The Visioneer Media blog

Wedding Video at the Grand Tradition Estate in Fallbrook

Wed, 4 Jan 2012 16:47:56 -0800

Posted by: Jeff

The Grand Tradition Estate in Fallbrook is a great venue for weddings, not only because of the beauty, but the space. Not that weddings need to be held in grand or open spaces, but it certainly doesn’t hurt. This ceremony took place out under the gazebo which rests on the peninsula of a heart-shaped lake. It’s really something, and it’s especially nice for photographers and videographers because it allows us to get good coverage while remaining out of sight. I happen to believe that the beauty of a wedding and quality of coverage has everything to do with the people, and in this case we had an amazing couple with great personalities.

Click below to watch the video preview for the wedding. If you don’t have QuickTime installed, you can also see it on vimeo, here.

As you can see in the preview, we spent some time with the couple while they were preparing for the wedding. I think this is a great idea, especially if you’re not seeing each other. That was actually one of my favorite things about my own wedding video. Since my wife and I hadn’t seen each other all day, it was fun to see those parts of the day after the wedding was over.

The groom had a lot of surprises up his sleeve. While the bride thought he was getting dressed, he was actually outside practicing a special song he wrote for her.

Horse-drawn carriages are always, always fun! I always personally enjoy when vehicles are involved with the wedding because it gives me the opportunity to use my camera stabilizer in exiting ways.

Bubbles are fun, inexpensive, and absolutely gorgeous on video. Especially when you use a shallow lens, like the one below.

Congratulations, Cole and Sanja!!!

Love the shoes. The only better ones I’ve seen were cherry-red Chucks that matched the groom’s tie a few years ago. That couple was married in a car museum.

This is one of those times when an aerial camera would really come in handy, because you can’t really make out the lake’s heart shape from the ground.

The cake was one the best I’ve ever seen. That’s right, it’s a Mad Hatter hat! How fun is that?!

There were even a couple of locations we didn’t have time for, but I’m sure I’ll be back. Amazing couple, amazing venue, amazing day.

Engagement Video at The Mission Inn in Riverside

Wed, 9 Nov 2011 16:00:46 -0800

Posted by: Jeff

Engagement shoots afford us the opportunity for all kinds of creativity. You can’t take very many creative risks at a wedding because you often have one chance to get it right. With a love story shoot, the only real challenge is finishing everything before we lose the light. This adorable couple got engaged in downtown Riverside at The Mission Inn. I’ve shot a few weddings there, but it always surprises me how rarely I work events in my own area. Most of the time I’m shooting in LA and Orange County, so it’s nice to have the occasional gig in my own backyard, as it were.

Click below to watch the video preview for the wedding. If you don’t have QuickTime installed, you can also see it in 1080p-HD on YouTube, here.

After some shooting at The Mission Inn, we went across the street to this great-looking gazebo. The lighting was just beautiful at this time of day.

I couldn’t resist snapping a couple of stills while we were there.

Wedding Video at The Westin Plaza Las Fuentes in Pasadena

Tue, 4 Oct 2011 20:06:25 -0700

Posted by: Jeff

Wow. What a great venue, and what a beautiful wedding. As soon as I heard the procession would cross a body of water, I started looking forward to shooting this. And it always helps to work with such a beautiful couple.

Click below to watch the video preview for the wedding. If you don’t have QuickTime installed, you can also see it on vimeo, or in full HD on YouTube here.

You can see from the stills below what a beautiful event this was. There are a lot of places to put a camera without being seen by the guests, and there is symmetry everywhere. You really can’t go wrong whenever water is a part of the surroundings.

I love what they did with the lighting at the reception. Someone recently asked me for wedding planning advice, and great lighting was right near the top of the list. Even if you can’t afford to spend a lot on decorations, lighting will transform the room. Try to choose two colors that compliment and contrast with one another. One color should be soft, and fill the room by lighting the walls; while the other color should be a harder light directed at people and objects within that space. The result is that people and objects stand out more and look amazing on video. In this case, they chose purple for the room light and yellow on the people. Yellow or orange are the best colors to use on people in order to maintain a somewhat natural skin tone. You don’t want everybody to look green, for example. So, whatever colors you pick to fill the room, make sure they go well with yellow.

I was a little bit disappointed that we didn’t get to shoot inside the court house building in Pasadena (another event in was progress), but I’m more than happy with what we did get.

