Introducing the CD/DVD replacement:My clients will now be receiving their final images on these cool USB thumb drives. Not only do they serve as a way to transfer high resolution digital images, they don’t scratch or crack like DVDs or CDs, are easier to transfer data back and forth, and can also be used a cool thumb drive after the images backed-up in a safe place at home (don’t forget!!!).

I’ll offer 8GB for weddings or 2 GB for portraits sessions. While they cost more than a standard CD or DVD, they are a much nicer touch. I mean what IT Specialist wouldn’t love one of these?!?!

They ship in a matching aluminum case:What a perfect pairing… love me some branding consistency!I couldn’t help myself notice the similarity between my white iPhone… Steve Jobs would be proud!

And for all you photographer’s who want to know: I got them from my buddy Alan Warner at Trion Promo.

They are functional shoes fit for my little princess, featured here wearing little ice skates on her Patagonia lifestyle portrait session in Fort Collins, CO last weekend (Plum and Blue make Purple): It is easy to get comfortable with what we know. I chose to shoot family portraits with wedding photographer Rachel Olsen and her family using a challenging, but rewarding tool: a Mamiya 645 medium format film camera and 80mm /f1.9 lens lent to me (thanks to Kevin Von Qualen and mentoring from James Christianson). I am excited to see the film results once they get developed and scanned. Shooting film again has really gotten me excited to push myself. It’s also scary, cause you never know if the film doesn’t turn out as expected. Here’s a special moment of the two new sisters holding hands created with my favorite digital rig, a Nikon D700: *For which I am allowed to see, as Krista’s wedding dress remains behind closed doors in a undisclosed location.

My definition of inspiration is a little different… I think that true inspiration is without worth if it doesn’t bring about action. With that said, music is my favorite moving experience, nature & architecture triggers my awe & creativity. Authentic people & their stories fills my inspiration cup!

My style is just my direct outward expression or overflow of that inspiration. And technique determines how well I execute the final product.

2. Tell me three of your goals of your business for the next year. What are you doing to accomplish them?

• Hone my brand – Super 8 is very niche, my biggest goal and challenge is to continue to expand my reach to get it in front of the people that appreciate it. To do this, I nurture relationships, build new ones, avoid toxic ones, and be intentional with my time.
• Inspire others – Creating original artwork is terrifying, but the easy route is cheap imitation and involves copying others. The world only advances when people do things differently, I want to inspire creatives to do just that.
• Secret! – My last goal is the most exciting for me as I’ll be releasing a secret side-project which involves making filming in Super 8 more accessible to the masses, putting the ability to create into a greater audience. Stay tuned for more on this one!

3. As a film artist, how effective is branding, website, blog, and social networking? How do brides connect best with your art?

Branding is successfully communicating your message and being an artist trying to reach the minority. It’s hugely important. A website/blog can state or reinforce your values. Social networking is just one vehicle to get your message/brand out.

I am fairly active on facebook/twitter as I enjoy being social, however the biggest reinforcement of my brand is the ‘word-of-mouth’ surrounding my work that has carried me since launching in 2004.

4. What key moment in your life made you the cinematographer you are today? What motivated your entrepreneurial spirits?

I’m an entrepreneur because I’ve always seen how things can be better. Working for someone else doesn’t always provide the opportunity to actually change things for the better.

I’m the Super 8 cinematographer I am today in direct response to some byproducts of the digital revolution. Life is beautiful, and life is imperfect. The culture and perfect standards surrounding (some) digital manipulation can create a dishonest reality. Super 8 is in the opposite spectrum and to me, creates a more authentic experience. Like life, Super 8 is beautiful and Super 8 is imperfect.

5. Describe how you’d create a film within your style. What time of day? Location? Why?

Of course, I love beautiful locations at sunset with the sun low in the sky to create warmth, a nice side light, and some sexy sun flare. But I also love documenting people in their dwellings. I think it adds a deeper dimension to the story. The biggest piece to my style though comes from the authentic feel of people that are open & trusting.

6. Why is motion film important (to you)?

I’ve been a still photographer the majority of my life and photography remains half my business. So to me, Super 8 is a like a moving album of 4-8 second photographs. It’s able to add more context to a still frame. It tells the story of moments before and after a snapshot.

