Saturday, February 9, 2019
Monday, December 10, 2018
Millionaire
"Millionaire" by Chris Stapleton wedding videography
by Reagan Studios at Hollyfield Manor
The Christmas season 2018 started off right at Holyfield manor when Gretchen married Mitch on December 1. Their first dance was to the song, "Millionaire" by Chris Stapleton. Reagan Studios used that song to create an awesome highlight reel summarizing their amazing day.
To learn more about wedding videography and a cinematography and photography package that might be right for you, check out www.weddingcinematography.net
and watch the sample videos. Wedding videos in Charlottesville and Richmond and Williamsburg are our specialty, but we travel worldwide for destination weddings.
Tuesday, September 18, 2018
TOP GUN WEDDING
TOP GUN WEDDING
Lt. Alex Graves, a naval aviator who attended the United States Navy's Top Gun Fighter Weapons School married his sweetheart, Tate Norvell in Virginia Beach on September 8, 2018. Twenty-two pilots were in attendance, seven of whom were Top Gun graduates. Both the bride and groom's fathers also served in the U.S. Navy as well.
Produced by www.reaganstudios.com
Music by Harold Faltermeyer available on iTunes:
https://itunes.apple.com/…/top-gun-original-motio…/387193895
Neither Reagan Studios nor the bride & groom seek to profit from the distribution of this video. We do, however, hope that viewers will be encouraged to purchase the song on iTunes or through another licensed vendor.
#weddingvideo
#topgunwedding
#loveyoutothegraves
Music by Harold Faltermeyer available on iTunes:
https://itunes.apple.com/…/top-gun-original-motio…/387193895
Neither Reagan Studios nor the bride & groom seek to profit from the distribution of this video. We do, however, hope that viewers will be encouraged to purchase the song on iTunes or through another licensed vendor.
#weddingvideo
#topgunwedding
#loveyoutothegraves
Thursday, August 23, 2018
Hiring a Photographer for Your Wedding
Chapter Six:
HIRING A PHOTOGRAPHER
Congratulations! You are engaged. It's an exciting period in your life and you'll spend the next bit of time informing people and perhaps sharing photos of the ring and maybe of the engagement.
Next you will pick a date. That's the biggest decision of all. Spring, fall? Summer?? Maybe even winter. A part of the date decision is the venue decision. Especially if your wedding is going to be winter or summer - being outside might not be practical. Even with a spring or fall wedding, your venue will need an indoor rain plan - and that could be a big tent. Do you want a country-style barn wedding, or a country club wedding. Funny how the word "country" is used in both of those terms and yet they mean something entirely different. Will you have your ceremony in a church or at the reception venue?
So anyway. Let's say that decision is made. Your wedding dress usually comes second. But that's a different chapter. Next many brides start thinking of photographers. You do want pictures, right? How much do we really want to spend? Can't a friend do it? And what about film, or videography? Brides call it videography and the camera people frequently call it cinematography. There is a difference. But that's another chapter.
You've seen the photos from your friends' weddings and you know what you like. Even before you decided on the venue, you started looking at weddings pics on Instagram and Pinterest.
Hold the phone, stop the presses. I've got some important information for you: A BRIDE CANNOT SELECT A PHOTOGRAPHER BASED SOLELY ON THE PHOTOS THEY ADVERTISE. I don't mean to say that your photos will look different; they won't. If you like that washed-out look, that's what you will get. If you like the color and vibrancy of a photographer and you hire them, that's what you'll get.
But consider this: You will carefully pick your bridesmaids. You are going to spend over a year planning and a BUNCH of somebody's money on this gala event. You don't want to spend the day with any friends that might bring you down. So why would you hire a photographer and spend all day with that person without knowing what that is like. Clearly engagement sessions help. But engagement sessions are just three people. No crowds and no time constraints. In an engagement session, your photographer has plenty of time to set the lighting and get the pose right. That is not the case on wedding day. Trust me, I have filmed over 200 weddings and wedding day goes fast. There is not time to stop the action and say, "Let's do that again." But guess what? I've seen photographers do that. And usually it's the high-end photographers who act like that! I've seen a photographer stop the bridal party reception entrance for almost two minutes while he got the light setting correct on his camera. He literally kept over 200 people waiting while he messed with his camera. And the whole time, he acted like it was a studio shoot and everyone attending the wedding was an extra at his disposal.
