a wedding or shooting a corporate commercial that is still footprints of your life that deserve the utmost attention and detail.
Our daughters ,Adeline Grace and Evie Graces’ passing has left indescribable impact on us and our family. Their absence is constantly felt in our hearts. However, we carry them with us in every work we undertake. Looking for those moments that no one else may even see. In every emotional exchange with our clients, we are reminded of the resilience of shared human experience. Strengthened by our personal losses, we continue to uphold our values of professionalism, empathy, and approachability.
Memories are invaluable treasures. And while not everyone has the calling to commit them to record, we’ve answered that call. Our own experiences have shaped us and our craft in response. We’re deeply honored by the trust our clients bestow upon us and it is our mission to capture their lived memories, carefully engraving them in the annals of time, so they remain within grasp when needed most.
We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.
The story written on the page before has many facets. I can share testimonies about how our mission and desires have sadly but already proved true for one client who lost her husband one year after we shot their wedding and now a client just married where her 22 year old son gave her away in his army uniform.
She informed me 3 days after the wedding that after the best night of her life, on her wedding night, her son was killed in a car wreck on the way home in seperate car. We spent hours with them capturing the last moments, words, toast and dancing to celebrate his mother and he was gone just like that.
As morbid and hard as it is to hear these things, the’re reality and if we ignore reality the consequences are far more painful. Take the time, be in the present and know that there is one reality the entire world is subject to; loss of life on earth.
Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?
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Contact Info:
- Website: www.mergefilmproductions.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/mergefilmsproduction.com
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MergeFilmProductions/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chelsea-and-pedro-rodriguez-a2908713a/
Image Credits
Merge Film & Photography Productions