NOTE: Super 8 B&W film can be developed and converted in digital. Far from a .CR2 or .NEF file, raw footage looks like this: 

7. How do you balance the desires of a bride when purse strings might rest on the shoulders of traditional parents? 

Unfortunately Super 8 is an expensive medium and having an artist that can use it well to tell a story is an even higher premium. The only way a bride/groom/parents can have a great film on a tighter budget is to be flexible with the timeline. If we can be intentional with planning key moments, (ie. bride & groom see each other before the ceremony, start with the first dance just before dinner) we can create an amazing story within a planned 5-6 hour period instead of normal 8-10 hours coverage.

8. Let’s talk tech: Tell me about your favorite creative tools, film, lighting, and post-processing. Why?

A. Practice. Experimenting. Practice. Experimenting. Practice. B. PRO film lab! Spectra Film & Video in North Hollywood handles all my processing and digitizing. A wedding day is a wildly unpredictable lighting experience. Spectra makes me look good. C. My go-to color film is Vision3 by Kodak. Great skin tones and wonderful exposure latitude being a negative film. R. J. & Krista’s black & white film was my first experience with Kodak’s Tri-X reversal film, and the results blew my mind. D. Generally I use available light, however I bring rechargeable Sunpak video lights with me for low light situations (Editor note: These have been discontinued by the manufacturer). E. Super 8 film is skinner than your little fingernail. A tuned-up, pro camera with a great lens is absolutely necessary to get the best possible results out of an inherently difficult medium.

9. Pair music with your cinematography… what genre are we in? Is it different than the music that inspires you to create what you do best?

Pairing music to the visual medium will make or break the creation of a good film. I spend an immense amount of time finding the perfect song. I prefer underproduced music to go with the analog Super 8…raw, acoustic, emotional. The tempo will depend on the feeling of the visual elements.

A difficult obstacle in finding music is that I try to legally purchase music rights from independent artists so they are paid for their work. And it is HARD finding GOOD music that is not tied up in corporate labels.

10. How does travel and other worldly-experiences shape your style?

On a human level – “Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts. Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all one’s lifetime.” – Mark Twain

On a creative level – I think stagnation of experiences causes death to creativity.

11. Describe your biggest pressures and challenges from a client perspective. How can a wedding professional ameliorate these concerns?

Trust. It’s daunting and scary to let someone into your life and be in charge of documenting the most important moments. A true professional has worked really hard to get experience working in every possible crazy weather, lighting, equipment malfunctioning, and humanly emotional situation. A professional can show with beautiful work that they figured out a way through that adversity. You can’t escape uncertainty, so make it work for you. ——— Thanks, Kevin, for your sharing your creative insight! You are a wise artist beyond your years!

And for all you creative entrepreneurs, you might also enjoy reading other interviews by creative experts:

• The Art of Framing >> Tips on framing photo with different aspect ratios, and the importance of a “bottom weight” mat, and how to decorate a special space with art.
• Why SEO matters for creative buisness and the Importance of Links and Blogging >> If you have a blog, this is a MUST read!
• Blogging Tips & Tricks >> How to find an audience, establish a writing style, deal with blogging pet peeves.

Stay tuned for future “Ask the Expert” interviews of those who love to create as much as share. If you like what you see, learned something cool, or have a suggestion for new interviews, comment away!

Kevin’s approach to documentary is as authentic as his tools. He uses real 8 mm film exposed at 24 frames per second, sans Final Cut Pro simulated effects. Super 8 mm film cameras do not record sound. They are silent films. Kevin manages blends a appropriately chosen soundtrack perfectly suited to the moving images, like a perfect pairing of wine and cheese…. however, his films and soundtracks are NOT cheesy!

Kevin’s art is not only illustrated by his timeless documentary style, but he adds a sense of comfortable professionalism to each shoot. Unlike most wedding videographers, you don’t know he’s there, your images are captured with a silent, unwavering reassurance each time. He still nails the sequence, but more importantly he’s a friend at your side ready to make you smile. His kindness makes you feel special.

