Mairi McGinnis, a wedding coordinator at Scribner Bend Vineyards asked me to produce a short promotional piece for her fabulous venue right off the Sacramento River. We filmed so many great shots from Tiffane and John's September wedding at Scribner Bend that I put together the short film (below) of their day:
Dave Williams, a collegue of mine and owner of DVideography in Philadelphia, suggested 10 questions any bride should ask her prospective videographer. Dave wrote these in response the occasional wedding planner, bridal magazine or bridal website that encourage brides to ask the wrong questions in searching for great videography.
Dave also participated in the World Record Wedding Video Event (WRWVE) held here in Sacramento in 2006. Thanks Dave:
The 10 REAL Questions You Should Ask Your Wedding Videographer
1. How will my movie sound?
2. How do you handle lighting?
3. How do you vary your shots?
4. How do you plan to tell the story of my day?
5. How long will it take to get my finished movie?
6. Are you 'preferred' by the other companies I've hired?
7. May I see other clients' movies and read what they had to say about you?
8. How do you get your shots without being 'in the way'?
9. Why are your services more expensive/less expensive than other companies?
10. What do you do to make sure our movie is unique to our personalities?
...and to our prospective brides: please feel free to ask:)
Bridal shows can be a great place for couples to meet prospective wedding vendors. The show was held on November 15th at the fabulous Serrano Country Club, and included many top flight wedding professionals. Many thanks to show producer Roxie Peace and for the hospitality of Serrano's Jennifer Galisatus. I filmed this with our new video camera- the Canon 7D DSLR.
Shaina & Donnie were married over the weekend at the beautiful Sacramento LDS (Mormon) Temple in Folsom. Until 2006, the closest temple for Sacramento LDS couples to be married was the Oakland Temple. Photo & Video are not allowed in the temple, but we get some gorgeous imagery outside when they finish the ceremony. The reception was later held at the Granite Bay Golf Club. Since only worthy members can enter the LDS temple, a ring ceremony was held before the reception at Granite Bay. We produced a Same-Day edit for the couple- projecting film highlights of the wedding day at the reception. The music provided by the bride was, "The man I love" by Ella Fitzgerald. (dedication photo above taken by Kurt Siggard).
The September meeting of Sacramento NACE (National Association of Catering Executives) was held at the beautiful Newcastle Wedding Gardens + Red Horse Barn. Some of the areas finest Wedding and Event Professionals attended. Our NACE President, Monty Montgomery was undergoing a major surgery and was unable to attend. We wish him a full and speedy recovery. Newcastle Owner Georgia Barron asked that I film the meeting because of the unique decor featured at the event. The theme?- A Bohemian Garden Party! Enjoy:
We filmed Nicole & Brady's wedding Saturday October 3, at the Flower Farm Inn in Loomis. The Farm includes several small detached cottages, perfect for Groomsmen/Bridesmaid dressing before the big event. The couple chose a perfect country setting, complete with roaming flock of Silke Chickens. Silke chickens originate from Asia, and are named for their unique, fluffy plumage, which is said to feel like silk. The children had a ball chasing them around. The chickens even made a guest appearance during the ceremony! Nicole brought in talented photojournalist Felicia Perry from L.A. as well as my good friend Joe Kalimaras from SJ's Disc Jockey.
Elizabeth & John were married February of this year at Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Sacramento. The couple prepared for the day at the beautiful Citizen Hotel in midtown. This was my first shoot at the Citizen, and they've done a fabulous job refurbishing the place! The highlights clip includes a cool time lapse sequence at the hotel, plus a radical helecopter shot high above the Library Galleria- (what I won't do for a great shot!:):
Tracy and Tim were married at Arden Hills Resort Club and Spa in a fabulous wedding on September 5. Although we have filmed weddings at Arden Hills now for over 15 years, I've never seen the Gold Room adorned quite like this. Fortunately, Tracy chose some of Sacramento's best wedding professionals- Rebecca & Barry from Ford Family Photography, Brian Greenwalt (who really needs a website:) of Music and More Entertainment, and the talented woman that brought of this incredible event together- Kendra from Pheiffer Event Planning. I knew that Tracy had planned to deck out the Gold Room, so I couldn't resist shooting a 360 degree panoramic movie of her first dance:
This January wedding day was packed will visually stunning opportunities for both cinematography and photography: from early bridal prep at Christina's parents' home to the ceremony at the beautiful St. Peter and Paul Catholic Church and finally ending at the famous Bimbo's 365 Club in midtown San Francisco. This wedding had it all! Many thanks to Heather Wiley Photography for several of the stills used in this piece:
I recently put down my video camera for an SLR....at least for a day:) Last Friday, I had the opportunity to shoot stills at a wedding with my good friend Sam Wood from Sharpe Photographers at the Newcastle Wedding Gardens. I had asked him when we worked together at a wedding months before if I could tag along someday as a second shooter/assistant just for fun- and it really was! Attending a wedding without the usual video production pressures was wonderful. Sam outfitted me with a Nikon DX1 body and the pick of any pro lens in his considerable arsenal and we were off to the races:
Having professionally filmed weddings as a videographer over the last 19 years, I could not help but make some comparative observations between wedding videography and photography:
1. Photographers chase the perfect moment, that fraction of a second of optimum lighting, expression, composition etc. Talented photographers rarely get that perfect shot, but they approach it several times at each wedding. Videographers seek to capture the story and emotion of the day in motion and sound. As Sarah -our beautiful bride- tearfully repeated her vows at the altar, I instinctively reached for a video camera- but Sarah chose not to hire a videographer. I felt sad that that memory of that remarkably powerful scene - perhaps the single most important event in her life - will forever be lost.
2. In-camera editing rocks! (am I young enough to say that?) As a photo rookie, I LOVED the ability to instantly delete my last (usually) lousy photo at the push of a button...and Sam would never see it:) I spend an average of 30 hours editing each wedding video- how cool it is for my photog friends to be able to do much of the image editing on-site!
3. Changing exposure accurately in rapidly changing lighting conditions is much easier in video. Since you are looking at the constant LCD readout on a video camera, dialing in the proper exposure real-time is a snap. I fequently found myself chimping (looking at the Nikon's LCD) after each still shot. However, I was more relaxed not having to be constantly worried about making sure the camera was properly framed, focused and exposed or correct audio was being captured as I had become accustomed to in shooting video.
4. Professional Wedding Videography & Photography are complimentary artforms. Brides sometimes ask me if they need a Photographer if they can make stills from video. Not only do stills from a professional photographer render much higher resolution than video stills, but a good photog typically has advanced lighting and compositional skills vital for posed shots such as formals or an engagement session . Thanks Sam!
Below is my favorite shot of the day. Call it luck:)
