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I spent 3 days last week in the West Indies on the island of St. Lucia for a shoot. This was a very last minute shoot and was on the plane within 24 hrs of accepting the job. It was rush getting a few things packed and my gear organized and strategically packed. I traveled alone on this trip but I don’t mind this. I do enjoy traveling with my wife and family but there is something about traveling alone that causes you to focus a bit more. I find that I meet more people this way and I love talking to people to get their story.

My connecting flight out of Atlanta I sat in the middle seat. On my right was a man named John and to my left a woman named Karen. John and I talked quite a bit. He is a biology professor at Saint Mary’s College and he was on his way to St. Lucia for a job interview at a university on the island. John is originally from Trinidad and his wife and 2 children are still there. I learned more about his areas of expertise. He is currently working on research involving antibiotics to try and resolve why they sometimes cause hearing loss. Instead of lab rats, they use Zebra fish to run tests. One of the most widely researched fish in the world with an immense amount of data about this special fish. John was an interesting person. Karen was on her way to St. Lucia to go on a barefoot cruise. She was an emergency room nurse and actually was a consultant for the TV show 24.

As I sat quietly, John asked me where I was staying. I told him I had no idea. He gave me a puzzled look. I said “really, I don’t know, they never told me”. He asked if I was going to be on the north or south end of the island. I just shook my head, shrugged my shoulders and told him that I really didn’t know but I would meet up with my contact at the airport. I was ok with this but John in his accent said, “no way would i ever do that, it would make me too nervous”. I told John that I just look at these trips as adventures and just go with the flow.

The island was just breathtaking to see and I stayed in a beautiful villa. The water is turquoise blue as is typical for the caribbean. I always find locations like this very peaceful. There were pocket of St. Lucia that reminded me of things I saw in Haiti. I always come away from places like this realizing how blessed we are in America. The hospitality incredible and I felt very welcome. There is so much to do in St. Lucia but really didn’t have the time to do them. I did get a hike in to a fort from the late 1700′s. I tried some local cuisine and loved everything i tried. I even tried coconut juice from a street vendor who used his machete to cut the coconut open. It was kind of a bland taste.

I met some very fun people. Asha, Tyrone, Bridgette and Agnes. They are all from St. Lucia with the exception of Tyrone, who I discovered grew up in Gary, IN. I really enjoyed the short amount of time I spent working with them.

This is an incredible place for a destination wedding. There are so many places to choose for a destination wedding here.

My first full day of shooting, I was up before the sun at 4:30am. I did not crawl into bed until 1:30am the next day. My last day in St. Lucia, I went to a local beach for a morning swim with Bridgette and Agnes. The caribbean water was the perfect temperature at 8:00am. We talked about the history of the island. I remember floating on my back looking up at the sky. The water covered my ears so I couldn’t hear. It was so peaceful and relaxing.

I look forward to returning some day but would like to take Jen with me on the next trip.

John

Jenny {and} Dave from Northernlight Filmworks on Vimeo.

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This was a wedding we filmed at the Indianapolis Museum of Art (IMA) for Jenny and David. We had an opportunity to learn more about them before the wedding in filming a couples interview. This is a great way to document how they met, the proposal and how the relationship developed. This interview was woven into the fabric of the wedding film. We spent the morning with Jenny’s family as she prepared for the day and they made us feel so welcome. We always enjoy this time because it gives us an opportunity to get some candid moments and to see some of the personalities come out. The wedding was so beautiful being on the grounds of the IMA. We loved the sonnet that David wrote for Jenny, it gave the ceremony a personal touch. Jenny’s Maid of Honor is a concert pianist and she played a couple of pieces during the reception and she was phenomenal. It was amazing being that close to her and watching her hands and fingers take over that piano. We worked again with Photographer Andrew Scalini and Event Planner, Casey Scott.

Here is a very nice note received from Jenny and Dave.

“Hi Jennifer and John,

Many Thanks!
Jenny and Dave

Toby {and} Ashley from Northernlight Filmworks on Vimeo.

