Adam and MaKenna - Salt Lake Temple Pre-Shoot - Utah Wedding Video

Pre-Shoots, Couples Stories and First Looks are becoming much more commonplace, as couples seek to have something special to show at their wedding. This pre-shoot with Adam and MaKenna was an incredibel experience. Just me and the couple, and no schedule to tackle. It gave us time to experiment, get the best of everything, take breaks. We took advantage of the "evening hour" to get the best colors and the softest, warmest light. Evenings on a sunny day are always the best time to film.

This shoot also gave me the opportunity to kick around some ideas and make something meaningful for the couple. It's a beautiful piece, for such a great couple. I spent a lot of time with these two prior to the wedding - a pre-shoot and a couples story. It made the wedding day such a more relaxed experience.

Gordon and Carole - Riverside Country Club Wedding - Provo, Utah

So there's more to this wedding film than meets the eye. It's the style of wedding film that best expresses where I need to be.

I need to be grounded. Let me explain.

I've tried before (oh, how I've tried...) to do the sweeping, hugely cinematic wedding films that some couples really like. Crazy steadicam, majestic shots, grandiose movements.

It's not my thing.

This is my thing. This wedding reminded me of that. I prefer my wedding films to be "grounded in reality". There's an incredible amount of beauty in just allowing the day to unfold. Great weather (or not), happy couple, events of the day. It's not to say I don't try. I just know that at the end of the wedding, the event is the cinema. There's no need to recreate the day. Just let it happen. Shoot what happens.

Just be meticulous about it and slave away at capturing those special moments. I chose to do both.

- Ryan

Vaughan and Rylee - Wadley Farms - Utah Wedding Video

Ahhh, newness. That's how I felt, shooting this wedding at the Oquirrh Temple. I've only shot there once before, and it was helping out a friend. I finally got the chance. It's my single favorite temple in the valley. Can't explain why. Just a really beautiful building on a hill.

I could speak praises for an hour about the couple. Vaughan and Rylee. Just an amazing couple. Animated, hip, cool and completely positive. I want to duplicate them and shoot them once a week.

And a Haka war cry at the wedding reception. Crazy cool. 

In case you missed it on my Facebook page a while back, I'm posting their couples story here as well. Rylee gave me a really big challenge with this one. She wanted a lot of back story, photos, video she shot, lots to cover. It allowed me to think outside of the box. So Rylee, thanks for that.

Enjoyed every minute of these two shoots.

- Ryan