Captured Productions

Business or Pleasure?

That is the question this week...and the answer is "yes".  Renee' & I will be heading down to Punta Cana, Dominican Republic to photograph and film a wedding...no I didn't complain...or give it too much consideration.  Needless to say we are pretty excited to shoot against this backdrop. Don't get me wrong we will be heading down a little early and staying a few days after to enjoy some time just the two of us & no kids...sure hope we don't get bored ;-)

 

What better way to come back from a beautiful trip than to come back to Grand Rapids to see our kids and visit family for Thanksgiving...plenty to be thankful for.

In case you are like me and you hear any place outside of the United States you have to Google it, Punta Cana is in the Caribbean South West of Florida.  Good thing for Google Maps so I know where we are headed.

 

We will be back in the studio Tuesday, December 1st....wow! next up Christmas...what a great time of the year :-)

I Gotta Feeling....

....that tonight's gonna be a good night...   I can't say we have done too many wedding movie trailers to Black Eyed Peas....actually I think this is a first.  After Mandy and Geoff's wedding I heard this song and it was a perfect fit for them.  Everyone approaches their wedding day differently, you could tell it was Geoff & Mandy's plan to just enjoy their wedding day with their family and friends.  We knew with their wedding at St Paul on the Lake in St Clair Shores and their reception at the Grosse Pointe Yacht Club, it was going to be a beautiful day...but I had no idea how much fun we were going to have.  I should have suspected since they are friends with our previous clients Billy & Kristen who had an amazing wedding on Mackinac Island...one we have potential clients still asking about.

Shooting along side of Jen of JK Photography, I realized how important it is to find a photographer that fits your style.  Jen was a perfect fit and I love shooting along side her.      Jen just fed their fun and was able to capture some pretty amazing images along the way.

When watching this video you may think it was just a big party with friends...don't get me wrong there was a lot of partying with friends, but if you watch closely you can read Geoff's lips as he turns to his groomsman while Mandy walks down the aisle, "I think I'm going to cry", shortly after you can catch Geoff whispering to his bride to be how beautiful she looks.  Way to go Geoff...you Rock!...and win some kind of groom of the year award, and thanks to your forethought to have your wedding day filmed, your kids will get to see a pretty amazing side of their dad....okay you can take it one step at a time...

So sit back and watch the trailer for Geoff & Mandy's wedding movie, you will be sure to fall in love with this great couple...and their wedding day.

A Day in the Life of Kennedy.....

You may remember Kennedy from a post last year or her sister from a post last month.  Fortunately their parents will have tons of great memories preserved of Kennedy and Madison.  Last year their parents Chris & Jessica decided to start yearly Day in the Life photo & video shoots....what a great idea...just think of the great stuff they will have for their graduation open house :-)

Jessica & Chris had us film their wedding several years ago and now capture their daughters' Day in the Life... videos I love their vision and priority to preserve their memories.

Highlights of Steve & Pam's Pefect Wedding Day

This summer we had the opportunity to capture Steve & Pam's wedding day in St Joe.  The day started with their ceremony downtown St. Joe and their Reception over looking Lake Michigan. 

You couldn't ask for a more beautiful day...and of course perfect weddings don't just happen without a lot of forethought and planning, that is where Nancy Dobry of RSVP Events and her team of assistants came in.  They allowed Steve and Pam to focus on their guests and enjoying their day, knowing they had all of the details under control.

In the past Trudy Holtz (Trudy Holtz Photography) & I have captured a Trash the Dress together and we were able to create memorable videos of her beautiful daughters (Cassidy & Payton), but up until this point have never shot a wedding side by side.  I have to say it is great to work along side a photographer who is passionate, loves what they do, and are great at it, and Trudy is definitely one of those photographers.  You definitely have to check out her blog post on Steve & Pam.

What is so important when filming a wedding is the backdrop.  Many times we need work on finding the perfect angle to minimize a distraction.  Well Steve & Pam had Jenn Ederer of Modern Day Floral create the perfect backdrop for their wedding, if you haven't seen what she can do, it is a must.  I could go on an on about the details, but it is probably easier if you just see for yourself in this short highlights piece that we created of Steve & Pam's wedding day.

A Day in the Life of Cassidy.....

