Christmas - made in the USA

I spend a lot of time with non-wedding projects as well but don't often posted too much here. I recently put together a piece for Vaillancourt Folk Art that is currently featured on their website. Here is a bit about what they do, copied from their website...

Vaillancourt Folk Art, the American studio that created the original contemporary chalkware santa, has been hand-creating highly detailed, hand-painted collectible chalkware heirlooms from antique moulds since 1984 with the primary goal of creating that one special gift to be handed down for generations. Vaillancourt Folk Art is family owned and operated and sells their chalkware figurines to stores around the nation, including in their retail store in Sutton, MA and their on-line catalog.

I definitely felt the Christmas spirit when I walked into the Vaillancourt studio earlier this month and it was so wonderful to see the quality, care and attention to detail that went into every piece they made. Every piece they make is a true work of art and it is incredible that this is all being done in our own backyard. I hope you enjoy the online tour in this film and if you get a chance to check out their Sutton studio in person you'll be glad you did.

jeff

Kristy + Tony - chocolate chip cookies & a 10.10.10 wedding

If you grew up in Massachusetts you've most likely been on at least one school field trip to Old Sturbridge Village. Well apparently Kristy really likes the cookies there so that's where she went with Tony on their first date on October 10th, 2006. Four years after their first date to the day they will be married. We went back to Sturbridge Village on a beautiful fall day for their engagement session and it was so much fun!

I met Kristy while shooting a webinar for the company she works for and Kristy had a starring role... although I don't think she knew it ahead of time! It turned out that I also knew Kristy's brother from my days working for Tweeter where I think we put just about every piece of car stereo gear in his car at some point. I was assisting Anthony from Revelation Productions for the webinar shoot and we had talked with Kristy about her wedding date that day... Well several months later I had just received an inquiry for the same date and I mentioned it to Anthony and how it was too bad we hadn't heard from Kristy, and sure enough a day or two later she got in touch with us.

Kristy also booked Anthony as her DJ (perhaps some lighting too) and then I was really excited when I found out she booked Melissa Coe as her photographer. I've shot alongside Melissa before on a few occasions and we shot their engagement session together which allowed me to create a photo/cinema fusion piece for Kristy and Tony's save the date film. You can check out some of the amazing photos Melissa took for them on her blog.

When I work alongside other great vendors that I regularly work with I know the couple is going to have a great experience on their wedding day and we'll be able to do our best work. The smallest details can make a big difference... such as Anthony making sure all the cinematographers and photographers are in place before the bridal party introductions or Melissa giving me the opportunity to jump in front of her and take some cool shots during the photo shoot.

And finally one of the most exciting things about this shoot for me since I'm a big technology nerd was that this was my first opportunity to play with some new cameras. We are now shooting weddings primarily with Canon 7D cameras... a new digital SLR that shoots full 1080p HD video with the ability to throw any Canon EOS lens on and capture absolutely stunning imagery.

Enjoy!

jeff

Domineca + Santagio - save the date

A couple of weeks ago I spent a beautiful Saturday afternoon hanging out with Domineca and Santiago in Kemah, TX at the Kemah Boardwalk. One of our wedding film enhancements is a save the date film with your love story. It really gives me a chance to get to know the couples ahead of time which helps me create a more personal wedding film and when their wedding day arrives they are typically even more comfortable around the cameras. Couples will often show it at their engagement party or send it out as a save the date reminder or with the invitation. It adds quite a bit to the couple's wedding story and on occasion we might play part of it as an intro for their same day edit.

We were also joined by Domineca's son as some of their family... they really made a great afternoon out of it. My sister Nicole assisted me and came to shoot some photos as well... she's part of my Texas cinematography team and an aspiring photographer. Typically these films are a little shorter then this one (about 3-4 minutes) but when I sat them down for the love story interview their story flowed really well. We had a chance to take some shots on some of the rides as well and when the sun went down and the lights came on the whole place looked absolutely beautiful.

I won't tell you too much about Domineca + Santiago because I think they tell it best. When you watch their save the date film you'll really get a sense of how much fun they are and their love for each other. After spending the afternoon with them I am really looking forward to their wedding and I know it is going to be a great day. Enjoy!

jeff