Our chosen wedding videographer We choose Kevin as our engagement and wedding videographer and could not be more certain of the decision. He created this 3 minute experience using old B&W film, my favorite film of my entire life featuring Krista and I together in our Colorado engagement session in La Porte:

Click here to view the embedded video.

I catch subtle nuances with each viewing on my white iPhone 4S I hold in my hands. Witnessing yourself in love is an amazing thing- it reinforces feelings to your eyes that you feel with your soul.

If you are considering hiring a vintage cinema artist (not to be confused with a videographer), just hire him.

Kevin, you’ve outdone yourself again and I am sooo proud to call you our wedding videographer!

View color stills by James Christianson here and B&W stills by Kevin Von Qualen here. Music provided by The Champion and His Burning Flame.

Can’t wait to say Aloha to Hawaii with the stellar, rockstar team of James and Kevin!!!!

In the midst of thinking about big decisions like renting a house, answering craigslist ads about selling stuff, facing new jobs, moving, planning a wedding, making lists of lists… I am reminded by the words of Bueller: “Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.” And while adjusting to challenges in life aren’t supposed to be easy, I remind myself the process of letting go of the old makes room for the new. Creating new happy places jump spark neurons to create a whole new set of visuals. You don’t have to venture to a tropical destination. For me, riding in a tractor in the middle of Minnesota nowhere {in a total new place} brings a smile to my heart.

Wedding photographer as therapist As a photographer, I often feel insecure at times to walk into someone else’s world {special place} and interpret what I see… and what I feel. Did I do it justice? Did I capture the feeling they were looking for… or feeling embedded deep in a subconscious decades ago?!?!? Such as a life as wedding photographer. We often step back into a lifetime of nostalgia, of framed-coveted-perfect memories, of heaven as we see it. Such pressure drop on our lens, on our shutter. If only my $2,000 Nikon 24mm f/1.4 could be a therapist.Together, my lenses and I, play 1 part photographer and 3 parts therapist.

Shooting weddings, no different than a candid, off-the-cuff family moment is a challenge I taken seriously — but never too seriously, otherwise I couldn’t do my job as destination wedding photographer. Sometimes I feel scare of rejection, isolation, or loneliness… like a divorce, especially with little repose from the said ‘client’ other than the shun of quietness… which feels like darkness at times (y’all, we’ve been there before like in rain and goulashes and wet pooches…. it sucks). However, on other times, like tonight, I feel 1120% rejuvenated that what artistically creative is sooooo what I should do. There is a moment whereI feel if I can make just one person’s day… just one person… then my day is made. Such is today.

Present memories as a ‘present’ Sometimes we get caught up in the past & forget we are creating new memories in the present. Cheers to celebrating roots of happiness ignited now! A big shout out to Jake who taught me how to drive a Gator and not look back. Whoot-whoot to new memories on the farm!

Our story: It all started with brunch with Colorado wedding photographer Rachel Olsen at Root Down last Feb. I’ve known Rach for years. Not only is her photography amazing (I’m jealous at times), but she’s a terrific person, mom, and a stellar athlete (ski patrolled at Vail, biked guide in Italy). She hopes to complete an Ironman in the next few years… good to know I’ll have another training buddy. We were catching up on life before attending the Power of Passion photographer workshop (my review here) when Rach said, “You know, you’d make a great match for my sister-in-law. The only thing: she lives in Minneapolis.” My jaw dropped to the floor. I was giddy. I was scheduled to teach a workshop the following week in MN, then got stranded due to weather. God truly works in mysterious ways. What started out completely {gasp!} not a date, turned into one. Rach, you’re the best matchmaker I could imagine!

Fast forward a few months, I proposed to Krista and she said YES! View photos from actual surprise engagement here.

On planning a wedding: We envision our wedding as simple, genuine, and filled with quality family time as the main centerpiece. We liked the idea of breaking away from tradition. For example, we want to maximize time with family in a warm place, so we’re getting married on a Tuesday of Spring Break so family can travel on a Saturday and return on a Saturday. Wedding vendors like midweek weddings positioned in off-peak months, too. We’ll get married under a tree (design & coordination by Kuleana Design). There will be fire spinning and really good food by Noah & Judy. The engagement ring I gave Krista resembles a traditional band… an understated ring utilitarian given her line of work, the same one she always liked. The ‘wedding ring’ will feature Tiffany bling.