Producing "Day in the life..." videos have stemmed from my love of creating movies for each of our kids.  It started with taking home videos and editing them together and has evolved into every year capturing a day in their life.  We think about what the ideal day would be where all of their personality would come out, and then capture it.

Since then we have extended these types of videos to our clients who to want to capture their children before they blink and they are all grown-up.  Recently we had a chance to capture a Day in the life.... of Cassidy.  Cassidy is the daughter of the talented photographer Trudy Holtz.  Leave it to Trudy to plan a day that let Cassidy be herself and show off her true colors...not to mention some pretty cute outfits as well.  Ya gotta love this little cutie, I love it that Trudy has made it a priority to capture a "Day in the life..." for both of her girls.

Girls Just Wanna Have Fun....A day in the life of....Madison

We continue to capture "A day in the life of...." films for families who want to remember their child or family, truly in their element.  Several years ago we filmed Jessica & Chris's wedding and love their vision to continue to capture their family year after year.  Not only did they have a day in the life of Madison captured on film, but had Renee' capture some amazing images of Madison as well, as you can see below.

As soon as I heard they wanted to use "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun" for Madison's video, I knew Renee' & I were going to have tons of fun capturing this super fun little girl.  Renee' & I started brain storming the location.  We started by asking them to describe the ideal day and setting for their family.  The lake and the beach came up so we found the perfect location for this shoot, Sanford Lake which had sand, water, spray park, and a ton of other great locations, including ice cream.  It turned out to be perfect.  Madison's energy and love for the camera came out.  Instead of a stuffy photo shoot, trying to get her to smile, Renee' & I just stood back and let her be herself and captured the fun that she had, and who couldn't have fun at the beach, our kids were pretty bummed that they didn't get to come along.  My words don't do this girl justice so watch her "Day in the life..." video and see if you agree, Girls Just Wanna Have Fun!

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Living our dreams....

Well, I know I have already posted Tianna & Williams wedding day on our blog....at least their wedding trailer, but I can't help but show off Renee's work as well.  I love that she shoots weddings and that we got to shoot along side each other.  What great images.  You can check out more of her work on her blog, or learn more about Captured Photography on her website.

Great work Renee!!!

 

I loved the glow in this room... and it was really special to sneak up on Will & Tianna as they were practicing their first dance...

 

Thank you for allowing us to be a part of your wonderful day!  Enjoy!   

A Sneak Peek at Joelle & Nick's Wedding Day

It is always nice to shoot a wedding close to home, in this case only 6 miles round trip.  Nick & Joelle could have been a more perfect couple.  It was hard to catch Joelle not smiling and Nick having a great time with his groomsmen...sometime too good of a time :-)  It made for great video and made the telling of their story easy.

For the first time I got the chance to shoot along side of Ryan Collier of Ryan Collier Studios.  Ryan was great to work with, not only did he help Nick & Joelle relax and enjoy their day, he got some pretty great images as well.  Below is a personal favorite of mine.  I even have to give him credit for on of the opening shots in the video below, where the  bridal party is moving around Nick & Joelle.

photo by Ryan Collier Studios

After a beautiful wedding at St Brigid's in Midland and walking through Dow Gardens.  We headed over to The Great Hall.  I love the footage that we got from that day and I can't wait to show more, but until then here is a sneak peak at Nick & Joelle's wedding day.

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Inspiration for your day

I have always loved sports montages ever since I was young and had no way of producing them.  Since the start of Captured Productions 9 years ago, I have had the opportunity to create many sports highlights and promo videos, from football to cheerleading.  You can check out some of the past sports videos in the archives of our blog. I love the way that this turned out and I can't take any credit for it.  Amanda who has worked for Captured Productions for the past 7 years, produced, shot, & edited this video for R-Athletics.  I love that I have a great team working with me.  Sit back and be inspired by the amazing feats of these young gymnasts.  Great work Amanda!

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Love at Lovett Hall

Wow what a great weekend!  Beautiful day...beautiful wedding...beautiful couple...beautiful photographer.... Renee' & I were at the Henry Ford, Lovett Hall this weekend.  We had the opportunity to capture Tianna & William's wedding day with both photography and videography.  We were joined by Amanda of Captured Productions and Sara Anthony of Sara Anthony Photography, from Atlanta (thanks Sara for making the trip).  I have to admit I am lov'n Renee's wedding work.  As I post this, I am watching her edit images from this weekend and look forward to what she comes up with.  Great work hon!  Stay tuned to her blog for some great images from the day.