I scouted the building before the wedding, and took the test shots you see below. I’ll be back for another wedding there in a couple of weeks, and I’m looking forward to implementing them :)

Wedding Video at the St. Regis Hotel in Dana Point

Fri, 30 Sep 2011 13:43:34 -0700

Posted by: Jeff

It’s a treat to shoot a wedding at the St. Regis in Dana Point. The hotel is stunning. For some reason, it reminds me of Hearst Castle. It must be the statues. When you arrive at this hotel, the first thing you see from the street is a gorgeous fountain, which is how I decided to open the video as well.

I shot this wedding with my wife, Sheri, and we were both very touched by the ceremony. It was so sweet and genuine. That’s not to say that other weddings any less so, but we happened to identify strongly with this one.

Click below to watch the video preview for the wedding. If you don’t have QuickTime installed, you can also see it on vimeo, or in full HD on YouTube here.

Wedding Video at Centennial Park and The Westin San Diego

Fri, 30 Sep 2011 13:30:36 -0700

Posted by: Jeff

Beautiful day for a wedding. You can see that in the video. It’s a pretty sure bet that any time I see clouds in the sky, I’m going to shoot a time-lapse sequence. Weather is one of the things that I don’t think most of us remember about our wedding, but it’s an element of the video which makes it feel that much more tangible retrospect. If it’s cold, I’m looking for that person tightening their jacket. If it’s hot, I want a shot of the guests fanning themselves. If it looks like it’s going to rain, I want a shot of those clouds. In this case, everything was...perfect.

Click below to watch the video preview for the wedding. If you don’t have QuickTime installed, you can also see it on vimeo, or in full HD on YouTube here.

This was my first time shooting at Centennial Park, and the first thing I saw as I pulled up was a giant cargo ship passing by some arriving guests. You don’t expect to see something that big in motion. I really like the view behind this park. The skyscrapers and the bay just make it such a wonderful backdrop.

Wedding Video at the Mariott Hotel in Marina Del Rey

Fri, 30 Sep 2011 13:25:53 -0700

Posted by: Jeff

The moment those drapes lift up around the reception hall on the top floor, you know why the couple chose the Marriott Marina Del Rey. The view is spectacular. We were fortunate enough to enjoy a spectacular sunset. September really has some of the best weather of the year.

We started the day at St. Monica’s Catholic Church in Santa Monica. I personally love shooting in Santa Monica for the simple reason that I can stop at my favorite sandwich shop before the event (Bay Cities Italian Deli)! The beach area is the other, more obvious reason. The Santa Monica Pier makes an appearance in the highlights reel when we went down to the sand. Speaking of which, I thought it was very convenient to have a boardwalk stretching out to the middle of the beach. In the event that I have to walk on sand while shooting, the glidecam system really eliminates any of the instability.

Click below to watch the video preview for the wedding. If you don’t have QuickTime installed, you can also see it in full HD on YouTube here.

Wedding Video at The Atheneum, Cal Tech in Pasadena

Thu, 25 Aug 2011 14:36:57 -0700

Posted by: Jeff

I never knew much about Pasadena until I started shooting weddings there, but I’ve come to know why so many photographers fall in love with it. Somebody in a coffee shop saw me working on this the other day, and mentioned that they were getting married in Pasadena before knowing anything about this video. It isn't even their venue, but The Atheneum has Pasadena written all over it.

Click below to watch the video preview for the wedding. If you don’t have QuickTime installed, you can also see it on vimeo, here.

Most of this video takes place at The Atheneum, which is an exclusive club located on the Cal-Tech campus. Most of the creative and posed shots were taken before the ceremony so that the newlyweds could spend more time with their guests. A special reveal was arranged at the front door, which I included in the highlights.

I actually prefer not to pose people whenever possible, because video is better at capturing genuine emotions. As I often say, the interaction following a photo works better on video than the moment of the photo itself. For that same reason, you won't find a lot of direct-address in my videos (direct-address is when your subject looks into the lens). Direct-address is one of the funny ways in which photography and video require polar opposite techniques that perfectly complement each other. In a photo, the gaze of your subject is often a crucial element, yet it's awkward to see on video. Go figure.

The Atheneum is more than just great architecture. The lawn and gardens are equally beautiful.

The wedding ceremony was held at La Canada Presbyterian Church, after which we returned to The Atheneum for the reception.

