Wedding Films- why bother?

I was chatting to a few prospective brides at a fair on Sunday and for the first time I got the feeling that Wedding DVD's, or Videos as some people still insist on calling them, are seen in quite a negative light. Whilst chatting to one of the photographers exhibiting at the fair she made a very valid point that people almost feel like they have to have a photographer- its just part of the wedding rules even if they hate having their picture taken!
The main worry people have is that they are scared of watching themselves back on film- a worry I can relate to completely! I am never keen on being filmed and am convinced that my voice sounds a lot different on film than it does in real life (I hear David Niven but in reality it is more Peter Kay). I suppose I should overcome my own dislike for being filmed to have a good grasp on why other people won't enjoy it. To this effect I have decided that I am going to make a few introductory films for my You Tube site explaining why I feel people should part with their hard earned cash to allow me to capture their magical day. Whilst I undergo the dramatic makeover that will be required for my performance I will let you into a sneak preview as to its content...

Wedding Films are now light years away from the old musty camcorder efforts of the 80's and 90's- the editing is slick, the footage is steady and the sound quality is crisp and clear. When you book with myself you can decide the theme of the film...it can be shot reportage with me blending into the background or we can make it in the style of a documentary with the main people playing an active role. You will get to see the groom nervously pacing whilst the bride is on her way, you will get to see the guests whilst you are off having your photos taken- in short you will get to see all those magical moments you will either miss or not be able to take in on the day. So many couples are so overawed on the day they struggle to remember even the key moments- have a film produced and 10 years later you will be able to sit back with a nice glass of wine and it will be as if it was yesterday.

Look out for my thoughts on YouTube- if I can overcome my fear of being on camera so can you...and allow me to capture your most special of days in a way which will stay with you forever.

Currently embracing Social Media!

I am currently embracing all aspects of social media! One thing I have realised is to market yourself properly you have to be a regular contributor to twitter, facebook et al. Working on Hoot Suite has enabled me to cut down the time spent working but it does need regular loving care and attention!

Today I have also used Adobe Illustrator for the first time in over two years- I love the Adobe products and once you master one (in my case Photoshop) the others are just incredibly easy to use and the end result is always impressive (well as impressive as my design skills allow it to be!). As I advise students when teaching photography if you are interested in digital photography invest in Photoshop elements. It is a stripped down version of Photoshop but still very user friendly and allows you to let those creative juices flow!

Wedding bookings are building up at a nice pace at the moment but still have a lot of dates to fill- if you or anyone you know is in the process of booking their wedding please ask them to give me a call to discuss how I can help with the photography and videography for their special day. As always I can be reached on 07841289310. Don't forget I don't just work on weddings- if it moves I will snap or film it!

After a lay off of far far too long I am back blogging, tweeting and facebooking again. I have discovered the joy of HootSuite which will make things a lot easier to keep on top of (I hope!). Have got some great plans for the business this year and am looking to keep snapping with a vengence! The double (treble...quadruple etc) dip recession has had an effect on us all but there is still a place for beautiful portraiture and fantastic wedding photography...at an affordable price of course! So if you are planning to get married...or even know someone who is give me a call and we can discuss working together to ensure that those special moments are captured by a dedicated, enthusiastic professional.

James

07841289310

August Update

Hi to all that read my musings!

Just a quick note to update everyone to my work at moment. Just finished a couple of wedding's (stills) and am currently working on Angela and John's DVD and Caroline and Ben's stills and DVD also. I am now publishing work to a website called Photobox. The link is www.photoboxgallery.com/jamesbrennan and will have all my weddings up there plus any portraiture work. Have been working on website today for first time in a few months and have given it a bit of a revamp- go to www.jbdigitalproductions.com to see.

For anyone who has or knows someone with a child aged 0-24 months in the Greater Manchester and Lancashire area I am running a competition on my Facebook page for Beautiful Baby 2010. Full details are at http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/pages/Bolton/JB-Digital-Productions/111833376469. Sign up to be a fan of the page and you will have access to Facebook exclusive deals and competitions such as this one.

I would also like to link to a guy I met at Caroline and Ben's wedding at the beginning of August Peter Aust, professional Toastmaster. He is a fabulous toastmaster and anyone thinking of hiring one for corporate events or weddings should definately check him out at http://www.peter-aust-toastmaster.com/. If you speak to him please mention James from JB Digital Productions to him.

Ok I think that is all for now

James

Angela and John

Had a great time at the Last Drop Village in Bolton with Angela and John on Saturday. It is a great venue and have been to many weddings there but this was the first time had worked there! The weather stayed off just about too and have got some good footage to work on plus we had a small photoshoot of just the bride and groom which I am looking forward to editing. It is all hands to the pumps at the moment completing a few jobs before my next job with Caroline and Ben on the 7th August which I am very much looking forward to as it is a fantastic venue and we should get some amazing shots. We are now live on Facebook at JB Digital Productions where I will be working to create an online portfolio of work and having a few special offers on there too. Don't forget the main website www.jbdigitalproductions.com also although that is in need of a revamp as there are quite a few shoots not got on there yet and I will be doing some special offers too.

James

Viruses!!!!!!

Just a quick note to say how much I despise the people who put viruses onto the net. My laptop has been infected and has now been in for repair for the last week. Luckily everything is backed up onto various hard drives and I have started the slow process of re-installing all my software onto my desktop PC so can carry on working but it has certainly set me back a week at least!!! Getting ready this week for Angela's wedding on Saturday hoping the weather calms down and we get a nice day!

On another note the name for the photography side of the business will be revealed very shortly!!!

JB

photoshoot

Had a photoshoot with Laurey Jay today. He was a wonderful subject very smiley and got some great shots of him! Still no closer to thinking of a name for new business yet driving me mad! Need to have a proper brainstorming session get something definate down.

James