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This was a beautiful intimate wedding we filmed at the Conrad, downtown Indianapolis, Indiana. We met Ashley and Toby and they are such a great couple. Toby is so energetic and we loved that about him. Ashley looked so beautiful on her wedding day. Love the bird cage veil and her dress was amazing. That morning we stopped by Red’s Classic Barbershop to get some shots of Toby and his brother getting a classic shave. This was one of the coolest barbershops we have been in. It was great working with photographer Angela Talley.

Bridget {and} Eric – Notre Dame Same Day Edit from Northernlight Filmworks on Vimeo.

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This is a Same Day Edit (SDE), which we produced for Bridget and Eric. The couple wanted all their guests to experience the day with them and this was shown at the reception right before open dancing. We filmed the wedding at one of our favorite places, the Basilica of the Sacred Heart at the University of Notre Dame. When you walk into this church, it presents jaw dropping beauty and a certain reverence about it. We enjoyed spending the day with the couple and their friends and family. Another great wedding with heartfelt speeches will make this an heirloom for the couple.

So what exactly is a Same Day Edit? Throughout the day, our team is very focused on filming as they always are. But in the case of a Same Day Edit, conscience and focused decisions are made on identifying clips that will be used for the edit. It’s about finding moments to use to help move the story forward of how the day unfolded. Footage is aquired and we are constantly working on ingesting the footage into our system and editing throughout the day on our laptop. Pulling one of these off requires special attention to logistics and making sure that we have the right people in the right places when needed. We are still editing even during the early stages of the reception. Once we have the sequence down, we adjust audio, color grade and export the movie. We arrange audio with the DJ or band and it’s showtime. The most enjoyable thing about a Same Day Edit is seeing and watching the reaction of the couple and their guests. Producing a Same Day Edit is very stressful and does a number on your physical and mental energy. But when you observe the couple and their guests laughing, crying and sometimes cheering, it is well worth the time and effort. If you are interested in having us produce this for your wedding, let us know and we can talk it over.

We enjoyed working once again with our good friends Kevin and Alicia Monahan of Kevin Monahan Photography. The reception was held at Morris Park Country Club and we enjoyed working again with Anne Landis, who did an amazing job designing this wedding. A special thanks to Shawn Saros of ProShow for getting us some awesome audio for the SDE. Shawn kept the crowd energized.

Comments are welcome.

Doug {and} Jenny from Northernlight Filmworks on Vimeo.

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This is one memorable couple. We enjoyed getting to know Jenny and Doug and really understanding the closeness that they share. This wedding reminded us of the importance of family and this was quite evident for each side of their respective families. The wedding ceremony was absolutely beautiful. The intro music to this video is actually from the choir that sang at the church. There is quite a back story to how they got the choir to sing for their wedding, which made it all that more important to both Doug and Jenny. We were honored to be able to capture this important time in their lives. And thank you Doug and Jenny for the gift certificate to Bub’s! We are hooked!

We enjoyed filming this wedding with photographer Megan Grandi, who does amazing work. Take some time and look at the images from the wedding HERE

Adam and Laura from Northernlight Filmworks on Vimeo.

Adam and Laura’s wedding day was absolutely beautiful. The weather was just perfect. We had an opportunity to learn about Laura, Adam and their family during their couples interview, which we filmed for their Love Story and to include some of that footage for their wedding movie. When we first met with Laura, she told us that their wedding is very important to them and they wanted to spend money they budgeted on wedding video and photography. This is always hard for us to communicate to people. Laura had an understanding of focusing on things that preserve the fleeting memories of the wedding day. We enjoyed working with Photographer Jessica Strickland, who always does amazing work.

Thank you Adam and Laura for including us to help document your wedding day.

Photography -Jessica Strickland
Makeup Artist -Kiralee with EyeMax
DJ -Ultimate Entertainment
Invitations -Card Ink
Cupcakes -Classic Cakes
Church -East 91st Street-Christian Church
Venue -The Fountains (Carmel, IN)