R&R Acoustic Duo

Every once and a while we show up to a wedding and we're "wowed" by something we see. Sometimes its the lighting package that the DJ puts together, other times its the location of the ceremony.

This time, we were pleasantly surprised by the appearance of two guitarists and their picking skills.

Take a peak at the DJ Company's event enhancement option, R&R Acoustic Duo:

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Posted in: little guy productions,RR Acoustic Duo,the dj company,wedding video,weddings

Guide to Picking a Videographer Part 3

Here's the third installment for you newly-engaged couples looking for a videographer to capture your big day.

In Part Two of Our Guide, we talked about a videographer's Style and Approach, and what that means for you. In Part Three, we'll discuss a very important part of your selection process; Package Upgrades.

Often times, when you meet with a videographer, they'll try to up-sell you on certain package upgrades. Let's dissect the more popular options:

Chapter Indexing:
I've seen a videographer charge an extra $50 if you select this option. Let me dispell a popular myth with Chapter Indexing. This expensive upgrade option that "takes the editor extra time" (as was explained to me) is actually the difference of pressing the letter "M" on your keyboard while the wedding video is being edited. Seems a little excessive and smells a lot like someone trying to make a quick buck off of an unsuspecting customer, agreed?

How it Effects Your Video: Allows you to maneuver back and forth between pre-selected scenes during DVD playback (ex: want to skip to the vows? If the editor put a chapter marker right before the vows start, you'll be able to advance straight to the kissing scene)
How it Effects Your Wallet: Most decent humans would include this in the video, not charge you extra.


Additional Videographer:
If you want your wedding video to look more like a movie or tv show, a second camera will create that effect. Its difficult for one videographer to capture everything. Having two camera folks documenting your wedding allows for chances of human error (Aunt Nelly jumping in front of the videographer when you're walking down the aisle to get her "perfect shot") or technical error (tape change at the worst possible moment, ex: during the vows) to be greatly diminished.

How it Effects Your Video: Makes your final video look more like a movie. Your potential to capture "everything" that went on at the reception greatly increases as well.
How it Effects Your Wallet: A second videographer will tack on a couple more bucks in most cases. Don't forget, if you're having the second videographer at your reception, you'll have to pay for an additional vendor's meal.

Cases:
Once you get your video, you're going to want it to be stored in a pretty looking case, right? Some videographers offer a wide range of storage options for your video. Here are a couple:

Paper Sleeve: These are the most basic and inexpensive. If you have 5 cents lying around, you can upgrade to Paper sleeve with a cellophane window to showcase the DVD Face Art.

Jewel Case: There's two types of Jewel cases on the market these days: Slim-line and Standard. Slim-line are shoddy and break easily. Jewel cases are what CDs (remember those) where packaged in. They're nice, but have the ability to crack easily.

Amaray Cases: These cases are what you would get if you purchased a movie from Best Buy or Blockbuster. Your videographer can get creative with the ones that allow for an insert, which gives you the ability to create cover art and tie the package nicely together.

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Posted in: guide to picking a videographer,little guy productions,videography,wedding video

2010 Wedding Photo Contest

2010 was a year full of wonderful weddings, including our very own Little Guy Couple tying the knot!

So, in celebration of a year full of celebrations, we decided to put together a little photo competition.

We selected eight photos for you to vote on, and come December 31st at 11:59, the voting will end.

The winner of the contest will get a pretty cool prize (in our opinion) so tell your family and friends to vote early and often!

Good luck!

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Posted in: little guy productions,little guy productions photo contest,wedding photos,weddings

Little Guy Holiday Camera Guide

The Holidays are right around the corner, so that can mean only one thing;

The 2010 Little Guy Productions Holiday Camera Guide is hot off the presses!

We're always getting asked the question "what type of camera should I buy?" So, based off of picture, budget, and ease of use here are our picks for 2010

The 2010 "So Easy My Mother Can Use It" Camera Award Goes To:

Canon Powershot A3100

This camera is perfect for the budding photographer. It has a 12.1 Megapixel Resolution which would allow you to print a photo up to 20" x 30" (great for canvas art prints). It has that cool "Face Detection" mode that's great for a beginner. It auto detects faces and correctly focuses on them to get great looking photos (never worry about fuzzy shots again). In addition, the camera has a top notch built in flash and is actually one of the best entry level cameras in terms of shooting in low light situations.