As with all of our videos this season, this wedding was shot entirely ond digital single-lens reflex cameras-commonly referred to as DSLRs-and edited using the new Final Cut Pro X. Despite the bad reviews and my own first impressions, Final Cut Pro X has managed to win me over. I still have a laundry list of problems with it—sluggish interface, memory leaks, missing features, general instability—but what it lacks on the surface, it makes up for under the hood. Final Cut Pro X was born to handle DSLR video. The built-in rolling shutter correction and enhanced stabilization tools were worth the switch alone, and frankly, the old Final Cut 7 just wasn't fast enough to manipulate DSLR footage in real time. When its not crashing on me, Final Cut X rarely drops a single frame. It just chugs along, even with several layers of effects and color adjustments. And about those crashes; Final Cut X constantly saves your work, so I've never lost any progress due to a crash. It’s clearly a 1.0 product and a paradigm shift, but there's plenty of promise here for those of us who make the leap.

Wedding Video at Maravilla Gardens in Santa Rosa Valley

Tue, 16 Aug 2011 08:27:01 -0700

Posted by: Jeff

As with most venues that have "gardens" in the name, every inch of Maravilla Gardens was photogenic. This was also on the first of July, so everything was in full bloom. I didn't realize until I watched the preview again, but you can actually see the heat waves distorting the Maravilla Gardens sign. Luckily there was plenty of shade. Of course, nobody likes to work in the heat, but I don't mind breaking a sweat as long as I don't get sunburned. After all, I have to stay in shape somehow!

It was a long drive up to the venue, but I look forward to shooting there again. It's one of those places where you literally can't capture the whole property in a single event without some extended shooting time, or multiple outings with the newlyweds. I tend to think that you should enjoy yourself as much as possible and don't worry about a thing. Even if things don't go to plan, just enjoy yourself and it will come across in the photos and video. No matter how beautiful a venue it, always remember that it's the people that make the wedding, and ultimately the images.

If you notice toward the end of the preview, you will see a tree with tags hanging from it. My wife and I did something similar for our wedding, although not quite as fancy. The idea is, instead of a traditional guest book, people can hang their messages from the branches of the tree. I think it's a fun idea, and at the end of the wedding you can arrange them however you like.

The coordinator for this wedding was Whitney Wing Drake of Wish Wonder Dream Bridal Consultants. I've worked with Whitney several times now, and she does a fantastic job. You can find her contact information on my links page.

Click below to watch the video preview for the wedding. If you don’t have QuickTime installed, you can also see it on vimeo, or in full HD on YouTube here.

Wedding Video at the Basilica San Juan Capistrano & Casa Romantica

Sun, 14 Aug 2011 12:58:07 -0700

Posted by: Jeff

This was my first shoot at the Mission in San Juan Capistrano. The basilica is huge compared to Riverside's Mission Inn. We were not allowed get very close to the sanctuary, but with my 70-200mm zoom lens that wasn't a problem. After the ceremony, we went to the courtyard nearby for some creative shooting. There are lots of nice places to shoot, but the tourist appeal presents a challenge to photographers who want an empty background. I politely asked a couple of ladies if they could move to another bench while we took pictures, and I don't even think they spoke English because they didn't respond at all. The other logistical hurdle with the courtyard is access. They lock the gates behind you, so good luck getting something out of your car.

Logistical challenges aside, it was a beautiful venue. I wish we had even more time at the Mission, but we had to move on to Casa Romantica for the reception.

I've shot at Casa Romantica half a dozen times now. It's a really photogenic place with pretty architecture. I also like the high vantage points on the back patio. The ability to shoot downwards at your subject allows for the coast to appear in the background. Often times when a couple gets married by a cliff, all you see behind them is sky. I didn't include much of the reception in this highlights reel mainly because I ran out of music.

Click below to watch the video preview for the wedding. If you don’t have QuickTime installed, you can also see it on vimeo, or in full HD on YouTube here.

Wedding Video at The Four Seasons Westlake Village

Wed, 3 Aug 2011 18:07:16 -0700

Posted by: Jeff

Two weddings back-to-back at The Four Seasons? Not exactly. This one took place in Westlake Village, but it's hard to go wrong with The Four Seasons no matter where you may be. This was a really nice couple, and I must admit I like it when the bride's dress isn't too long because they can actually walk around the property comfortably. I also want to reiterate how happy I am that we upgraded to the new cameras earlier in the year. As you can see, the results have been amazing.

Click below to watch the video preview for the wedding. If you don’t have QuickTime installed, you can also see it on vimeo, or in full HD on YouTube here.

