This is a guide I came up with to help engaged couples choose the right wedding video.
Read MoreKayla & Jason
This is overdue. LOOOOONG overdue.
I've been neglecting my blog a bit lately, and recently decided that it was time for some weekly updates again. But instead of writing about a wedding that was a bit more recent, I'm gonna rewind it a bit and go back to a wedding I shot in August!
Kayla
So Kayla and began our relationship waaay back in the day when we did a photoshoot together. I was in business with my now ex-girlfriend and we decided to do a photoshoot in these woods that I knew about from my childhood. So we met up with Kayla down there. The shoot went really well, because it was the one of the first times I experimented with off camera flash outdoors, which turned out to be a massive success.
About a year after we shot that photo, I left that previous photography business and started David C. Allen Photography. One of the first photos I shot under that business name was once again, with my good friend Kayla! We met up on a cold and windy December day and for some reason I thought it would be intelligent to shoot a photo in the water! We nearly froze to death, but were able to capture a (although very old now) pretty cool looking image! We've been friends ever since.
Jason
Jason is a super dope videographer guy who Kayla started dating very soon after she and I completed our shoot in December. I didn't really know much about him other than occasionally speaking on facebook, until one day I ran into him and Kayla at a grocery store. We spoke for a moment, and he and I decided that it would be pretty dope to combine forces and send each other some wedding business when we could.
And since then, Jason has been letting borrow his awesome/expensive gear whenever I needed. I have been letting him borrow what I can, but I don't own near as much cool stuff haha! He's a pretty awesome videographer whose website you can check out here!
The Wedding
So when I heard that Jason and Kayla were getting married, naturally I hoped they would pick me to shoot their wedding. Lucky for me, they decided to not only hire me to shoot their photos, but they were also interested in me shooting some video for them! Of course I said yes! So I will cut to the chase and share some photos and the video shot for them that day!
Matthew and Sara
A lot of the time when I write these blogs, I write about the couple because they should obviously be the focus right? Well that's still true, but there is no way I could outdo what Matt and Sara have already written on their personal blog. Click here to read their story. Instead, what I'm going to do is write about my personal connection with this couple.... well just Matthew really.
To this day when I'm asked the question "How did you get into photography?" It's a complicated answer, since there were many decisions and interests which led me down this path. But the best way I know how to respond to that question is...
"I started shooting professionally because of my friend Matthew Hogan."
Matthew and I knew each other through mutual friendships, but we didn't really spend much time together until we played in band together called "Theaterfire." We played shows everywhere all over Texas. Okay that's a lie... we played one show. It was probably the first ever documented case of a band playing its first show after a hiatus. But I digress.
One day we were at a bandmate's house and I had my point and shoot camera with me. I always knew that I liked taking photos of random things, but I never thought that I could be actually good at it. So anyway, I point the camera at Matthew and this bandmate's dog and had some trouble focusing. So I used the "focus recompose" method to get them in focus. Matthew pointed out that I was using this focus technique and asked where I learned to do that. I replied that I didn't know it was an established technique, but that it just made sense to me. Impressed, he said that most people didn't know how to do that.
And that's the reason I'm telling you all of this. That moment was the first time I even thought about the possibility of becoming a professional photographer. I'm sure Matt was equally unaware of the impact of his actions, because for the next several years he has had to deal with me bombarding him with random photography questions. And each time, Matt has not failed in answering each question the best way he knows how.
So, fast forward to this wedding. I had the honor of being Matt and Sara's wedding photographer. Up until this day, everyone who knew about this responsibility which was bestowed upon me had pretty much the same thing to say about it. "Oh wow, that's a lot of pressure to take some amazing photos of Matthew's wedding huh?" And to be honest... yeah it was! But after tonight, I feel like I had nothing to worry about at all. It could not have gone any smoother and I was so excited to show off the photos that I went ahead and edited some of them tonight! There will be more to come, but for now enjoy the photos!
Matt & Harmony Engagement
I recently had the insane pleasure of shooting the wedding of my very good friend Matt Mahler. He and I have had some good times playing some jams and hanging out in the past. Well unfortunately he had to move away to South Dakota for work reasons and we had to stop hanging out.
But then recently, he contacted me and told me he was getting married and wanted me to shoot his photos! Of course I accepted! I met his new lady and we had some fun going around Tyler shooting some engagement photos!
Once I'm done editing his wedding photos I'll come back and show off some of those, but for now here are the engagement photos!
Jack & Ciera
May 31st, 2015
If you've been reading my blog posts, then you have probably noticed that each wedding I shoot seems to have a common theme... they each seem to be unique in their own way. This wedding was no exception.