As wedding photographer myself, I’m fascinated to view an industry in a refreshing new way – starting with the planning process. My initial thoughts:

• Planning a wedding doesn’t have to be stressful or consume your life.
• Planning a wedding doesn’t have to follow tradition.
• Planning a wedding doesn’t have to be expensive.
• Planning a wedding doesn’t have to come from a wedding magazine.

When you think about it, humans have been getting married for thousands of years. Diamond engagement rings only became common in the 1930s after DeBeers proclaimed a man should spend two months’ income on the ring. In the 1800s, sewing thimbles were common betrothal gifts. I only wonder what bridal trends we see today will we look back and wonder – What were we thinking?!?!

I’ll place my bets on the money dance, flashes during the ceremony, the garter toss, and the exhausting receiving line.

*** The chicken dance, however, will remain as a an excuse to leave the dance floor, grab a drink, and admire Grandpa dancing. ***

>> My advice to those planning a wedding: Surround yourself with creative people you trust.

On choosing a wedding photographer: Hiring James Christianson to photograph our wedding just felt right. James (friends call him Jim) has hit a level of success in his personal life, professional photography career, and accomplishments as a visual artist which I admire. Spending time with Jim during our engagement session affirmed that in every way. He was perfect for us! Apparently Ralph Lauren’s daughter, Dylan, must have thought the same (check out August 2011 issue of Vogue or James’ blog post here).

I challenged Jim on our engagement session to be 100% himself and shoot what makes him happy. He shot only film, bringing several cameras each with a specific purpose. Seeing him work the magic behind all of the film cameras, brought back a sense of nostalgia of a vanishing photographic art created with medium-format film cameras like the Contax 645 or Pentax 67II. Make no mistake, the shutter click THUNK! of his Pentax 67II inspires confidence and awe… at least from the perspective of having that thing pointed at me. I knew he nailed the shot just from the sound. THUNK! That shutter sound doesn’t compare to toy click of the infamous Canon 5D.

>> My advice to those choosing a wedding photographer: Choose a photographer you trust, who’s work you love, and one who makes you feel beautiful. The images turned out amazing and I couldn’t have envisioned a more perfect experience. Thanks, Jim!

A few favorites from our engagement session in Laporte, Colorado (click here view the rest of the images by James Christianson):

Jim traveled with his entourage including vintage cinema photographer Kevin Von Qualen who shot 35mm B&W and Super 8mm film, the designer Labradoodle, Willy {dog model for hire}, and the one and only Rachel Olsen {dog handler/fashion consultant/therapist not for hire}. To be surrounded by such a perfect team of dear friends who just happened to be wedding photographers made the experience even more memorable!

On enjoying an engagement session: Working with Jim affirmed everything I knew an engagement session should be – light-hearted, happy, romantic. I’d rather eat brussels sprouts for breakfast than get photographed, as I am more comfortable on the other side of the camera. However, Jim set us at ease even before his first shot.

Let’s face it: the last time most were in front of a camera was as a high school senior – probably not the best experience. Which is why having the perfect outfit, complexion, location, weather doesn’t make for a perfect engagement session I write about here. A good photographer makes for a good experience.

Our engagement session created the perfect excuse for Krista and I to just be, on par with a romantic date. Creating special photos in non-wedding attire that feel like you IS FUN! The added bonus: I can hang a picture in my office of us now, without having to wait weeks and weeks after the wedding.

Witnessing Jim fumble thrive under creative stress while looking for the ‘good’ light, deal with equipment, and laugh at little happy mistakes, demonstrated his talents as a true professional.

As we wrapped up our session, I commented to Krista how Jim made us us feel like a million dollars by providing a wonderful experience filled with lots of laughter. And while we are enjoying our engagement, we are excited for the wedding day in Hawaii and know Jim will be there like a friend with expensive cameras.

>> My advice to those on how to prepare for an engagement session: Be yourself and enjoy! __________ You also might like : Ingredients for a Perfect Engagement Session What’s In A Good Wedding Contract? 25 Tips for your Best Wedding Photography