Cost: Retails for $139.95 at B&H (get the red version!)

Ease of Use: Winner of the 2010 "So Easy My Mother Can Use It" Award. It's Windows 7 ready and if you have a Mac, it works great with iPhoto's plug and play capabilities. 'Nuff said!

Value: Canon cameras rock, and for this price it's almost a no brainer. Don't forget to order memory cards (SD, SDHC, SDXC) because the camera doesn't have its own built in memory.

Added Bonus: Shoots video (files are in .avi format, so Mac users beware).
On Second Thought: Battery drains quickly when using the viewfinder. Bring lots of spares.
LGP RATING: 8 out of 10 Stars

The 2010 "Dark Horse" Camera Award Goes to:
Nikon Coolpix L110 Digital Camera

I'm never one to market Nikon Cameras, but the Coolpix is great if you want to move away from amateur hour and start to get a little serious with your photos. Like the Powershot, it's a 12.1 Megapixel camera, but it has adjustable zoom. With the Coolpix, you can move the lens, instead of your entire body, to get the perfect shot you're looking for. It also had 15 different modes to shoot in if you want to start to experiment with your shots, and a Scene Auto selector if you get a little shy.

Cost: $196 at B&H
Ease of Use: More difficult than your point and shoot, but not as advanced as the prosumer DSLRs.
Value: Great camera for taking photos. It has a built in video camera, but it seems that it was an afterthought.
Added Bonus: Shoots video, but only up to 2GB worth per clip.
On Second Thought: The flash tends to cause some user frustration, occasionally blowing out photos.

LGP RATING: 6 out of 10 Stars (7 out of 10 if you ignore the video function)


The 2010 "This Will Get You Off the Naughty List" Camera Award Goes to:
Canon EOS Rebel T1i

This is the leading camera that teeters on the edge of prosumer-professional cameras. It's a 15.1 Megapixel camera that shoot High Definition video (H.264 files). This camera takes unbelievable photos in the automatic mode, but let's be honest, if you're buying this camera, it's because you or your loved one knows a little thing or two about cameras. As all Canon Rebel cameras, interchangeable lenses come in all shapes and sizes, but with most starter packages, you'll get the basic 18-55mm lens.

Cost: Normally $749 at B&H, but there's a $100 instant rebate offer that ends Jan 8, 2011.
Ease of Use: Difficult. Please read the user manual before use, or call me about a hour training session.
Value: If you plan on using your camera religiously, I recommend spending extra and you'll wind up getting your money's worth.
Added Bonus: Pick up the Canon 430EX Speedlight Flash to bump your photos up to the next level. Built in flash sucks hard.
On Second Thought: You need to purchase high class/speed memory cards (rating 6 or above) in order for the video to look good. Class 4 works great if you're just shooting photos. Higher class memory cards cost big bucks (Class 10 32 GB - $198.99).
LGP RATING: 9 out of 10 Stars

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Posted in: 2010 Holiday Guide,camera review,canon powershot A3100,digital camera,little guy productions,nikon coolpix l110

Guide to Picking a Videographer Part 2

Here's the second installment for you newly-engaged couples who are looking for a videographer to capture your big day.

In Part One of our Guide, we talked about asking the question "What Type of Cameras Do You Use?" In Part 2, we'll talk about two important topics you should discuss with your videographer; Style & Approach.

Style:

Style is a nice way of determining how the videographer views the world through his camera lens. These days, almost anyone can pick up a camera and film a wedding, but you're obviously going to want someone that sees things a little different than say, your cousin who makes really cool looking Youtube videos.

Ask to see a sample wedding video, not just the highlights. Most often, the highlight video is a collection of the videographer's best work. You're not paying for the 3-4 minutes of the best footage shot over the course of the eight hour day, so you want to make sure that his camerawork throughout your wedding is just as good as the highlight video he's using to make his sales pitch.