Tianna & William's wedding was a classic theme, which fit perfect with her silk dress and wedding ceremony and reception at The Henry Ford.  They were married in front of a back drop of six foot flowered cherry trees and gorgeous flowers from Lil' Pear Tree.  Christina from the Henry Ford helped Tianna & William make their day what it was.  In the words of Tianna, "she was terrific".

The day couldn't have cooperated more perfectly, beautiful dramatic clouds all day without a drop of rain...and 70 degrees in July....sign me up!  The evening concluded with Royce and his band who rocked it and kept the dance floor jump'n.

Tianna & William, thank you so much for entrusting the memories of your day with us, we definitely don't take that lightly and are excited about the footage and images that we were able to capture.  We can't wait to share them with you.  Until then here is a sneak peek at your wedding day movie.

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How will you remember your wedding day?

How will you remember your wedding day?  A very important question every couple should ask themselves. Photography?...there is no better way to grab an emotion and freeze it in time...a must and a great way to have beautiful art from your wedding day that will live on for generations.  Cinematography?...there is no better way to relive the sight and sounds from one of the most important days of your life and then be able to share it with your kids years down the road.  I often tell my potential clients to imagine if they were able to watch the wedding day of their parents or even grand parents, and hear their vows and watch them so young and in love...how great would that be?

Well a couple weeks ago I got the privilege to edit together a short montage of a wedding day filmed in 1959.  Watching the couple in motion I was again struck with the power of video.  Imagine if they opted to not have their wedding day filmed to later watch at their 50th anniversary party, sitting with their kids and grand kids.

Fortunately, due to the amazing talent that is available as well as the publicity wedding cinematography has received on blogs and the web, we are seeing more and more couples understand the power of video.  Here is the montage that was created for this couple for their 50th anniversary...we love that we create a wedding movie every week that 50 years down the road will be viewed by the couples kids and grand kids to watch how it all got started.

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The Day That Changed My Perspective

One year ago Renee' & I were out to dinner with our parents enjoying the evening while the kids were at home with our baby sitter.  At dinner we got a call from our babysitter that she saw some smoke coming out of our upstairs bathroom vent and that she got everyone outside and called 911. Needless to say we moved quickly to get back home.  On our way down our street we saw 4 fire engines, fire hoses across the street and a lot of fire fighters....reality began to sink in.  Unable to get down the street we parked and quickly walked to our home along with half of our neighborhood.  There we were met with our kids and babysitter....although we knew they were safe, it was great to see their faces.  You can see more about that day on our blog post Counting Our Blessings.

It is amazing how something like that can change your perspective on life.  As important as our house and all that is in it, including our studio, and decades of memories, it is amazing how it paled in comparison to seeing our children walking down the sidewalk towards us.  Those next couple of months were a blur of remote living with 4 kids including a 2 week old, insurance claims, moving out of our house, and moving back in.  With all of the stress and inconvenience behind us, we are so grateful that all it was, was inconvenience that would soon be over.  With the source of the fire being wiring smoldering in insulation, we were only hours away from going to bed with the unknown burning in the attic above us.

In hindsight it is all like a bad dream...still a little shooken up but our family and life being intact. I am eternally grateful to God for sparing us from so much worse than inconvenience.  All's well that ends well, a couple months later we created Lauren's First Video (a tradition for us with all of our kids), we didn't plan the story to play out that way, but it serves as a constant reminder of what God spared us from and what a beautiful gift Lauren was, the calm in the middle of our storm (Lauren's First Video).

Yana + Brannon + St Joe

Friends of ours grew up in St. Joseph, MI and always talk about how beautiful it is down there.  I have only seen St. Joe from a train on the way to Chicago or stopping by on our way to a vineyard wedding.  What a beautiful location for a wedding and of course we couldn't argue with the day...beautiful blue skies with puffy white clouds.  Of course it didn't hurt that Jessica Pennington of Stella Event Design was there to make Yana & Brannon's wedding day a reality.  After watching the amount of work that coordinators do just on the wedding day to ensure all goes perfectly, it is hard to image how couples do it with out a wedding coordinator.