Wedding Video at The Four Seasons in Santa Barbara

Fri, 1 Jul 2011 09:00:28 -0700

Posted by: Jeff

Oddly enough, this is not the first time I have recorded a wedding from within the wedding party. I had help of course, but I just can't seem to keep my hands off a camera. Conrad and Morgan are dear friends, which is why this highlights reel is a little longer than usual. The wedding took place at The Four Seasons Biltmore in Santa Barbara, which is a pretty amazing venue if you've never been there. I've shot there in the past, and each time was at a different location on the property. A lot of locations have one signature spot for this type of thing, but the Four Seasons is spread outward instead of upward like most hotels.

One of my favorite things about shooting at the Four Seasons Biltmore is that it sits right beside the pacific ocean. There literally is no better place to be during sunset in Santa Barbara. The view is spectacular and unobstructed. This also allows for some great "golden hour" photography and video by the water. For this wedding we were finishing up right during the prime lighting, which you can see in the highlights reel. About the reception, this one ranked in the top five wildest groups I've witnessed.

Click below to watch the video preview for the wedding. If you don’t have QuickTime installed, you can also see it on vimeo, or in full HD on YouTube here.

HD Wedding Highlights Video

Fri, 10 Jun 2011 08:57:34 -0700

Posted by: Jeff

Thank you Scott & Elisa for reminding me why I love my job! Recording someone's wedding day is an honor to begin with, but it's especially gratifying when you're treated as a guest. Everyone had a blast at this wedding—-everyone, and I know that’s what they wanted. As you can see it was a beautiful day to begin with. We started the day with some pictures at Vitello’s Italian Restaurant in Studio City. I thought colors of the wall and the bricks looked really great. From there there it was off to the park where we couldn’t resist the playground. I wish we had more time there because I think we could have easily spent another thirty minutes getting all kinds of fun shots. I’m happy with the shots we got on the swings because they all cut together nicely.

The wedding was held at home, which I think it always a great idea. I dig their style quite a bit. There was so much more that I wanted to include in this preview, but with all the projects I’m juggling these days I had to wrap it up and get it posted. I may come back and post a reception highlights reel since I already sorted out all the shots for it, but don’t hold your breath.

One thing I especially want to touch on is the music in this preview. I’ve been holding on to ‘Little Bitty Pretty One’ just waiting for the right couple to come along. It’s such a fun song, and I think it was a nice fit. There were four other song possibilities for this, which I’ll save for another reel. I try to avoid using the same song for more than one preview reel. It gives each one it’s own personality, and there’s always great new music coming out. Of course, for the full video Scott and Elisa will have their say about the music.

While we’re at it, I’d like to give a shout out to “Mocha Kiss Coffee” who made quite possibly the best espresso I have ever had. I don’t see enough coffee bars at weddings, and I think it was a big hit with everyone. Highly recommended!

Click below to watch the video preview for the wedding. If you don’t have QuickTime installed, you can also see it on vimeo, or on YouTube here.

Event Video: ‘A Toast to Southern California' with Get Married Magazine

Sun, 29 May 2011 00:23:45 -0700

Posted by: Jeff

A couple weeks ago I sponsored and shot a special event called ‘A Toast to Southern California’ at the Page Museum in Los Angeles. Scroll all the way down to see our highlights video, along with vendor interviews from the event.

The event was co-hosted by get married magazine and Wish Wonder Dream Bridal Consultants.

Everyone had a lot of fun, and I met some really talented vendors. I was especially fond of the vodka-lime Shirley Temples from ‘Night & Day Productions‘ (minus the vodka, for me).

If you’re looking for a DJ, look no further than DJFX Entertainment. They’re fun, talented and modern.

They also offer photo booth service, which you’ll see in the video.

As for the venue itself, it was actually my first visit to the Page Museum at La Brea tar pits. The museum is beautiful, with spacious interiors and a great patio up above.

Of course there’s also the amazing fossils on display throughout the museum which absolutely blew me away.

How many places can you learn and party at the same time? It actually reminded me a lot of a wedding I shot in the Birch Aquarium at Scripps La Jolla (no, not IN the Birch Aquarium, but you might think so from the footage I shot). Below is a highlights reel from the event.

Please note, the QuickTime plugin is required for playback. Click to begin the video, or watch it on YouTube in FULL HD.

Wedding Video at the Jonathan Beach Club

Sat, 28 May 2011 23:59:58 -0700

Posted by: Jeff

There's something I really enjoy about Santa Monica. Whether it's the extra wide beach, the fun and games of the pier, or my all time favorite sandwich shop (Bay Cities Italian Deli); it's always great place to spend the day.

Vicky and Francisco chose Santa Monica for the wedding day, right on the sand at the Jonathan Beach Club.

They times it pretty good so that pictures could be taken by the sunset.

