The Historic Sesnon House in Aptos was the backdrop for this emotional weddings that joined Erika to Jesse. The bridal party included some talented groomsmen who lent their skills in song and music for the ceremony and reception. The warm sun and clear skies set the tone for the outdoor ceremony and dinner. Afterwards, the party moved inside for music laid down by DJ Jack of Music Now DJ's and the Funk Band Groovus. The talented team of Allumer Weddings and Events, Gillett Photography, and yours-truly, AwesomeShot Studios helped to set the mood, and capture the action.
The toasting never stopped at this chic wedding at the beautiful Villa Montalvo. The non-stop action certainly kept me on my toes as there was never a quiet moment. From their first meeting, signing the ketubah, onto the outdoor ceremony and during a gourmet dinner punctuated with toasts, stories, games and songs (as is Russian custom). Of course, every toast ended with shouts of "Gorko", urging the bride and groom to kiss. Who could object? Mazel Tov to this wonderful couple!
Villa Montalvo is dramatic enough in itself without the fast-moving clouds that were rolling in on this July weekend. By the time the string quartet began, the clouds were making way for a strikingly bright exit of the beautiful Vanessa in her custom wedding gown. The handsome groom and anxious bride exchanged their vows under bright skies and amidst adoring glances. The reception was lavish, touching, and funny as the couple toasted each table, played trivia games and dined on a magnificent dinner. No detail was overlooked, which made for a spectacular start to a new life together. Cheers to Vanessa and Chris. Many happy years together to this wonderful couple.
Villa Montalvo, the historic and beautiful former home of California Senator James Duval Phelan was the setting for Maria and Andrew's July 3rd wedding. The bright blue sky and typically gorgeous California day set the mood for their vows under a very special chuppa (ceremonial Jewish wedding shelter). A self-described 'small town boy from Tennessee' met his match in a 'Russian-Jewish ice-skater who loves penguins'. Two worlds were joined in a wedding that was both moving and enlightening. Still photography was handled by the wonderful and talented Claudia Akers who I always enjoy working with. The Full Tilt Band supplied the tunes that kept the dance floor packed. What a way to start a holiday weekend!
The challenge: how to ride your custom chopper into a country club with the bride on the back (to the tune of 'Bad to the Bone'). Answer, with great care. Mike and Belle went so far as to plastic wrap the rear tire for this surprise entrance that dropped jaws and garnered many high-fives. Unfortunately, the couple's two 'kids' (Doberman's) weren't allowed to serve as ring-bearers. Other surprises included the groom singing to the bride for their first dance. Needless to say, this was a very well planned, beautiful, emotional and memorable wedding. We were glad to be there to capture the moments that go by as quick as, well, Mikes chopper.
If you're going to pick a date to get married, I would recommend holiday weekends. Not only are they easier to remember, but you also get to celebrate future anniversaries with an additional day off. Marisa and JP tied the knot at Martinelli Event Center in Livermore this past weekend on a beautiful (if somewhat windy) summer day. Livermore isn't known for its mild weather, but this one was an absolute dream. I had met with Marisa, and her parents last year and knew that this would be a stylish wedding. Kristen from Sugar Rush Events worked her magic in transforming the event center into a dreamy and colorful fantasy world fit for royalty. Some of the unique elements included crystal chandeliers for the outdoor ceremony, placecards in a sea of coarse rock-salt, and a planter filled with 'dancing shoes' at the corner of the dance floor. Of course, the highlight of the day was the emotional ceremony that combined the two families into one. The beautiful flowers by Jinger of The Flower House surrounded Marisa and JP as they exchanged their vows under the late-afternoon sun. Ingrid Nelson discretely captured the stills on film and was an absolute pleasure to work with. When the sun finally set and all the toasts were over, DJ Stefano from Big Fun DJ's rocked the house with a killer light show and inspired music selection. Nothing pleases me more than seeing empty chairs during the dancing. Even when the cake was waiting for them! Hopefully, the highlights capture the elegance and romance of this evening as narrated by Rev. Angela Yarber, the best man, Chris, and the maid of honor, Celia.
Mother's Day just took on new meaning for Irene and Joe, who tied the knot at Casa Real Event Center in Pleasanton May 10th. This beautiful and emotional wedding under the late afternoon sun had all the elements of a perfect day. Beautiful bride, handsome groom, and the love of friends and family. Mark Gelineau, a first-time officiant and close personal friend of Joe performed a moving ceremony with plenty of humor, personal touches..and even a greeting in Korean! AwesomeShot Studios handled the moving images, the superb team of Augie Chang Photographyhad it all covered for stills. DJ Brandon of Elite Beat Deejays got the crowd on their feet and Alyssia Jones of Casa Real made sure that it all went together smoothly.
