Yvette and Darren: Wedding Film

Seriously.

There are just certain couples that move you as an artist. Where you pull back at the completion of your work and think: this is where I want to be. And no matter how many other projects my crazy little brain wants to create - I don't think there's anything like the celebration of THIS. This... marriage. To be worthy of someone's love, to be loyal, to be LESS of yourself in order to be whole, together. 

Darren and Yvette. These two. My hands down favorite moment is right as Yvette and her dad turn the corner, right before walking down the isle, Darren gets a look at her then turns to his best man and shakes his head. In just that shaking of his head, you know Darren is saying "I can't, I can't hold these tears back." And his best man - his confidante - just laughs. Because he knows Darren. He knows what Yvette does to him.. and it's insanely beautiful. These two. I'm so honored to tell their story in motion:

p.s. The photographer was the one and only Jose Villa. You can imagine what an insane feeling it was to have attended his workshop 2 years ago, and then be right there working alongside of him. I was dying in anticipation of what this day would be like and let me tell you - it was amazing. If you've ever worked with me - you know I'm a vocal photographer (i.e. dyyyyying. The liiiight!! YESSS YES!). Well, both Jose and I were doing that and couldn't stop laughing because we were both wrapped up in what was in front of us. I can go on and on. I just... man, it's unreal. You'll just have to sit down with me for coffee to talk about this one! ;)

A Glimpse of Ale

For those of you that don't follow me on Facebook, I wanted to highlight this little "About Me" video I made a few weeks ago. Hopefully it really does give you a glimpse into the things that make me, me :)

the Lipstick Series video

So I warned you last week about my new Lipstick Series. Ready to watch it in motion?

Heck yeah!!


This song is called "Make a Noise." And that's what I intend on doing!

Ike and Tash Promo Video

It's here :) Releasing my first promo video of 2013. And not MY promo video as in Imaginale Design, but one I created for Ike & Tash Photography. This is just the first of many more to come!! If you're an artist interested in creating your story through motion - let's talk!

The Craziest Video

So, Jose told me I should give you guys some backstory to this because this is unlike most of my Bella shoots.  Which I read as "WARN THEM" haha.

Here's the truth: I'm a little weird. And while my style is deeply rooted in all that is feminine, there's this part of me with videos that reveals my other side.  This thrilling, wild, and make-you-feel-ALIVE side. The side that used to believe as a kid she would be working with Nike or Gatorade to make commercials. You see, I love to tell stories that stir you up inside and MOVE you, or sometimes even creep you out. Either way, you will feel something.

Every year when we meet up during the holidays, Jasmine and I collaborate simply for the sake of creation. I called it "Pretending to Be" because it's about a girl who has a constant dream/nightmare that is reflecting her desire to be someone she is not.

So that's my backstory.  It's just another part of me that spills out on my work, and sometimes... comes out a little different ;)

Audree

Ha.  I LOVE the screen capture Vimeo chose for this video.  Audree rocked it out.

I'm pumped like some pumped up kicks for this year and video!  Coming back from Argentina has been all about catching up before posting a lot of material.  This is why I'm keeping it short because blogging is so important to me and in order to keep my momentum, I need to keep it short and sweet :)  Otherwise I will feel too overwhelmed and skip blogging.

I haven't even touched my Argentina footage!  I'll get there.  In the mean time, hope you enjoy these fun little bits!

An Ugly Christmas Sweater Party

In case you missed it on my Facebook Page... here's a little video of our small group's Ugly Christmas Sweater Party...

(remember to select HD if you're going full screen :)

Can you believe it?! Three more days till' Christmas!!

Her Story: Keira Jennett

There's not many words that need to be said for Keira's story. I was blessed with the opportunity to tell it. I had never done anything like this before. I mean, record external audio then edit it? Typically I take moving clips and combine them with stills, then add a song as my soundtrack.

But this was too important to not try.



Thank you Keira, for being so, so brave. Thank you Jeff, for entrusting me and challenging me with this project. I hope this serves as hope for the many times we have allowed such lies to taint our heart.

Psalms 139:11-14 If I say, "Surely the darkness will hide me and the light become night around me," even the darkness will not be dark to you; the night will shine like the day, for darkness is as light to you. For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb.I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.

Motion Shoot: Vegas Roadtrip

Aside from Vegas, you know what else was trippin? BLOGGER! I couldn't access it at all last night or this morning so I ended up just posting today's video on Facebook.

I just got home after an awesome lunch at Windsor's with Courtney. Friends. Phoenix Friends. YOU MUST GO. They had fried okra as a side to my heavenly sandwich!! And this is in PHOENIX aka not-the-South. These babies are no joke.

Anyway, blogger is now working so in case you missed it on Facebook... check out the video I made from the one day Vegas road trip we took.



Don't you just love the song?! It was definitely a good, good time.

Happy Friday!

p.s. So maybe I'm like a grandma in terms of technology sometimes, but it's a proud moment for me and hopefully you will entertain it. I JUST added the Facebook "Like" option to my posts. I know you want to click it! I would, but that would look tacky. Thought you might enjoy it for those lazy moments when you just don't have much to say ;) A problem I don't seem to have.

Confession: My First Video

A few weeks ago, I shared with you all one of my biggest accomplishments -- my first fashion video. That was a big deal for me. But.... buuuut... there was a little video before that I had mentioned but never actually showed you. My very FIRST video.

Before you get to the video at the end of this post, you have to understand the story behind this. I'm in a dance group called Esencia Tropical, taught and choreographed amazingly by Cory Gutierrez. You know I'm a fan of feminine styling -- whether it's in photography, dance, or clothing. What I absolutely love most about Cory's choreography is her styling. She creates these amazing lines, curves, and body isolation that make the dance come alive.

I kept imagining a video of this dance, highlighting the dancer's movements and Cory's styling. Until one day, I decided to do it.




But remember -- back in December I didn't own a 5D Mark II yet. I asked another photographer from my church, who did own a 5D, if she would be interested in working on this with me.




Tammy was all for it! In fact, she opened up her home to us and converted it into a mini studio for the dancers.




These girls were troopers! We had a huuuuge Christmas event the night before and got to bed really late (Cory even later!), only to wake up the next morning to shoot this.




So why am I finally posting this? Well, it took a while for me to edit this one. I was in over my head, learning Final Cut Pro on my own and synchronizing twenty clips to match one song perfectly. This was so new to me.

When I finished the video in January, I was so relieved and excited -- ready to share. And right as I tried uploading it to Vimeo to share with y'all -- the file was too big. Jose and I tried to compress it but nothing would work without reducing the quality. So... I just showed it to Cory and the other dancers in person and left it at that.



Until I made the fashion video. I knew that I HAD to absolutely figure out a way. Three hours into just researching online, my lovely techie (aka hubs) figured it out! I was thrilled!!

So I know this is kind of backwards and I considered not posting it -- but hey, why not. I can always look back on my journey in videography to see where I started and how I've developed. Ready to see the video?

Okay :)



What do you think?! Isn't Cory an excellent choreographer with great dancers?! Oh, and how about those photos? Yeah, that's Jose killing it more and more with his second shooting ;)

p.s. Thanks for going on this journey with me!