I think you can get a pretty good sense of the atmosphere from the highlights video below. Click to watch the video preview for the wedding. If you don’t have QuickTime installed, you can also watch it in FULL HD on YouTube here.

Wedding Video at Coto De Caza Golf & Raquet Club

Wed, 27 Apr 2011 22:56:24 -0700

Posted by: Jeff

Coto de Caza is one beautiful place, and what better place to fire up my new DLSR cameras for a wedding shoot? That’s right, we recently upgraded all of our equipment to produce cinema-quality images, I think it shows in this highlights reel from Rick and Alana’s wedding. In addition to nearly double the image quality, we have the ability to produce even smoother slow-motion shots. You won’t see any slow motion in this video, but I’m excited about the future just the same. So without further adieu, scroll down to see the video for yourself, or download a copy in full HD.

Click below to watch the video preview for the wedding. If you don’t have QuickTime installed, you can also see it on vimeo, or on YouTube here.

Vendor Spotlight: ‘Wish Wonder Dream’ Bridal Consulting

Wed, 13 Apr 2011 12:32:42 -0700

Posted by: Jeff

I recently had the opportunity to shoot a promotional video for Whitney Wing Drake, owner and lead coordinator of Wish Wonder Dream Bridal Consultants. The range of topics covered her beginnings as an event planner, to coming trends, along with things you should expect from a bridal consultant. As coordinators go, Whitney is at the top of her game. She discovered us when we recorded her own wedding a few years ago, and I can vouch for the fact that she sits in on meetings with the vendors she refers.

A good coordinator can help point you toward the right vendors, but it’s important that they’re not getting any kind of kick-back from that vendor. We certainly do not participate in that sort of thing. In fact, I have left several networking groups by virtue of the fact that I was not confident referring vendors based solely on group membership. Good coordinators like Whitney earn my recommendation because they do their homework. It’s one thing to take care of business on the day of the event, but it’s just as important to keep an eye on industry trends and players. When I get a call on a weeknight from a coordinator with questions about my field, it tells me that they actually care. Wish Wonder Dream is one of those companies, and that’s why you’ll find them on my links page.

Click below to start the video Please note, the QuickTime plugin is required for playback.

Or, watch it on YouTube, here.

Just for fun: DSLR Shooting at Dos Lagos in Corona

Sun, 13 Mar 2011 15:18:28 -0700

Posted by: Jeff

The questionable-looking geek you see in the frame above is none other than myself, your humble author and owner of Visioneer Media. I’ve been experimenting with some of the latest and greatest in camera technology to make an informed purchasing decision. The footage in the clip below was shot on a Nikon D7000, which I admire for a number of reasons, but ultimately I found the price and lack of articulated screen to be a deal-breaker. You see, the Nikon has everything that I thought I needed in a DSRL with regards to wedding coverage: 20 minute clip times, smaller file sizes, live/continuous auto-focus, amazing low light performance, and dual hot-swappable SD card slots. If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. I found the autofocus on the D7000 to be completely unreliable. As you can see in the beginning of this particular video, the actual refocusing process is very jarring and mechanical. It’s not gradual like a conventional camcorder. The manual-servo is useful for focusing, but it takes too long to be practical. I love the manual exposure controls, but unless I’m mistaken you cannot change the f-stop while a movie is recording. Enter the D5100, which has most of the power of the D7000 in a smaller body, with a beautiful articulating LCD (that’s techno-babble for a screen that flips out like a camcorder). Alas, it turns out that the Nikon D5100 has no manual exposure controls in movie mode, which makes it utterly useless to a professional like myself.

So, after much contemplation I sided with conventional wisdom and picked up two canon T3i cameras, which offer most of the benefits of the D7000 in addition to the articulating LCD! The down sides of going Canon is that I now have a 12-minute recording limit per camera. It’s a good thing I bought two of them. It’s just as well, because I’m always keen on bringing a backup camera in case of a malfunction. Another drawback of the Canon is also a benefit. The video fidelity is slightly higher than the Nikon DSLRs, but the higher fidelity comes at the price of larger files. Larger files means larger memory cards, and larger memory cards means my credit card is not going to be happy about this.

Anyway, enough with the tech talk, and on with the testing. Check out the video below for a lovely 6 minute abstract reel from three of my favorite locations in Corona: The Crossing, Dos Lagos and Tom’s Farm. Enjoy!

Click below to watch the video. If you don’t have QuickTime installed, you can also see it on YouTube here.

