Time Walk Wedding Video

Personal. I want to bring out the story of how each couple fell in love, what makes them unique, and what’s going to keep them together. Sometimes those details emerge from the couple themselves during brief interviews I take with them early in the wedding day. Sometimes they come from the letters the bride and groom write to each other. Or a few of those important details can come out during the toasts. If the couple writes their own vows, that tends to be one of the best sources for gleaning the details of their love. I like to rely on several sources, if I can, to piece together that story. All of this is to say, to me, the story is just as important as the visual component.

I studied film in college, withe the lofty goal a becoming a movie director. I like the idea of figuring out the best angle and best lens for each situation, as well as piecing together unique story threads. After college, I worked for a production company that did everything from local TV commercials to 8mm film-to-DVD conversions. And, of course, weddings. It was in the latter task that I found my niche. After a couple years of experience, I worked out a deal with my boss to purchase all the wedding contracts we had booked, and I've been filming weddings ever since.

I have to improvise at most weddings, to some degree. Schedules may get delayed or changed, or the groom may have a surprise for the bride that, in the interest of keeping the secret, he didn’t disclose to anyone. When I first started out in the wedding industry, that was a little stressful. But I quickly adapted and accepted it as part of the job. I always keep extra batteries and memory cards with me at all times, as well as at least one lens that I’m not planning on needing. In learning to be prepared for all contingencies, I actually look forward to the creative challenge a forced improvisation can present.

You’ve planned an elaborate party on one of the most transformative and important days of your life. Not having that day documented is the single biggest regret I've heard from parents and brides, after the fact, when they chose not to hire a videographer. Replaying each moment with a quality video production is much more rewarding than looking at pictures of those same moments - the sound of your loved one’s voice as they speak their vows, their full reaction as they see you for the first time that day, the movement and mannerisms of your family and friends - all of these crucial details are documented forever with an experienced videographer.

I color-correct, and I edit full chronological events! This is a distinction most brides miss when comparing videographers. Will your videographer actually clean up the footage, or are they planning on giving you “raw footage”? Cinema cameras film in flat color profiles with little saturation; once properly edited, that footage has a distinct advantage over the typical video look. But in its raw form, it is nearly colorless and unexciting to watch. When shot with multiple cameras, "raw" also means that there is no cutting to the best angle at any given moment. Many videographers try to have their cake and eat it, too, by delivering a beautiful, cinema-quality highlight video, but then handing over dull, flat, single-angle dumps of raw footage for the full events. I’m not afraid to do work, so I shoot cinema-quality all day and edit everything to make sure the colors look great and you're looking at the best angle.