After a recent wedding for a couple that I was connected to on Facebook, I started thinking a bit differently about what I can do to keep the energy of the wedding day going and allow friends and family to experience a little bit of what I observed and recorded as a videographer. Not wanting to let the photographers have all the fun of instant feedback, I wanted to contribute in my own way. Therefore, I started putting together a highlight video within a couple of hours.
Knowing the footage intimately, I was able to capture those scenes I would use, set them to the right music, add a few classy effects and encode it for immediate distribution. Of course, this still takes quite a few hours. But since I'm not working on all of the footage, my first few hours are the most crucial ones to getting a great final trailer. There are so many great and emotional shots to choose from...but you've got to really focus on those that tell the story best. Within a half-day of the wedding, I was able to post this video on Facebook to share with Grace and Russ. Location: Los Gatos Hotel Flowers: Natalini Flowers Cake: Jen's Cakes Photographers: Kim and Niki
When I was just starting out in my video career, I had a job at ABC News in New York's Kennedy airport. I loved it, even though it was a part time job in a small office with no one to talk to. My task was to downlink (not download...this is 1988) "This Week with David Brinkley" and "Nightline" and re-edit them for Delta Airlines in-flight news programs. I would also duplicate the tapes (Sony's Beta format, RIP) for each Delta flight according to the daily manifest. The fun part was rushing to deliver each one to the flights (often minutes before the flight departure). It was in this job that I got to know Cokie Roberts and Ted Koppel, as well as the late David Brinkley and the other fine journalists of ABC. Unfortunately, I never got to meet any of them in person...but I felt like I knew them. So it was with great satisfaction that I happened to run into Cokie at a video shoot honoring Prof. Charles Ogletree (Obama's Harvard Law professor). When I told my table-mates at the Kaiser Family Foundation about the ABC/Cokie connection, they insisted I introduce myself and repeat the story I had just told them. Well, Cokie got a kick out of it, having been reminded of old times and we chatted about the state of journalism today (having a background in journalism myself). I've never been a star-seeker, but here was a journalist I greatly admired and respected, so I'm proud to have finally come full circle and met 'in reality' the woman who I've seen hundreds of times before.
Its a New Year. My first wedding of 2009 is in progress. There is a shaky economy. War hasn't disappeared. Yet I feel confident that this will be a transformative year. I always go into a new year with the hopes that things will get better. This doesn't mean that problems will disappear...but its the HOPE that they can be worked on. Already, I'm excited about the prospect of some fresh leadership in the white house. If we need anything right now, its a bold vision of a better future.
My small part is (and always has been) to consume less and give more. As 'green' as the video industry might be, there is always room for improvement. To that end, I've almost completely eliminated my dependence on Alkaline batteries (audio gear, mostly). The 9V batteries I've used in the past 20 years could easily fill a small room. The rechargable alternatives have never been attractive in terms of performance and lifespan. I had plenty of 50-60% full 9V batteries that I had to dispose of. Recently, I've purchased a new wireless system and audio recorders that use AA batteries. The hybrid rechargeable AA's are much more advanced and do no self-discharge as readily as the old NiMh ones.
I've always relied on (very expensive) rechargeable batteries for my video cameras and portable lights, so I jazzed to be able to replace the alkaline batteries that always seemed to pile up (half used, of course). There is only so much re-purposing one can do with a used AA (trust me, I've tried it all).
Thursday, December 18, 2008
So its the calm before the storm. Hard drive is cleaned up and ready for the new batch of footage, desk is (slowly) getting uncluttered, and I have even found time to return to the gym regularly (more than twice a week). I always look forward to this time of year as a time of catching up with the workload, the friends and the family. This year will be a challenging one for everyone, and I often retreat to the safety of my office...even if I don't need to be there. So it was little surprise today that I found myself photoshopping some pictures of our studio-cat Binky. This is his first appearance on my mostly-business blog. At 19 years old, he might not be making a long-term appearance, but we certainly hope he sticks around. He is family, after all.
San Francisco is known for many wonderful things, but consistent weather is not on the short list. Driving up the coast as the fog got thicker, I was glad that this couple chose to tie the knot indoors at the Cliff House, rather than on the deck overlooking the cool-blue Pacific. However cold an windy it might have been right outside the doors, there was a wonderfully warm and inviting group of friends and family that came to watch these two exchange their vows. Anna is a wonderfully expressive and outgoing bride, and Dale could pass for Hugh Grant if he pulled off the British accent.
This past Thursday was the grand opening of Crystal and Claudia's beautiful new studio space in San Jose. The dynamic duo pulled a few rabbits out of their hats in lining up some wonderful sponsors and assembling a great group of people to help them celebrate. Super DJ and radio personality "King" Raffi helped immensely in getting some fun and irreverent interviews from the assembled guests. Congratulations to you both, and thanks for including me in the festivities.