So while the style of photography that you are seeking in a wedding photographer is important, you need to do some research in what it is like to spend a whole day with them. Check weddingwire.com and read the worst reviews they have. Ask the venue what it's like to work with her or him. Ask the caterer. Ask the cake designer - you would be surprised how much they notice on wedding day. Most importantly, ask your planner. Yes, you need a planner. And there is a difference between wedding planning, wedding design, and wedding coordination. But that's a different chapter.
Some photographers show up with a second shooter. That's a good idea. And you wanna be sure that the second shooter isn't an amateur spouse, or friend. You want that person to be a trained and skilled photographer who simply didn't book their own wedding that day. But (and here's the first INSIDER TIP) some photographers show up with ASSISTANTS, not second shooters. I have seen photographers show up with contest winners who's prize was to shoot a wedding with this "celebrity photographer." Guess what? Your photographer is going to spend a bunch of his or her day showing the intern/contest winner how he programmed the lighting on his camera menu. Do you want that happening on your wedding day?
Here's INSIDER TIP number two: what kind of equipment is your photographer bringing? Some photographers are dependent on lighting equipment. They have not mastered shooting with natural light. Seriously, using three-point light creates fantastic portraits and that will work for your bridal or engagement session. But do you really want two-to-three people holding umbrella lights all around you all day long on your wedding day. I've seen it. The pictures are sweet, but your wedding day is a disaster.
INSIDER TIP number three: Is your photographer a trained ninja? The best photographers are invisible. Let's say, on your wedding night, you will be about to toss your bouquet and you'll stop and say, "Wait, where's my photographer?" And she coyly waves to you three feet away. She was right there all the time and you never even noticed. The best photographers will let you enjoy your day with your bridesmaids early on and your husband through the evening. You DO NOT want a photographer trying to choreograph your every move all day. And you don't need someone trying to be your best friend. Ever been to a restaurant where the waiter wants to be your buddy? I'm always like, "Dude. I'm here with my wife. We have a babysitter. Just keep my tea glass full and check-in occasionally. Thanks, bro." Some photographers want to be your best friend on wedding day. Maybe that's what you are looking for. But if not, it can be a pain in the ass. And speaking of ass. What if you hire a photographer who is one? Seriously! Let's say you hire a certain photographer because you love his images. But what if he is a world-class jerk? How much fun is your wedding day gonna be with this guy hanging around? And what if it's a triple whammy? I mean, he's an ass, he has a bunch of equipment in everyone's way, and he's always telling you what to do?
For years, I have told people, the second-most likely factor that could ruin your wedding is your photographer. Number one is your parents. But that is another chapter.
written by Keith C. Reagan, Sr.
www.reaganstudios.com
QUESTIONS FOR PHOTOGRAPHERS
Do you work alone?
Do you bring a second shooter?
Is your second an actual professional photographer, or a trainee/intern?
Will your second/third be taking photos, or holding equipment?
What sort of lighting equipment do you use? Do you use stands and umbrellas that will be in my guests' way?
Are you subtle or invasive? Do you constantly direct the action or do you let me have my day and film it. Can you offer pointers and easy direction without creating delays?
Can you let me do our FIRST LOOK and CAKE CUTTING without talking to us?
Will you stop the action during the reception to check your light settings or can you adjust to changes quickly?
Tuesday, August 14, 2018
Four weddings. One Family.
click HERE to see the video
FOUR WEDDINGS. ONE FAMILY.
I filmed the wedding of Brittany and Nick Penatzer on May 25, 2013. I had no idea was I was getting into at that time. It turned out to be the beginning of my longest-running wedding family - I have filmed these people FOUR times!Brittany and Nick's ceremony and reception were held at Virginia Crossings in Glen Allen, Va. and this was one week before I filmed what would become my most famous highlight reel at the Schreiber/Evans wedding. Right away, I knew something was different; I could not tell who was family and who was a friend and I did not get a better handle on that until four years later.
