Talk about a sweet weekend! From our first conversation, I knew working with Alicia and Jack was going to be a pleasure. The opportunity to spend the weekend at the Boyne Mountain resort where they were getting married didn’t hurt, either! Meeting and working with photog Michelle Binge from Paris Productions was the icing on the cake.
by on May 5th, 2011. Comment 
This was just plain fun. There’s nothing like spending the day with an awesome couple who know how to enjoy themselves and who aren’t afraid to get swept up in the moment. Christian and Kelly made it real on August 27th at The Roosertail, and if ever there was a contagious smile, it was there for all to see on the face of the bride. We had a blast playing along the Riverwalk, and Daryl and Scott from Memory Makers kept the party going all night long. Working with photog Jen Stephens was an added bonus. Great person. Great shooter.
Here’s a glimpse:
by on Sep 30th, 2010. Comment
Wow. It’s been awhile. I guess time really does fly when you’re having fun.
So you may have noticed a change in the Lightshine Productions home page. I replaced the wedding slideshow with a montage of some of the more commercially-oriented work I’ve done. Of course, this doesn’t mean that I’m moving away from shooting and editing weddings. No way. I just like to rearrange things once in awhile – sort of like moving around the furniture in your living room.
That brings up another point. I’ve had a few marketing experts tell me that it might not be a good idea to combine such diverse services under one umbrella. Their theory is that business owners might look at a company that produces wedding films and think they’re a little too touchy-feely to put together a cutting edge production that will engage their audience. On the flip side, they figure that brides might get the idea that if someone is doing commercial video, he may be too technically proficient to tap into the feelings and emotions of the wedding day and create a moving, memorable film.
I’m not buyin’ it.
If you can do a couple of things well – and you love doing them – then you should go for it. I love creating wedding videos. You meet people at one of the happiest times of their lives. You get to share in one of the happiest days of their lives. And let me tell you, happiness is contagious. And in addition to the must-have shots, there are a ton of spur-of-the-moment opportunities throughout the day where your instincts and creativity can really shine. And when it’s all said and done, you’re presenting these two people with an awesome video that they’re going to cherish for the rest of their lives. How cool is that?
And I love doing commercial video. I’ve really come to appreciate all the planning that goes into it, from the script writing to the opportunity to set up the shots exactly how you want them to creating killer motion graphics. There’s a lot of work involved, but when it all comes together at the end, I get to say, “I did that.” (This would be a good place to mention that I’m seriously grateful to God for the talent He’s given me.)
Anyway, I am what I am. It makes me happy. It makes other people happy. What more can you ask for?
by on Jun 22nd, 2010. Comment
That’s just one of the many revelations I’ve experienced reading Ron and Tasra Dawson’s Refocus
Ron visited MIVA earlier this month and I was so impressed with what he had to say, I just had to get the book. Good thing I did. As a wedding and event videographer, I often get wrapped up in the creative side of my passion, and forget that I’m also running a business. The book is packed with information and insights that I’m certainly going to take to heart and put into practice.
As anyone who runs a video production business knows, we wear a lot of hats, and I’m sure most of us – myself included – try to wear a lot of those hats at the same time. If you’ve ever sat down to edit a sequence, then twenty minutes into the edit get distracted by thoughts of an invoice you forgot to send or a follow-up call you still need to make, you know exactly what I’m talking about. The inefficiency of trying to do too many things at once was really brought home last night as I was reading the “Managing Your Time” chapter is Ron and Tasra’s book:
There’s a quick and simple exercise in which, on one line you’re asked to write the sentence, “Multitasking wastes time and costs money.” Here’s the catch, after every letter, you write the sequential number on the line directly below it. In other words, you write “M” on line 1, then writer the number “1″ on line 2. You write “u” on line 1, then write the number “2″ on line 2, etc. Time yourself. When you’re done, time yourself writing the complete sentence, without any numbers, and immediately afterwards write the sequence of numbers, 1 – 35, on line two. If you’re like me, and have been under the impression that trying to kill two (or three) birds with one stone makes you a real go-getter, you might be surprised at the results.
Thanks Ron and Tasra!
by on Mar 21st, 2010. 2 Comments
This week has been nothing short of fantastic. We couldn’t have asked for better weather, and a couple of free days gave me the opportunity to trek through downtown Detroit with camera in hand (more on that, later) without having to dodge any giant snow drifts. We really do have a pretty cool city!
The sunshine and the awesome temperatures was a great reminder that another wedding season is upon us, and what better way to segue into the new season than by revisiting last season’s finale. This is Nichole and Gordon making it real at Cedar Glen:
by on Mar 19th, 2010. Comment