Yana & Brannon got married under Shadowland Pavilion and wanted to give it a warmer feeling so Jessica worked with Michael Angelo's to create an environment out of pink fabric.  The ceremony site was right on the chanel and right off of Lake Michigan, a beautiful backdrop to a gorgeous ceremony.  We shot along side Cindy Corstange of The Open Shutter.  We had a great time walking down the beach and boardwalk looking for the perfect location, which seemed to be at every turn.  I loved Cindy's energy and how she took on the day. Later I learned that this was her third wedding that weekend...wow, give me a shot of what she has....impressive.

During the wedding preparation I got a chance to hang out with Brannon while he was waiting...which is a typical preceremony tradition for grooms.  Brannon talked about how he wanted to be more than just a wedding day where people came and left.  So they planned a weekend with their guests, including a day at the beach, wave runners, food, drinks, and a roof party downtown St. Joe....sign me up....and that was before the wedding day.  Brannon & Yana truly enjoyed their wedding day and the time they spent with their closest friends and family, and it truly showed in the footage we captured from the day.  Until the release of their wedding movie, here is a sneak peek at Yana & Brannon's wedding movie.

Full Service Event Planning: Stella Event Design
Event Decor: Michael Angelo's
Florist: Bloomie's
Ceremony: Shadowland Pavilion
Photography: The Open Shutter
Reception: The Heritage Center
Catering: Bistro at the Boulevard

My First Wedding....

...well okay maybe not my first wedding since we have been filming weddings since 2000, but this was my first wedding where I shot camera two...and it wasn't a video camera.  It is a good thing that I was accompanied by my super talented wife of Captured Photography.  After shooting weddings with me for the past 9 years and being a photographer since high school, she has finally decided to offer wedding photography as well.  This was her third wedding and she has several more on the books for 2009.  I have a feeling I will be shooting second camera for her on my "weekends off", especially after the amazing images that I captured.  It is hard to tell which ones were mine, but if you like them, I am sure they were mine ;-)   I also learned that videographers are used to shooting at 30 frames a second and I shoot near that photographing this wedding....sorry hon for all the extra work....and thanks for letting me steal your blog post.  I am a big fan and love your work.  If I were to do it all over again, I would have you photography my wedding....okay, maybe that wouldn't work out too well :-|

 

 

It was getting so hot and to cool off Lindsay was twirling... I thought she looked so cute!

 

 

Look Who is ONE!

My beautiful, sweet, sweet Lauren... is ONE.  I really cannot believe how fast this past year flew!!  Lauren is such a good baby.  She likes to be held...  but is very content otherwise!  She just sits back and takes in all the activity around her.  It was only yesterday that she began crawling!!  I haven't minded her laid back nature one bit.  She is a joy and we all adore her... it is so sweet to see how the kids fight over who gets to go in her room to get her when she wakes up.  She certainly is the center of our little home and we are so excited to celebrate her One Year birthday!  We love you little Lauren and are excited to see how God is going to use you for His purposes and His glory.  Happy birthday.

Her Splits... crack us up... it is pretty impressive too...

 

 

Trashing it on the Farm

I remember Stephanie saying at the end of her wedding, as we were walking around downtown getting some great night shots,"I'll give you a call, we're gonna trash the dress this summer".  I remember thinking, I like the way she thinks....

Well a couple of weeks ago we did just that.  I traveled down to Dowagiac (a fun word to say, but not so much to spell), and we trashed it at Silverstone Farms, Matt's family's farm.  There are tons of reasons why brides decide to trash the dress and I could tell Stephanie's reason was just to have fun, and fun we did.

Not sure what we would find on the farm, I was glad we had an assortment of unexpected items to work with; an overturned car, tractors, manure shredder, a derby car, a swamp (I guess 50F ruled that out), and tons of farming equipment.  I love how Stephanie was able to be herself and have tons of fun with the shoot, and I love how Matt escorted us around to all of the various locations, he was probably a bit nervous that we would become the next overturned car.

It was great to shoot along side Tim Motley of Motley Cat Studios again.  He definitely has a passion for what he does.  You can check out his TTD images here.

Stephanie, thanks for having me do this, I had a great time!  Matt & Stephanie, you definitely have it "going on".

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Jordan "Picasso" Turns 7!

