Introducing Wedding Videography!

Awhile back I got to thinking, “why am I not doing wedding video?” I have the cameras and gear I already need, and in terms of video editing, it’s pretty simple (compared to a typical video story where you have to figure out the real story and then how to tell it concisely). Weddings use the same story elements every time, but with different characters and personalities. It’s predictable, but not necessarily in a boring way. That predictability is a factor you can rely on, and then feel freedom to branch off of and be even more creative.

So without further ado, here’s the first wedding video I ever did. And I shouldn’t really say, “I” did it since my buddy Stephen Garrett did all the editing, some of the shooting, and even got us the gig. We would have had this out a good bit earlier, thanks to Stephen’s speedy editing skillz, but we got hung up on the song. Specifically we tried to license a song by Sondre Lerche, but that got hairy and we went for plan B, which worked out great. We found a great site called With Etiquette that licenses songs specifically for use with wedding videos like this one.

Coming soon will be Jess and Elizabeth’s wedding video!

Work I’ve been up to lately

This summer was a great one, but super busy. As I was putting together this post, I kept thinking I was done and then would think of another thing to include! I am grateful how the Lord has blessed my business since our return from South Africa a little over a year ago. I look forward to seeing what another year will bring, and also the opportunity to explore telling stories for those doing great work in the Kingdom of God, whether they can afford it or not.

May through August was full of a great bunch of weddings. From Asheville to New Bern, I was all over North Carolina shooting with friends like Courtney Potter and Justin Cook.

The past few months I’ve been working with a locally-based video production company called DDC International shooting video. I found out about them through a friend from undergrad, Stephen Garrett who moved to Chapel Hill to work with them after his stint in Madagascar with the Peace Corps. We used to sit around the dorm room talking about being photographers one day, looking at National Geographic guides and critiquing each other’s ideas. We were even in a video production class together (where me and another friend made this mock kung-fu video). It’s pretty incredible to realize that we’re actually doing it now!

The first video Stephen and I worked on together was for Duke Divinity’s Summer Institute, and it was a lot of fun shooting. We got to interview Dr. John Perkins, who besides being an influential civil rights leader his entire life, is quite a lively character. Incidentally, last year I did the website for co-founder of the Duke Center for Reconciliation, Emmanuel Katongole. I love the folks over there, so it was great to work with them again. Check out the video on vimeo.

Through the DDC connection, I also shot some footage for DayTripp - a really cool startup site profiling local businesses with short “docu-mercials”. The videos I helped with were for the Franklin Hotel and The Chapel Hill Downtown Partnership – and I’ll post them here once they’re live.

Early spring I was asked by Action for Children North Carolina (Rebecca’s employer before we left for S. Africa) to produce a public service announcement to air on local television stations around North Carolina. It was a lot of fun gathering kids from around our neighborhood and at church to be in the video, which is now airing on TV around the state in 60 sec and 30 sec versions. Check out the 60 sec version below (and see if you notice SJ’s cameo):

Probably the biggest project I’ve landed so far is a series with the UNC Healthcare news division called Real Doctors, Real People. I get to profile a different doctor every month who does something interesting outside of the hospital. The first launched in August and was about Dr. James Yankaskas, who is a pilot. I got to fly with him around Chapel Hill which was a lot of fun! The second was on Dr. Robert Berger who is the grandfather of electronic medical records at UNC and is also a music composer and performer, among many other things such as sailing and scuba diving. I am learning a lot about the medical profession and getting to meet some really interesting folks.

Finally, in August we took a jaunt to the midwest for a funeral/family reunion of sorts with all of my side of the family. We were in Illinois and Michigan, and I spent a few days in northern Minnesota, very close to Canada, shooting for Coldwater Foundation. It’s run by an old friend from Culver, Kevin Sutton. They do experiential education for youth – in particular this trip was an orientation for college freshman entering their first year at Northwestern College in Iowa. Think Outward Bound with a gospel-centered approach. For 7 days they trekked around the boundary waters in small groups, portaging their canoes across rough terrain, paddling in fierce wind, cooking their own food on an open fire and getting to know each other really really well. The whole focus of the program is to address the crisis in Christian youth education — statistics are showing that kids growing up in youth group are “almost Christian” and end up falling away from the church in their 20′s. Coldwater’s mission is to teach youth how their beliefs in God inform the decisions they make in their lives. It was a blast spending a few days with them, and the old youth leader in me was definitely coming out. I even got to lead worship with Kevin – something we hadn’t done in 10 years! If you are interested, check them out on Facebook (and become a fan if you like). I will be posting their video here once it’s complete.

This fall I am doing more work with DDC and Daytripp, and shooting a few weddings. It will feel a little slower work wise, but being a dad and husband, an elder-in-training and spending time with friends will definitely keep me busy. I am also going to be thinking strategically how to grow my business beyond where I am right now, which is exciting. I hope in the future to post what I’m up to more frequently, but with such a busy season this summer it was hard to find time to blog about it. If you’re interested in seeing work as I go, I usually put links out on my twitter and facebook accounts at much more regular intervals.

9 Months in 10 Seconds

A photo a day of Bec’s pregnant belly.

Jason Harrod Live at Six String Cafe

It was great having friend Jason Harrod back in town for a concert at the newly re-opened Six String Cafe.  Nate Osborne joined him on trumpet, along with Bill Graham on bass. The music was great, the company of friends a joy, and my Guinness was quite tasty.  I’ll let this video (one of my favorite songs, “Day and Night”) and the photos speak for themselves.  If you’re not familiar with him, be sure to check out Jason Harrod’s awesome website, follow him on Twitter, or fan him on Facebook.

Jason Harrod performs “Day and Night” at the Six String Music Cafe in Raleigh, NC, on 2/5/10.