Wedding Video at Paradise Point in San Diego

Sun, 27 Feb 2011 10:36:02 -0800

Posted by: Jeff

This client and I share something very special in common, which is that we both got married on November 27th. While I got married in the mountains, this happy couple was married by the ocean. Different years, of course. How else do you think I shot this? This is the second time I've worked at Paradise Point in San Diego, once in the summer and now in the winter. The only real difference was temperature. In fact, I'd say they were incredibly lucky since it had rained the week before, and for the next few weeks that followed.

There's plenty of great photo and video spots if you have the time. We spent about an hour carting around the property, which still wasn't quite enough time to cover a couple of the places I had in mind. That said, I'm thrilled with the footage we did get. I have more than enough to work with. By the way, check out the image below that I shot with the iPhone 4. You’ll see it in the preview. The iPhone 4 is a handy camcorder to have around for stationary shots, but any camera movement and the rolling shutter begins to cause distortion. Most people may not notice the shutter effect, but it stands out against a pro camcorder.

Click below to watch the video preview for the wedding. If you don’t have QuickTime installed, you can also see it on vimeo, or on YouTube here.

Wedding Video at The Langham Hotel in Pasadena

Wed, 16 Feb 2011 17:23:32 -0800

Posted by: Jeff

The Langham Hotel is one of the most impressive and classiest places I’ve had the opportunity to shoot. Mary and Leo got married in the garden, which is the first thing you’ll see in the preview. I wanted to show a little more of it, but I decided to go with a long unbroken shot instead. The pace of this preview is slower than a lot of my other ones, thanks in part to one Louis Armstrong singing one of my personal favorites, ‘Le Vie En Rose’. There were two different cultural ceremonies in this wedding, which are glimpsed in the video along with the stills below.

After the ceremony, we made our way up to the bridge which leads into a series of lounges. You really can’t go wrong with any of the locations here. There were several amazing shots that didn’t make the preview. Just look at the warm glowing colors of the bar in the shot below.

Click below to watch the video preview for the wedding. If you don’t have QuickTime installed, you can also see it on vimeo, or on YouTube here.

Wedding Video at Café Mozart in San Juan Capistrano

Sat, 11 Dec 2010 18:56:58 -0800

Posted by: Jeff

I had such a good time this wedding at Café Mozart in San Juan Capistrano. I was referred to the happy couple by several previous clients, all of whom were in attendance. It was a real joy to see so many familiar faces.

One thing I absolutely loved about this wedding was the movie themed table assignments. That theme was also extended to the dinner music, whereby a signature song from each film was played during the meal. It made me wish I has thought of it for my own wedding, hah! On that note, I picked one of my favorite songs from the reception to use in this preview. It’s a little less conventional for a wedding video, but I think still a lot of fun!

I'm actually been pretty swamped catching up from all the summer videos, so I’m glad to have this preview up in time for the holidays. Hopefully I’ll have a couple more ready to deliver by then.

Click below to watch the video preview for the wedding. If you don’t have QuickTime installed, you can also see it on YouTube, here.

Wedding Video at Vibiana in Los Angeles

Fri, 5 Nov 2010 14:12:02 -0700

Posted by: Jeff

What a day this was. Beautiful, fun, hot, challenging, exciting, exhausting, rewarding. It was one of the hotter days at the end of September in North Hollywood, and I was hired for most of the day. Normally that's a recipe for exhaustion, but I was fortunate enough to be working with some great people in front of the camera, as well as behind. To be clear, I was the videographer for the wedding. The photographers were my friends Joe "Sir" Harrison and his wife Rosie, who have earned upmost admiration and recommendation on several occasions. Joel was actually the one kind enough to refer me for this event. The ceremony was held at St. Charles Catholic Church, which, as you’ll see in the video, is impressive on its own.

The bigger thrill for me was shooting at the Vibiana ballroom, which is nothing short of spectacular. The sun shines through the windows just right, and the colored lighting setup made everything even more vibrant. Everything in this video came out so well that I can't wait to finish the rest of it. There is one more nugget of info I wanted to share because it gave me a giggle. There is one shot in the preview that I actually recorded with an iPhone 4. A tip of my hat to those of you with the keen eyes to spot it!

Click below to watch the video preview for the wedding. If you don’t have QuickTime installed, you can also see it on YouTube, here.

Backyard Wedding Video in Ledera Ranch

Thu, 28 Oct 2010 00:31:56 -0700

Posted by: Jeff

Christina and Ron were married at a private residence in Ladera Ranch, South Orange County. I have no idea how often the house is rented out for events, but the dual bars and outdoor TVs suggests that it is. I really love the front entrance to the house. Even without decoration is would work as a photo spot, and the light hits it just right before the sun goes down. I'm also a fan of the hardwood floors inside, because with hardwood comes reflections. I also like how the backyard has several great vantage point from which to shoot the reception. You won't see any of that in the preview, but believe me there's more than enough great night footage for the final video.