I am so excited with the way that Jordan's video turned out.  I have to say I had my doubts at first, but with Renee's brilliant idea and an amazingly cute boy who loves to ham it up for the camera, we have success!  Jordan's movie was also inspired by the movie "August Rush", which is fitting since music is another one of Jordan's passions.  In the words of Jordan, "this is AWESOME!"...I couldn't agree more.

Jordan, you are truly one unique kid, to quote your grandpa Deckrow, "I am not sure what makes you tick".  Like you have said many times, Jesus has a big plan for my life, all I have to do is ask him what it is and he will show me.  Well, I can't wait to see all that He has in store for you my little buddy, and I am excited to be a part of that journey with you.  Your humility and love for life is evident.  You are definitely one of a kind...and you rock!  Thanks for producing your movie with me, you definitely had A LOT of input.  You are the coolest 7 year old around.  Happy Birthday "Jordan Picasso".  I love you!  -Dad

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Jordan Picasso....Coming Soon!

One of the biggest holidays are coming up...at least in Jordan's eyes...his birthday.  Ever since Christmas, he has been asking me how many more days until his birthday...I am so glad "they have an app for that"...172 more days Jordan.

Ever since I started creating movies for others, I promised Renee' that I would never get too busy to create them of our kids.  I can't say I have not gotten too busy to create them, but I have found a way to continue to create them throughout the years...I'm not doing anything from 1AM to 6AM anyways right?

Each year Jordan has a theme for his birthday party, usually chosen 6 months in advance.  With every theme we try tie it to his annual birthday video and show it at the party or send it as a DVD invitation.  In the past it has been, Star Wars, Indiana Jones, and this year he threw us a curve ball, "Dad, this year I want an art party".  Wow, an art party, how do you create a video about art.  I gave it a few months to sink in...still nothing...what if it was only 30 seconds long?...still nothing.  In his past movies Jordan has played the part of Jordan Skywalker and Indiana Jordan.  I asked Jordan, "what should we call this movie", he replied "Jordan Picasso", in his best French accent.  At least now we have a title, which was very fitting since that has been Jordan's nick name ever since he was 2 and he colored the neighbor boys entire face blue and his own countless times.  Jordan has always loved art, and if you ask him what he is going to be when grows up, he will confidently say, "an artist".  Okay, an artist video it is for sure now, but I still don't have a clue what it looks like.

Renee' & I started brainstorming the idea together...and leave it up to Renee' to come up with the most brilliant idea.  I can't give away all the details yet but it involves nature, a very creative boy and A LOT of paint.  The video will debut right here on this blog on June 3rd, in time for his June 22nd birthday.  Until then, here is a shot from behind the scenes of "Jordan Picasso"

Other Recent Deckrow Videos:

1. Lauren's First Video - Safe in my Arms
2. Ethan's 8 Year Old Video - Skate....Ethan Turns 8!
3. Lindsey's 2 Year Old Video - Something Beautiful
4. Lindsey's Outtakes
5. Jordan's 6 Year Old Video - Indiana Jordan
6. Jordan's 5 Year Old Video - Everyday Superhero
7. Jordan's Outakes
8. Lindsey's First Video

Share Your Story - DVD Wedding Invitations

Well hats off to Josh and Kaylie for stepping outside the box and working with us to create a truly unique wedding invitation for their upcoming wedding.  It started with Kaylie asking..."what do you think about creating a DVD wedding invitation......to this!  The amazing photos were shot and edited by none other than Sara from sara anthony photography.

Picture this....you send out 100's of invitations to your big day and instead of getting an expected normal invitation, you open the envelope and pull out this....

...after you untie the bow...... (great colors by the way Kaylie).... there is their engagement photo by sara anthony photography.....

...and the best part (in my opinion) their invitation & DVD....
 

...pop the DVD into your DVD player or computer....and witness not only Josh's proposal, but also a fun story of how they met, ending with an invite to join them for the rest of their story on their wedding day....

....now sit back and enjoy how Josh & Kaylie met....oh and tell all of your friends getting married about this super cool idea....

Captured Productions - Click to play

The New Face of CP

If something happens and you don't blog about it....did it really happen?  Well in our case it did.  Early this year we have been working with Michael of Holy Cow Creative on a new look and logo for Captured Productions, and we are just now blogging about it.  We have been able to incorporate it into our multiple lines of Captured Productions.  Shown here is our new logo for CP Wedding Films.  I have to admit I love the new look and look forward to showing it off.  We have already started on our website, facebook page, and now our blog.