A wedding we captured just about 2 years ago has recently been featured in a relatively new wedding magazine, Your Wedding Day. This particular wedding had never been mentioned by me, nor had a video been made public because the couple wished to maintain some privacy. I'm guessing the proverbial cat is out of the bag. Kudos to the dynamic duo of Kim and Niki for their beautiful still photos.
Growing up on the east coast, it was pretty easy to run into historic sites dating back to the founding fathers. I often passed by signposts saying 'George Washington Slept Here' (he got around, apparently). I didn't really appreciate these until coming out to California in 1996. History here almost always begins with the earthquake of 1906. So when I read the history of the Mill Valley Outdoor Art Club I wasn't at all surprised to find that it served as a shelter for those made homeless by the quake. But its history is much more interesting than that tidbit...worth a read and a visit. My visit was for the purpose of Kelly and Lance's Wedding. I'm a big fan of outdoor weddings, even though they have their own unique challenges (ask Kelly about falling leaves). There is something about the outdoors that puts people at ease. This intimate gathering of friends and family was enhanced by the beautiful Indian-summer weather of Mill Valley. I did my best to capture the fun and energy of this couple while Kim and Niki were there to capture the still shots. Check out there blog for the amazing still photos! So what started as a trip to the past ended up as a glimpse into the future...I see many great years ahead for them. Cheers!
Okay, so they didn't break any laws..but could you find a more aptly named couple than Jessie & James. Jessie (Jessica) was the maid of honor when I covered her sister's wedding in 2006. Now it was her sister's turn to return the favor. Keep an eye out for the beautiful baby being wheeled up the aisle. The bride is also a new auntie! The location was beautiful and serene Carmel Valley, the Community Church of Monterey and Rancho Canada. A fork in the road leads you to "Play" by turning left, or "Pray" by turning right. Sweet! Tunes and MC duties were aptly handled by DJ Steve Prelsnik, of Rock Bottom Mobile DJ's. John, from Laura Frost Photography kept a keen eye on the action and captured the bride and grooms joyous day. It's great working with such an easy-going team.
While we often associate California with 'fusion cuisine', there is another kind of fusion I have been witness to since moving here a dozen years ago. The melding of two (or more) cultures. Just as the Romans did with their expansion from England to Egypt, when they came across a new civilization, they didn't seek to erase it...but to incorporate the best elements into their own.
Likewise, the marriage of Latika and Gianluca is a just such a blending. India and Italy...the Tarrantella and Bangara. Hosted by Nestledown, in the beautifully serene Santa Cruz Mountains..this one was a feast for the senses. Superbly executed by Nicole D'Ambra Wedding Consulting, there was beauty in all the details. Family came from near...and very far to help these two celebrate a wonderful new type of California fusion.
I'm sure you've heard the saying "The coldest winter I ever spent was a summer in San Francisco" Normally, the same can be said of foggy Half-Moon Bay. Having completed my 2nd wedding there this season, I figured that (once again), I should dress in layers, keep a heavy coat handy, and prepare to wipe down my lens often. But nature threw me a wonderful curve ball with Larissa and Matt's wedding at the Ritz
Perhaps it was Taylor Nguyen, a force of nature herself, who ordered up the sunny skies and beautiful weather. After all, Ha Le Events has been known to pull off a miracle or two.
The stills were handled by the super-skilled Todd Rafalovich.
Of course, credit must be given to the radiant smile of Larissa, whose smile would have broken through any clouds daring to intrude on this wonderful union of families.
This being California's wildfire season, I was saddened when the mother of the bride for an upcoming wedding told me that the hills behind the Clos La Chance Winery had fallen victim to the Hummingbird Hills fire. This beautiful area, more Napa than South Bay has Oak and Manzanita covered rolling hills and a beautiful spread of manicured grapevines. I read about the winery's struggle to fight back the fire that threatened their beautiful estate. Thankfully, they were successful. When I arrived on-site, I was pleasantly surprised that the hills weren't bare. In fact, the charred section dotted with trees almost looked like a planned clearing. None of this took away from the fact that Katelyn and Jason were exchanging vows among friends and family in a majestic setting. The black tie affair was as an elegant affair with gourmet food, wonderful wine (of course), and flowers everywhere. The party crowd filled the dance floor at times drowning out the music from DJ Tim. We were there to capture the beauty and emotions of the day.
This was sent to me by my wonderfully talented illustrator cousin Elite Avni. She likes to play jokes on me, but I thought this one was well done. I might even be including some of these techniques in my next production.