Jack and Ciera's wedding was definitely one of the more unique weddings I had ever been to. Princess Bride quotes, legos, doctor who wedding cake, superhero cufflinks... and more nerd stuff like that. It was... incredible. I've never felt more at home.
Anyway, another reason this wedding was special was that it was the first wedding I was hired to shoot where it wasn't a client referral or a friend's wedding. They simply searched Google, found my website among all of the other wedding photographers, and then chose me. I was incredibly honored to know this and felt like the many months of making my website optimized for google had not gone in vain.
It was also my first time shooting at Stone Oak Ranch (lots of firsts!) and I loved that venue! You couldn't ask for better lighting to be honest! And the barn was very cute, perfect for a reception! It matched Jack and Ciera's personality very well! Also they ended the wedding with freaking fireworks! That was awesome.. take note of this future brides!
Anyway, I will get to the photos. I hope you all enjoy looking at them as much as I enjoyed shooting them!
Raquel & Jarrod
On April 4th, 2015 I had the pleasure of shooting the wedding of Jarrod McKinley & Raquel Trevino. Their photographer had cancelled on them one month before the wedding and remembered me from a wedding extravaganza where we first met a few weeks before.
After a quick meeting at a coffee shop, Raquel hired me as her photographer's replacement and I was very excited to shoot my first wedding at the Villa Bianco. Okay, I'll keep this short and get to the photos! Thanks to Esther Yeager for doing an excellent job coordinating this wedding and congrats to Raquel And Jarrod!
The Proposal
Michael & Valerie
So if you know me, then you probably know I don't have a ton of friends. Sure I know a lot of people and I have conversations when I see them, but there are few people I call/text on a regular basis. One of those people is my buddy Michael. And I recently was honored to shoot photos of his proposal to his girlfriend.
Michael & I
Michael and I were classmates in high school. Notice I didn't say friends, because honestly, we weren't friends. We knew each other, but never really made it a point to hang out or anything. But after high school we started hanging out and then eventually we became roommates. And ever since then we've been buds. We have lived in several different places together, helped each other out through breakups together, and (most importantly) play online video games together!
Michael & Val
And then a couple years back, Michael met Valerie at work. As they grew close, I had to help convince Michael that she was definitely flirting with him and that she wanted to be more than friends (I think he also knew, but didn't want to admit it because he feared getting his hopes up) Anyway, he finally worked up the courage to ask her out and they've been dating ever since. This section is shorter because I don't know as much of their history as my own history haha!
the proposal
Well recently, Michael informs me of his plans to propose to Valerie. And of course when he asked me to shoot photos of the proposal, I accepted! No matter what the plan is, if I get to lie to Valerie about something... I'm in! (just kidding... but serious at the same time) Well, as we work out the details, we figure that he wanted to propose to her at the same location he used to take her to when they first started dating, which happens to be at Lake Tyler. He wants her family to be there because Valerie is very close with her family. So they will pop out and surprise her right after he places the ring on her finger.
A few days before, we start panicking a bit because the weather says that it will rain. And then the day before it says it will rain AND thunderstorm! We start making plans to move the proposal to the next day, but then her family wouldn't be able to attend so we end up risking it. And it paid off handsomely because, while it did rain most of the day, the weather cleared up just long enough for him to ask the question and get some pictures. (It rained HARD again during dinner that evening!)
Anyway, overall everything was successful (especially since she said yes!) Take a look through the photos and enjoy! Congrats Michael and Valerie on your engagement and I look forward to shooting photos at your wedding!
(Unless my secret plan to steal Michael away from you works out...)
Ashley & Justin
On 1-31-15, I shot a very special wedding.
It was just because it was my first wedding of the year, but also because this is the first couple who hired me as "David C. Allen Photography." Before I started my photography business, I ran another photography business with a partner. After we parted ways and she took the business, I was left with no wedding portfolio. As you can imagine, this made my life as a photographer quite difficult because most brides (aka all brides) want to see previous work before they consider hiring you.
After 3 months of outreach and marketing and advertising, along came Justin and Ashley. Sure they were friends of friends, but I was so thankful that someone out there wanted to hire me for their wedding. I felt like my months of work were finally paying off. I met them at a coffee place in Tyler and I immediately felt very comfortable with them and their wedding photography needs. After showing them my very small portfolio, they decided to hire me. I remember walking away from that coffee house very ecstatic that someone out there hired me for their wedding, and I did it all on my own!
The Wedding
While the preparations and reception were held at the Cascades in Tyler, the ceremony was held at Lifepoint Fellowship Church. Justin & Ashley's wedding was definitely higher in energy than any other wedding I had ever been to (They also win for the wedding with the most guacamole I have ever seen). There were people dancing from the moment the reception started until it ended! They have an indescribable connection and I wish them the very best on their lifelong journey together. Congrats Ashley & Justin!