A Super Cool Idea.....Coming Soon!

So Josh & Kaylie are getting getting married this April.  They not only had their proposal captured on video, but they wanted to share their story with their guests, not at the reception like often is the case, but as part of their invitation. Yes, we created our first DVD invitation. I have to admit, I was nervous at first because I didn't want it to be corny.....you know you don't just mess with a brides invitation that is going to hundreds of her closest friends and family.  Well the good news is that it turned out great and the presentation was better than I could have ever hoped for......the bad news is that I have not received the green light to show it online until the official invitations go out, which I hear is this week.  So stay tuned for more on this super cool idea to use video to share your story with your friends and family in a unique way that is sure to stand out.

An Amazing Proposal.....Undercover

We are all about telling stories....most of the time they are wedding stories but from time to time we get to tell a little more of the story, no not their "Love Story", their engagement story.  All good engagements begin with "The Proposal".  If you are like Amanda you see the importance of having that part of the story captured.  Amanda went as far as making it a requirement of engagement.  Yes, you heard me, Matt ran the risk of rejection on one knee if there was not photo and video documentation of the big question.  Well, Matt not only lived up to having it all captured, but you raised the bar for any guy.

So any of you brides to be out there with engagement around the corner, take a tip from Amanda and make sure your engagement story is captured as well as your wedding story.

Well enough of my introduction....Matt says it all in his proposal to Amanda at the Grand Traverse Resort in Traverse City, MI....

Captured Productions - Click to play

This post wouldn't be complete without showing off the images captured by my very talented wife Renee' of Captured Photography.  Check out more of her work at http://www.capturedphotographyart.com or her blog at http://capturedproductions.typepad.com/cp_photography.

So many things to be thankful for, here is just one.....

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving and enjoy your many blessings!

Chad & Amy's Rock Star Wedding

This past October we had the opportunity to film Chad & Amy's wedding day.  You couldn't have asked for a more beautiful day.  Chad, Amy, & their wedding party knew how to have a great time.  This was the first time we shot along side of Amy of Amy Carroll Photography.  Amy was tons of fun to shoot with, she totally caught the fun and attitude of Chad & Amy.  Finding a photographer that fits your style is very important when capturing your day.  Wait until you see some of the images Amy captured of the day and posted on her blog.  ....oh and she even caught me in action....[here]

It was a day of firsts, we also got to film a wedding coordinated by Aletha of Pearls Events.  Aletha has one of the best blogs out there, dedicated to creating an amazing wedding.  She covers unique and creative ideas for your wedding day, a wide variety of wedding professionals, etiquette as well as many other wedding related topics.  Once you visit her blog you will be addicted and will finding yourself checking back daily since she is constantly posting to her blog.  Aletha was great to work with and we look forward to filming another one of Aletha's planned weddings.

After Chad & Amy's ceremony Amy & I went downtown Grand Haven to get some great shots of them and their wedding party being themselves.  They definitely know how to have fun and I enjoyed capturing it all.  Check out some of the footage we got between their Ceremony & Reception....too much fun!  Thanks Amy & Chad for allowing us to be a part of your day and making it so much fun.  We can't wait to share more with you.

Captured Productions - Click to play

Wedding Consultant & Coordinator: Pearls Events
Transportation: Grand Rapids Trolley Co.
Florist: Shelly's Designs
Ceremony: St. Patrick's Church
Reception: Camp Blodgett
Photography: Amy Carroll Photography
Videography: Captured Productions

More from Steven & Katie's wedding day.....

We just had to share more from Steven & Katie's wedding day.  I love the song they chose, it fits the feel of their day.

Captured Productions - Click to play

Matt & Stephanie's Trailer

We love when our clients totally get video, Matt & Stephanie did just that.  They opted to have their rehearsal & rehearsal dinner filmed, a segment called "The Guys" added as well wanting video for their Facebook.  We had a great weekend capturing it all.  There is now talk of trashing the dress.

Matt & Stephanie had their ceremony and reception at the Amway Grand Plaza which was of course beautiful.  It was nice to be able to bounce between the bridal suite, groom's suite, the guys hanging at the sports bar watching football, getting decor shots of the ceremony & reception ballrooms, all at one location.  Nancy Dobry and Talia of RSVP Invitations & Bridal Consulting worked very closely with Stephanie to turn her ideas into reality, and then made sure that the wedding day went as planned. The day did indeed go smoothly and flowed perfectly the entire day.