I also want to take a moment also to mention the caterers, Iva Lee's, which did a great job with the setup and the food. I had a chance to try the chicken and beef, and they definitely earned my stamp of approval.

Click below to watch the video preview for the wedding. If you don’t have QuickTime installed, you can also see it on YouTube, here.

Wedding Video at the Mission Valley Marriott in San Diego

Tue, 7 Sep 2010 10:48:19 -0700

Posted by: Jeff

This weekend we had the pleasure of shooting down in San Diego, at Mount Caramel Catholic Church and the Mission Valley Marriott. We had a special request for a same-day edit to be shown at the reception, consisting of the bride and groom wedding preparations, along with some highlights of the ceremony. For this, we require a minimum of two videographers since one must assume the role of editor at some point. In order to maintain two-camera coverage during the day, a third videographer would be necessary.

Below you can see the result of the same day edit. I'm happy with the way it turned out, although I wish we could have incorporated some of the moments following the ceremony. We spent that time in Balboa Park by the museum, while my associate started the editing process.

Click below to watch the video preview for the wedding. If you don’t have QuickTime installed, you can also see it on YouTube, here.

If you are a bride or groom interested in a same-day edit, the presentation must be scheduled towards the end of the reception. We can even send you off with a DVD in hand at the end of the night.

I actually spend the weekend in San Diego and took my camera to the Zoo the next day. I got some really great footage, and if time permits I'll try to post some of it here.

Wedding Video at Etiwanda Gardens

Thu, 2 Sep 2010 15:01:15 -0700

Posted by: Jeff

This is the second wedding I've shot at Etiwanda Gardens, and I really appreciate the diversity of the scenery. They offer both indoor and outdoor ceremony sites. Even in harsh sunlight, there is enough foliage to get some great shots. One thing I didn't anticipate on my first shoot here was how well the vertical blinds would come out on video. There's something nice about the glowing vertical lines, especially with a shallow focus. I'm also a big fan of their Japanese garden, because flowing water always looks good on video. Even a static shot of a Koi pond can be mesmerizing. The courtyard is especially fun, with a white light post in the center. I have a great shot of this bride swinging around it into her husband's arms, but there wasn’t room for it in the preview. Rest assured, I'll find the perfect spot for it in the completed video.

Click below to watch the video preview for the wedding. If you don’t have QuickTime installed, you can also see it on YouTube, here.

Wedding Video at Eisenhower Park in Orange

Tue, 17 Aug 2010 21:39:50 -0700

Posted by: Jeff

Rudy and Zelda had a beautiful ceremony in Orange, a couple miles away from Eisenhower Park where we stopped for pictures. The park is gorgeous, with a large pond and a series of footbridges. When we showed up in the afternoon, the sun was still pretty bright, but there are plenty of trees around some of the prettiest spots to soften the light.

The light was also on my side in the church, thanks in part to the amazing Nikon D3 which rarely requires a flash. I hate using a flash unless it’s absolutely necessary. I also find it distracting and inappropriate inside a church. The trick is to use the light that’s there, and reproduce the images as our eyes original saw them.

Photography by Jeff Roy, Videography shot by Josh Heinz, Edited by Jeff Roy

Click below to watch the video preview for the wedding, If you don’t have QuickTime installed, you can also see it on YouTube, here.

Click on any image to see the full-resolution gallery:

Keywords: wedding video, photography, orange county, san diego, north chapel, hd videographer, orange county wedding, eisenhower park, visioneer media, studios, jeff roy, rudy and zelda

Wedding Video at North Chapel in San Diego

Mon, 9 Aug 2010 16:06:04 -0700

Posted by: Jeff

San Diego is a bit of a drive, but I sure do enjoy shooting down there. As you will see in the video below, the ceremony took place at North Chapel. Formal pictures and video were then taken in the building across the street.

What you won't actually see in this preview is the reception at Tom Ham's Lighthouse, mainly because I ran out of music for the preview. I try to make previews fun and elegant, but I can't get too distracted from my normal editing schedule to fit everything in. If you're not familiar with Tom Ham's Lighthouse, it's a restaurant on the water at the far end of Harbor Island. Suffice to say, both locations look great, and I did manage to include some of the sunset from the reception in this clip. Enjoy!