Nick's cute little sister was all grown up and getting married by 2017. I was honored that they asked if I was available. Savannah and Foster tied the knot on a rainy day at Independence Golf and Country Club. This was my second time with this group, so I sorta knew what to expect. If you lived in California and were having a party that had to be a success because the Hollywood Reporter was going to be there, you could hire this group of people to attend, and the journalist would report the next day that you had the best party ever.
Fast forward one more year and we've got two more weddings scheduled for this group: Sarah & Dillon in June and Melanie & Kevin in July. Sarah married Dillon on a hot day at Alturia Farm. Melanie and Kevin chose a mountainside wedding at The Market at Grelen.
While all four weddings were different, they had one important element in common: the receptions rocked! This crowd knows how to party. Three out of four receptions used DJ Diesel. He has a spectacular light show and I appreciate how it makes our videos look.
There are a few more single members connected with this group so we hope to film them again. In the meantime, here is a mashup of reception footage from the four weddings put to a song by Family Force Five that helps illustrate the energy of this crowd.
Not everyone was able to attend all four weddings, but their faces will become more familiar as you watch THIS VIDEO.
You will notice this couple a lot:
That's Jen and Josh Adams. He was a groomsman in Nick's wedding. Josh and Dillon Adams are brothers. And Dillon was one of Kevin's groomsmen. Both Josh and Dillon were groomsmen for Foster. And Foster married Nick's sister, Savannah. Got it?
Nick's and Savannah's mom, Lisa, and the Adams boys' mom, Robin, were best friends until Robin's untimely death in 2015. She's in the middle of the photo below (dark hair, white dress):
When Dillon got married he placed a photo of his mother in the seat where she would have been:
See Savannah and Foster's videos HERE and HERE.
See Sarah and Dillon's videos HERE, HERE and HERE.
See Melanie and Kevin's videos HERE and HERE.
Saturday, July 21, 2018
Van Halen Wedding Video
Van Halen Wedding Video
Question: Can a Van Halen song work as a wedding highlight reel?Answer: I am willing to try.
On July 14, 2018, Collins and I filmed a wedding at The Market at Grelen in Somerset, Virginia. We knew this wedding would be fun as we have filmed this family (or friends of this family) three other times: Brittany, Savanah, and Sarah. Too bad Jen & Josh Adams were married before I knew them as you will see them in all four of these videos.
Anyway, I had several songs in mind for this wedding (and I am using a country song for a different version of their wedding highlights) but when Melanie & Kevin entered the reception, I knew what I had to do - and I accepted the challenge. They came in the big tent to the sound of their friends and family cheering and to the music of "Dance the Night Away" by Van Halen.
It is remarkable to think that this song (which was recorded before most of the attendees were born) is still this popular. Like "Don't Stop Believing" by Journey, or "Celebration" by Kool and the Gang, some party song don't fade away.
It also turns out that Melanie is quite the dancer. And dancing had something to do with them getting together to begin with - or so I heard.
Now check out their video and see what you think: CLICK HERE. I hope you enjoy it as much as the wedding couple does. CONGRATULATIONS, Melanie and Kevin! It was an honor filming your wedding.
"DANCE THE NIGHT AWAY" WEDDING MUSIC VIDEO link: https://mediazilla.com/Mpc14s3t2
See BOTH of their highlight reels HERE: https://mediazilla.com/tpc8fibV1
Wedding videography by www.reaganstudios.com
Wednesday, June 27, 2018
Alturia Farm Wedding in Virginia
WATCH THIS:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mEruzHhLiRYWhat a great country wedding at Alturia Farm in Virginia! Sarah and her friends had a wonderful loft, bedroom and game room to get ready. And the guys played corn hole and had a few beverages. The sun came out just in time for sunset. We are so lucky to have such wonderful country venues in Virginia. Family and friends can remember this wedding forever with this highlight reel as well as a Preview, Special Feature, Video Guestbook and raw footage on a portable hard drive. Filmed on location at www.alturiafarm.com
Wedding videography by www.reaganstudios.com
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