This is the third time we shot a wedding this year where Barry Jetter of Procedo Events who created an amazing environment for the ceremony & reception.  His work created the perfect backdrop for Matt & Stephanie's wedding movie.

We shot along side of Tim Motley of Motley Cat Studio.  Tim's energy was truly contagious.  After the special dances were over we went Downtown Grand Rapids to get some night shots around the city.  Stephanie's words summed it all up, "I could do this all night".

It was an amazing weekend.  Looking through all of the amazing footage we definitely have a lot of great shots to choose from.  Until the release of their wedding movie, here is a sneak peak.  Thank you Matt & Stephanie for treating us as one of your guests and being so great to work with.  We look forward to showing you more of what we captured from your wedding day. Enjoy!

Captured Productions - Click To Play

Wedding Consultant & Coordinator: RSVP Invitations & Bridal Consulting
Rehearsal Dinner: The B.O.B. - Eve Lounge
Hair & Make-up: Beautifully Stated
Florist: Procedo Events
Ceremony: The Amway Grand Plaza - Gerald R. Ford Ballroom
Reception: The Amway Grand Plaza - Pantlind Ballroom
Photography: Motley Cat Studios
Videography: Captured Productions

Go MSU!

Today is a pretty special day in the Deckrow Home... not only is it the big Game Day... it is my dear husband's birthday!!!!  To celebrate we are eating BWs and watching football.  We took a little break to take these pictures.  Happy Birthday honey, we love you and think you are the best!!

Fireproof - "Never leave your partner behind"

As you can imagine we love watching movies, they are a huge inspiration for what we do and the cinematic experience we offer our clients.  We enjoy quite a variety of movies, each for different reasons.  There is a movie that we are particularly interested in going to go see, Fireproof.  It probably won't be a blockbuster, or even be carried in every movie theater, but the subject is one we are very passionate about, marriage.  In our line of work, producing wedding movies, we witness couples say their vows before God, friends, and family every weekend, knowing that statistically 50% of them will end up in divorce.  I say statistically because it doesn't have to happen, not if you fight for your marriage, or make it "Fireproof". 

Years after the dream wedding will come life and all of it's challenges. It is great to see a movie dedicated to the subject of preserving marriages.  We like to think that we are in the business of preserving marriages.  Not only do we preserve their vows, but we provide them the ability to go back in time and relive their love for each other.

Fireproof opened today, be sure to add it to your must see list.  Below are some links including the trailer for the movie.  I have not seen it yet so I can't give my personal review, but after watching the trailer it is definitely something that we will be going to see.  After you go and see it be sure to go home and watch your wedding movie again and relive your love for each other.

A Day in the Life of Kennedy.....

Time flies!  We love that we have the power to capture the personality and love for life in each of our "A Day in the Life...." videos.  I think it would be so cool to be able to pop in a disk and watch the growing-up years of my parents.  It is cool that we can not only create a great video for our clients, but one that will be watched for generations to come.  Enjoy the power of video! ...and this little cutie.

Captured Productions - Click to play

A Day in the Life of Kennedy..... Coming Soon!

Three years ago we had the opportunity to film Chris & Jessica's wedding movie.....this week we got to capture "A Day in the Life....." of their 1 year old girl Kennedy.  Ever since we started Captured Productions our tag line has been "Capture the Moment".  This of course applies to weddings but over the last couple of years, capturing the moment has evolved into our "Day in the Life....." shoots.  It started with the idea and a few shoots and has recently taken off.  The "Day in the LIfe...." videos fit well into what we have love doing for our own kids.  It is so cool to be able to cue up a DVD (or now Apple TV)  and navigate through the years of our kids through their "Day in the Life...." videos.  It is so cool that we can now provide this power of video to our other clients and even our past wedding clients.

Caught in Action....

Kennedy did great for her shoot and we had a ton of fun playing with Kennedy and capturing her in her element and with her mom and dad.  We can't wait to share her "Day in the Life...." video with you.  Stay tuned for more from this cutie......

We will only be taking on 3 more "Day in the Life..." shoots this fall.  If you are interested in having one created this year, please contact us soon.