Click below to watch the video preview for the wedding, If you don’t have QuickTime installed, you can also see it on YouTube, here.

Wedding Video at O'Melveny Park in Granada Hills

Mon, 26 Jul 2010 13:04:56 -0700

Posted by: Jeff

I recently had the privilege of recording an elopement. The ceremony was performed at a beautiful spot in Granada Hills called O'Melveny Park. It's the kind of park is better described as a glade. It's really touching to see a couple so in love that nothing else matters, and it makes my job all that more important to capture the experience on video. It's an honor to be chosen for such a task, since my camera basically becomes the eyes and ears of family and friends who couldn't be there.

O'Melveny Park park stretches way back into the hills, and has plenty of wide open space. At the entrance of the park is an orchard of some kind. I'm not sure what kind of trees they were, but they provided a gorgeous array of depth and parallax.

The marriage was officiated by Jean-Claude Benoussan, who's information I have added to my links page. He did a wonderful job, and I'll admit I'm a sucker for the french accent. I look forward to working with him again some time.

Click below to watch the video preview for the wedding. Please note, you need to have QuickTime installed to play the video, or you can see it on YouTube, here.

Wedding Video at Wilson Creek Winery in Temecula

Tue, 15 Jun 2010 08:30:38 -0700

Posted by: Jeff

Just one week after my shoot with Wes and Jonelle, I’m back at Wilson Creek Winery for round two. It really is a beautiful venue, and we had plenty of time to go exploring. There was so much amazing footage that I had a hard time deciding what to include with the preview. There is so much more I was trying to cram in, probably enough to cut ten more trailers just like this. I do have to chuckle that for all the amazing footage I couldn’t fit, “The Dude” still made the cut.

Alas, the finished video will be jam packed with all of the amazing moments we captured. I had a really great time shooting this wedding, although, that may just be the espresso talking. Next time I shoot at Wilson Creek I’m sure I’ll have even more ideas to try.

Click below to watch the video preview for the wedding, or see it on YouTube, here. Please note, you need to have QuickTime installed to play the video:

Wedding Video at Wilson Creek Winery in Temecula

Fri, 4 Jun 2010 13:42:05 -0700

Posted by: Jeff

I love shooting weddings at the vineyards in Temecula. I enjoyed Wilson Creek Winery because the property is wide open and surrounded by hills. The hills make a nice backdrop. I also like that everything is all together in one place, so I’m not hauling my gear between locations. I also like that there are plenty of places to set up cameras for the ceremony, while staying relatively hidden from view. It’s hard to go wrong with a beautiful venue like this, whether it’s in the gardens or the buildings.

Click below to watch the video preview for the wedding. Please note, you need to have QuickTime installed to play the video:

Wedding Video at Riley's Farm in Oak Glen

Thu, 27 May 2010 08:08:53 -0700

Posted by: Jeff

It’s been 6 months, but I finally got around to compiling some footage from my own wedding! We got married last fall at Riley’s Farm in Oak Glen. This is an absolutely beautiful venue with incredibly reasonable rates. Best of all, they offer activities for the guests after your wedding ceremony. We had tractor-drawn hay rides, archery and candle dipping! Dinner was also incredible. Every guest got their own BBQ half-chicken, baked beans, mashed potatoes, corn bread, soup, hot chocolate, hot cider, sparkling cider, and chocolate cake! There was seriously a large vat of Nestle’s hot chocolate.

We did something fairly unique for our unity ceremony. Instead of merging flame, sands or wine, we thought it was fitting for an apple orchard to merge freshly pressed cider. To do that, each of the family members carried an apple down the isle and dropped it in the press before sitting. When the time was right, our parents got up and actually performed the apple crushing and pressing, then brought us the cider in a glass. We merged those two glasses into one and drank it from twin straws. It was a great moment because the two sides of the family were racing to finish pressing the cider, and then there is the question of who actually produced more. You can see a flash of that in the video. I may return and post the whole process here some other time.

Our theme was obviously the Autumn season, and it turned out that November 27 was the last day of actual Autumn weather. It literally snowed that very night. Riley’s farm was kind enough to leave up all their Sleepy Hollow décor, which looked great at the reception. It was a 3:30 wedding, but if I had to do it over again I would have probably scheduled it for 3 because we barely finished shooting photos before the sunlight was gone. I’m so happy that we chose Riley’s Farm, which has earned a glowing endorsement from me and my wife.

Scroll down for a preview of the video, or check it out on YouTube, here.

Click below to watch the video preview for the wedding. Please note, you need to have QuickTime installed to play the video: