Ceremony and reception was at the Palm Event Center in Pleasanton, CA. Mixed in shots using 35mm lens.
Yvonne + James | Vintage Highlights
Ceremony and Reception was at the Mountain Windery in Saratoga, CA. My favorite shots were from the vineyard using the 35mm lens.
Truc + Leo | Vintage Highlights
Ceremony was at St. Marks Lutheran Church in San Francisco and reception was at Legendary Palace in Oakland, CA. Contains mixed clips shot with 35mm lens.
X-ographer | The lines have been blurred…maybe.
Whether or not you’ve been paying attention to the photography industry lately, you might have noticed that Canon released it’s “new and improved” sequel to the Canon 5D Digital SLR called the 5D Mark II. Not only is the camera that much sweeter in pixel count (from 12 megapixel to 21 megapixel), it also boasts an impressive video capturing capability in 1080p. Combine these features with Canon’s ultra fine line of professinal grade lens and, well, you’ve got a highly powerful combination with incredible possibilities.
So what does that mean for us poor ole’ videographers? Just pack up and call it quits? NO, it just means we have another tool at our fintertips…and now it comes with better lenses! So we couldn’t help but get one of our very own 5D Mark II to play with. Keep an eye out for samples in the near future from us using this camera.
Does this mean your photographer can do the job of both photographer and videographer? The answer is not quite as simple as YES or NO. It is true that the lines have been blurred a bit, but do keep in mind that mastering either craft takes time, attention to detail, and years of experience. Hitting the proverbial “Record” or “Shutter” button can only get you so far. The rest must come from personal style and technique to capture and weave together a meaningful story for each client.
But if you are curious to know what this new camera can do for your wedding video, then you should check this out HERE.
Leilani + Michael | Day of Video
Okay…this was by far one of the most fun weddings we’ve done. Besides the gorgeous venue (Palm Events Center) and decor, we got a chance to meet an incredible group of people, most importantly: our bride and groom, Leilani and Michael, who made our day so enjoyable with their warm and fun-loving personalities. In addition, we got a chance to work with our wonderful friend and photographer-extraordinaire, Gene Higa (www.genehiga.com). When I first met Gene a few years back, I, immediately, was amazed at his work and mastery of the lens (who isn’t?). So, as soon as I was able to find a way to put some nice 35mm lens on my camera, I was off to see if I can get the same gorgeous shots that I saw from Gene’s camera – but with a cinematic twist of course. Obviously, that’s easier said than done given Gene’s one-of-a-kind talents. But the 35mm lens used for Leilani and Michael’s “Day-Of-Video” gave us some incredible shots and we were thrilled to use any and all that we could get our salivating hands on. The results…well…check it out!!
Joe + Nary | Soul Mates
Joe and Nary’s wedding was shot at St. Marks Church, then to Stanford University for some fun and group shots, and then over to the Mayflower Restaurant for the reception coverage. If you’ll noticed, for the prep coverage, we tested out our new gadget (a 35mm adapter) that allowed us to get the really nice shots of Nary “in focus” but the background being nicely out of focus. We thought the shots came out fantastic…don’t you think? Hope you enjoy it!
Photos by Chris Sommers (http://www.chrissommersphoto.com)
Chau + Long | An “engaging” session
We recently had the distinct pleasure to work with a very unique couple, Long and Chau, who came to us and basically put all their trust in our hands to produce for them an engagement video for their historic wedding day (to be shown at their reception – first wedding at the one and only Casa Real). As always, we were up to the challenge. But, truth be told, we were a bit stumped. We’ve seen all the engagement videos out there and wanted something different yet capture the unique personality of our clients. Luckily, we remembered hearing about a bamboo nursery in Aptos that we’ve been dying to shoot at so we decided to get some shots there. Then, it was off to the nearby boardwalk and beach to get some fun action shots. All throughout, we used plenty of fish eye and 35mm to give it a more fresh, edgier, and filmic look. The end result was something we felt was totally unique and different…just what we wanted. Hope you enjoy it too!
Amazae Special Events | Lets Flip It
“Flipping” is a term event coordinators use to describe how they take any location like an empty building or old wine cellar and transform it into a mesmorizing and stunning venue for their clients. This was such the case with Susan and John’s wedding at Testarossa Winery in Los Gatos, CA. This wedding was unbelievably gorgeous and the only way for me to describe it is well…show you. The video below was a promo made specifically for one of our favorite event coordintors, Crystal Lequang of Amazae Special Events. We are still amazed at the amount of detail and effort that went into putting the entire event together…phew…I think I’ll stick to videography. 
Enjoy!
photos by Mark Stagi (www.xanga.com/stagi)