Approach:

Your personality can often determine what type of videographer you're looking for. Are you and your fiance shy and not big fans of being the center of attention? Then maybe you should look for a videographer that uses a documentary approach to filming.

Are you the type of person who loves the camera? Look for a videographer who doesn't mind getting dirty on the dance floor. (I've lost count of how many time's I've been elbowed in the head by a party-goer, but it's never stopped me from getting my shot!)

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Posted in: guide to picking a videographer,little guy productions,videography,wedding video,weddings

Guide to Picking a Videographer Part 1

You've just popped the big question and hopefully, she said yes.

If not, then you could check out this website, maybe it'll make you feel a little better.

Over the coming months, you're going to be looking at flowers, venues, more rings, and invitations. Go to one of those bridal shows and you'll most likely feel unbelievably overwhelmed.

You have to pick a DJ, you have to pick a photographer, you have to pick a florist.

That's a lot of pressure for someone who isn't familiar with the wedding industry. Thankfully, when I was in the process of planning for my own wedding to my super awesome best-friend/now wife, I knew a little something about what to look for in a videographer.

Here's Part 1 of our "Guide to Picking a Videographer"

What Type of Cameras Do You Use?

In my travels, there are three different formats of video cameras that surface in the wedding industry. 3CCD, HDV, and High Definition.

3CCD
3CCD (or charged couple devices) are great quality cameras that have three different "chips", each dedicated to measuring red, green, and blue light.

How it Effects Your Video: The three independent chips allow for the camera to intake more color information, as opposed to a single chip camera that will "crush" your colors into compressed information. Basically, your Cabernet colored bridesmaid dress will look "Cabernet", not just "red".

How it Effects Your Wallet: Standard definition packages are slowly phasing out as blu-ray players become more affordable and as HD technology begins to flood the video market, so don't let a videographer attempt to charge you through the nose for this package. The majority of these cameras shoot on miniDV or DVCam tape, which will archive much better than HD Footage.

HDV
HDV technology sounds fancy and in most cases it is. However, early forms of HDV can be referred to as the "Poor Man's High Definition". HDV was initially developed by JVC; it's early attempts at the technology failed miserably (I would know, I have one of their cameras) but it also brought about the first consumer affordable high definition cameras.

How it Effects Your Video: The picture is beautiful. HDV, however still shoots on tape, and in a technical format a little better than that of the 3CCD cameras. See, the letters HDV are misleading. In reality, HDV is closer to High-Def Like than actual HD Video. The camera records MPEG-2 audio/video files onto a tape, so there's going to be some compression involved in the shooting process.

How it Effects Your Wallet: This is a time when the question "What brand of camera do you use" is extremely important. Bruce Cullen, the videographer who we chose to shoot our wedding, uses a Canon XL H1 HDV camera. This HDV camera is a top of the line professional HDV camera that has all the bells and whistles. If your videographer answers that question with something along the lines of JVC or Sony, time to start looking at other options. These HDV cameras are probably the older line, and were designed for consumers, as mentioned earlier.

True High Definition
If money is no object and you truly want to go all out on your video; high definition cameras are the way to go. Make sure your videographer has the ability to "master" your DVD onto a high definition disc (blu-ray), otherwise, every time you watch it you'll say to yourself "wow this looks nice, I wish it was HD though...."

How it Effects Your Video: In extremely well lit areas (like your church or outdoor ceremony) the footage will look amazing. In low lit areas (like anytime during your reception) the videographer will be forced to use an "on-camera light". HD Cameras don't do well in low lit areas; they need all the help they can get. Most on camera lights are non-invasive and can do the job without lighting up the entire room. However, some can be annoying and attract a little too much attention to the videographer. Ask to see a sample of the High Definition Dance footage just to get a feel of what that light will look like.

How it Effects Your Wallet: When we met with videographers, every time I heard the lettes H&D, that familiar "BIG MONEY BIG MONEY" phrase kept running through my head. Yes, HD is expensive, but the cost for the videographer to film in HD is expensive too. Cards that the footage is shot with can range anywhere between $200 and $1,500. HD footage takes up more space on the videographer's hard drives, which means they'll have to purchase bigger drives to account for the increase in file sizes. Blu-Ray discs cost almost three times as much as regular standard definition disks and require a special burner has to be purchased separately from most computers.

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Posted in: 3ccd cameras,hdv cameras,high definition cameras,little guy productions,videography,weddings

Lauren and Dennis

We just finished filming the last Wedding of 2010 this Saturday at the Grandview in Poughkeepsie and, sweet Jesus, what an amazing wedding.

Lauren and Dennis, who also happen to be a Cowboys and Giants fan respectively, chose an amazing place to exchange their vows. Set against the backdrop of a beautiful fall foliage speckled mountain, the two said their "I do's".

The theme of the wedding was "All You Need is Love". Lauren and Dennis has custom made napkins that had the lyrics of the famous Beatles' tune printed on the napkins used for cocktail hour and again was seen on the runner that Lauren walked down to meet her beaming groom.

The Grandview reception hall was actually a tent, but before you go turning up your nose, this was no ordinary tent. Actually, the Grandview's reception hall was by far one of the nicest venues we've filmed in quite some time.

As usual, the boys from The DJ Company got it right, keeping the tunes pumping and the crowd entertained throughout the evening. The last song, Piano Man by Billy Joel, will go down in Little Guy Productions history as one of the greatest pieces of footage we've ever shot at a wedding.


Here are a couple of shots from the old Canon Rebel;

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Posted in: canon xti,little guy productions,the dj company,wedding photos,weddings

Crossing Over

Last Sunday, Little Guy Productions filmed a wedding at St. Francis of Assisi Church and the reception at Terrace on the Hudson (Haverstraw, NY). We were teamed up with super photographer Nick Carter, one of my favorite photographers (and humans) to work with.

Whenever we work together, Nick and I tend to examine/pick brains about latest gear/trends in the wonderful world of wedding documentation.

Nick seemed extremely interested in the Canon Rebel T2i, 5D, and 7D's ability to shoot high definition video. He was doubly impressed when I told him we were using these cameras to film corporate stuff, not just home videos anymore.

When I explained to him my eventual move to HDSLR videography, that caught his attention.

And that's when I started to sweat a little; I could see Nick's brain in gear; he's going to enter the world of wedding videography, and then I'm doomed.

I began to wonder, which is easier; a photographer moving into the world of videography, or a videographer switching from 30 frames per second to one.

I love comparison shopping.

Photo to Video:
I'd love to give Nick one of my High Definition Cameras. His creative eye is brilliant when using a still, and his understanding of light and shadows, color, composition; all would aid in a smooth transitions to the world of video.

I'd imagine it would be frustrating for a photographer to be working with a fixed lens for a length of time.

There's little margin for error as well, it's not like you can ask the priest at a wedding to go back and have the couple repeat the vows because you were changing out a tape or there was some static coming through the wireless lavs.

Sound. There's something that takes a good while to learn and master.

I figure that thinking about sound has caused me to lose at least 300 hours of quality sleep at night.

Finally, the editing process is something that the photographer would have to pick up. These days, Final Cut Pro is almost too easy to use and isn't cost prohibitive. Most photographers already own a Mac, so investing in a couple of extra hard drives won't crush the budget.

Video to Photo:
As a videographer, I'm constantly on the move, constantly tweaking shots, scanning for my next shot and trying to predict what I should be shooting next. Here's an example of what went through my head at St. Francis this weekend:

Piano guy singing...priest should be getting up to speak soon...look the flower girl is asleep; should I shoot that....probably not...Bride probably won't appreciate....Kristen is fiddling with her camera, better stay wide on this until she's calm....Priest is moving to get up....swing over to Priest in three, two, one....focus looks a little soft...crap auto focus is screwy because of the mic on the alter....switching to manual...hehehe, switching to manual, sounds like something Han Solo shouts during that Tie Fighter battle on the Milenium Falcon...speaking of ties, where the hell is that tie I had that went with this red shirt....

All in a matter of two minutes.

I don't know what I'd do with all that extra time if I were a photographer. I've seen some photographers who take two or three shots during the ceremony and then take the rest of the day off.

And they have the nerve to go up and accept communion. They've obviously broken the little known 17th commandment; Thou shall take more photos than Aunt Nelly during a Wedding Ceremony.


As a videographer, I understand the principles of shot composition; rule of thirds, predicting movement, color balance, lighting, etc.

File management and the editing process would be a tough conversion. Most videographers have a basic understanding on how to navigate their way through Photoshop, but probably not enough to make an album that'll "Wow" a client.


So, as per most of my comparison articles, I can never seem to find a clear cut winner. Switching from Photog to Videog or the reverse is probably easier to do on the production end of life. Post Production seems to present the biggest challenge.

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Posted in: canon 5d,canon 7d,canon rebel,canon rebel t2i,hdslr,little guy productions,nick carter photography,panasonic dvx,panasonic hvx,wedding photos,weddings

Alexa's Story

As part of our week long blog coverage of the work Little Guy Productions does with the Neighborhood Cruisers Charity Car Club, we're highlighting one of the families that was chosen as a beneficiary of this year's Cruisin' for Kids fundraiser.

Bring tissues for this one.

Alexa Castellano:
At birth her family was told Alexa had characteristics of Down syndrome. She had holes in her heart and her intestines were twisted. She needed constant treatment, surgery and is at high risk for pneumonia and infections. Alexa undergoes occupational therapy and therapy for motor skills and speech. Alexa's Mother (Anna) passed away in November 2009 from Breast Cancer. Her Father Frank is raising her on his own.

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The Green Family

As part of our week long blog coverage of the work Little Guy Productions does with the Neighborhood Cruisers Charity Car Club, we're highlighting one of the families that was chosen as a beneficiary of this year's Cruisin' for Kids fundraiser.

Nicole Green:
Nicole suffered early after birth; her esophagus was damaged, disrupting her basic eating skills. During feedings, liquid would travel into her lungs. She had surgery to insert a tube, but was still unable to eat. At age one, she started therapy to help teach her how to eat. Today Nicole can eat solid foods as long as it is cut to bite sized pieces. Nicole would benefit from extra therapies and loves therapeutic horseback riding and swimming. The family would love to be able to purchase a PECS (picture communication system) to aid with her communication skills.

Here's video of Nicole's parents, Denise and Ron, talking about Nicole and the help they received from the Neighborhood Cruisers.

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Posted in: charity,little guy productions,neighborhood cruisers

The Seeley Family

As part of our week long blog coverage of the work Little Guy Productions does with the Neighborhood Cruisers Charity Car Club, we're highlighting one of the families that was chosen as a beneficiary of this year's Cruisin' for Kids fundraiser.

Nicholas Seeley:
Nicholas has suffered severe disabilities from birth. He cannot sit up, walk or talk and is feed by a feeding tube. Nicky is unable to move on his own and the family is in need of a handicap accessible van. Nicky’s sister Allie Seeley is a North Rockland High School student.

Here's video of Nicholas' parents, Carolina and Joseph, talking about Nicholas and the help they received from the Neighborhood Cruisers.

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Posted in: charity,little guy productions,neighborhood cruisers

A Whole Lot of Heart

Last night at Gennaro's Restaurant in Stony Point, NY, the Neighborhood Cruisers Charity Car Club made things a little better for three local families in need.

And we were there to capture every last bit of it.
For the past five years, Little Guy Productions has been doing work for the local charity (maintaining their website, creating promotional videos, photographing events).

Their mission statement reads;

This group of car lovers goes far beyond the collection and maintenance of cars from years gone by. I can tell you that I know absolutely nothing about cars, (save the difference between a steering wheel and the four wheels I constantly have to replace).

But what I can absolutely tell you is that there isn't a better collection of people on this planet that care about their fellow man than the Neighborhood Cruisers care about their community.


This year, the Neighborhood Cruisers raised in excess of $8000 per family (there were three) in their annual Cruisin' for Kids Car Show held at North Rockland High School on July 31. Each family has felt the pressure of rising medical costs, and the Neighborhood Cruisers sought to help alleviate some of that pressure.

This week, on the Little Guy Productions Blog, I'll be highlighting some of the work we've done for the Neighborhood Cruisers and the families that they've helped.

If you're inclined to do so, you can donate to the Neighborhood Cruisers through their Causes page on Facebook.

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Posted in: charity,little guy productions,neighborhood cruisers

Pro Prompter HDi for iPad

So, we're sitting around the office, trying to justify purchasing Apple's latest gadget (iPad).

And almost like a sign from Steve Jobs himself, a B&H newsletter arrives hailing a new piece of hardware that almost makes the iPad purchase a done deal.

We're talking about Pro Prompter's HDi for the iPad.

In B&H's NAB Roundup newsletter, Ron Seifried introduces the HDi, a system that converts the iPad into a teleprompter:

The Pro Prompter HDi designed a secure support system made of aircraft aluminum that attaches the iPad to the base and the whole configuration attaches to the camera.

According to the Pro Propter peoples, here's what they have to say about their new toy:

Our award winning ProPrompter HD now holds the revolutionary iPad, safe and secure, goes anywhere your camera and iPad go and comes in a custom military grade case. We created mobile teleprompting in 2002 and were the first to create a professional teleprompting App for the iPhone/iPod touch along with hardware released at NAB 2009. Now our App has had 4 free updates, became an App store staff favorite and then we introduced the first remote control feature in a teleprompting app. The NEW ProPrompter HDi is the ultimate mobile teleprompter.

When paired with the iPhone or iTouch app, which acts as the control mechanism for the prompting software, the iPad morphs into a handy field teleprompting machine.
The system (via B&H) costs $894. Factor in the cost of the iPad ($499, $599, $699 for the Wi-Fi models) and you're looking at a teleprompter system that could run you (tops) $1,600.

That's a far cry from the Autocue series that run anywhere from $4,000-$6,000. And that doesn't include software costs, cabling, or control mechanisms.

In today's glorious economy, that's a price most small studios can't afford.

And it's just one more reason to get the iPad.

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Posted in: BH Photovideo,iPad,iphone,itouch,Pro Prompter HDi

Helen and Bruce's Wedding

April 24th, second wedding of the season and we've decided we're having way too much fun filming/photogin'/watching people celebrate their marriages.
Helen and Bruce's wedding was no exception; we got to document one of the most touching and hysterical ceremonies this past weekend.

After the two took out their reading glasses, they read to each other their vows, which they had written themselves.

Helen and Bruce are such a sweet couple, and were surrounding by some amazing family and friends.

We met Helen and Bruce through our favorite Charity Car Club; the Neighborhood Cruisers. A bunch of the Cruisers were in attendance and one even sang a Sinatra tune to Helen and Bruce.

Best line of the night (when our singer was a bit ahead of the track) "Come on Frankie, pick up the pace, will ya!"

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Posted in: canon xti,panasonic dvx,panasonic hvx,wedding photos,weddings

Cool Apps for the Photoworld

This may sound silly, but some of the best resources for aspiring photographers can be found in the "_______ for Dummies" series.

Whether you're a novice looking for the on switch, or a professional looking to quickly dissect the new camera you purchased, the "DSLR For Dummies" is a handy tool to have on your nightstand.

But out in the field, you're not going to be carrying around a clunky book, right? Well, as they like to say at Apple; "There's an app for that!".

Introducing the Digital SLR Photography Toolkit for Dummies. For only $0.99, you can download the app to your iPhone or iTouch and have a quick reference guide at your fingertips.

One of the coolest features in the app, is the Settings Finder. This asks you to pick the scenario you find yourself in (lets say you're trying to take a photo of the moon) and suggests what ISO, aperture, and shutter speed to use.

Astrophotography - Moonscapes - Night
Recommended Settings:
ISO: 100
Aperture: f/11
Shutter Speed: 1/125s

The app also comes with a shoot diary, which lets you record notes about the photos you're taking and a set of checklists of gear to pack, depending on what type of shoot you're going on (Wedding? Don't forget to pack a zoom lens for the ceremony. Landscapes? Make sure you bring your polarizing lens filter).

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Posted in: camera,dslr for dummies,iphone app,itouch app

Stormin' 30 Rock

April 20, 2010

Big day for the March of Dimes today; about sixty volunteers headed down to the NBC Today Show to promote the upcoming nationwide fundraiser known as March for Babies.

One of the families got a chance to speak with Al Roker and let everyone in America know that if you sign up for the walk, you're doing your best to give every baby a healthy start to life.

Never being one to be in front of the camera, I took my trusty little Sony EX-3 Camera down to 30 Rock (that's me on the right, with the white hat and $8,000+ camera).

If you're interested, you can see more of the post here. And if you clicked on the link, you probably noticed that there's a photo on the page.

That photo, came courtesy of the Sony EX-3 High Definition Camera. I was able to generate a still image from the video we shot. In years past, when we tried doing that with the old Panasonic DVX, it came out looking all crappy and pixilatededed.

That's the technical term.

Pixilatededed.

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Posted in: 30 rock,canon xti,march of dimes,nbc today show,sony ex-3

Michelle and James' Wedding

April 10th kicked off the 2010 Wedding Season with a bang! We traveled down to Hamilton Square, NJ to film Michelle and James' tying of the knot, and couldn't have asked for a nicer day.

Michelle and James booked the "Triple Play Package" which consisted of Photographer Nick Carter, Entertainment by "The DJ Company" and video filmed by none other than your favorite "Little Guy Productions".

Highlights of the day included a priest that seemed to have a second career in stand up comedy, a trip to one of the most beautiful spots to take post-wedding photos, and a "most awesome" reception, thanks to DJ Ryan from the DJ Company.

Here are a couple of photos from Michelle and James' wedding:

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Posted in: little guy productions,nick carter photography,the dj company,weddings

"The Lens" is Back Home

After being dropped on its head, the fine folks over at Bergen County Camera were able to put my little humpty dumpty lens back together again.

Final analysis; the aperture rings were busted.

I guess that's what happens when you drop a lens on a marble floor.

Bergen County Camera Review:

I wanted to find a "local" repair shop that I could have my Canon Lens looked at, because I didn't want to send it back to the manufacturer and find out that it was going to cost more to repair the lens than I had originally paid.

The customer service rep at Bergen County Camera told me that they'd send it to Canon (for $25 shipping) and have them take a look at it. They'd deal directly with the Canon folks (God knows how much I love talking on the phone) and they'd get back to me with a price quote for the repair.

Dealing with the repair department at Bergen County Camera turned out to be a bit of a hassle. It took about five phone calls to finally get the official "YES, PLEASE HAVE CANON REPAIR MY CAMERA" processed by the repair reps.

Other than that headache, everything was great.

I've got "The Lens" back and will be testing it out with the new Canon XTi later this evening.

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Posted in: bergen county camera,canon xti,lens repair

Spiderman Told Me to Buy It

Little Guy Productions, as its always been, has been known for its video production. But what happens when a client asks you to become the videographer and photographer for their wedding?

Well, besides hiring another shooter, it means its time to dust off and upgrade the camera gear!

First up was a major upgrade; we moved from the Canon Rebel XT to the Canon XTi. The Rebel was great for what we were using it for; capturing fun stills throughout the evening and a few professional looking shots that would be later used to create the DVD case cover inserts.
But as the great Spiderman often says "With great power comes great responsibility".

With that the power and responsibility also comes a new toy; the Canon XTi and the Canon 430EX II speedlite.Oooh...pretty! And you can dance on those things! Want them at your event? Contact Ryan at The DJ Company

This photo doesn't look nearly as good with our old Canon Rebel XT setup. The internal flash would have given the skin tones a weird redish look, so adding the 430EX II Speedlite helped. With relatively low ceilings at the Casa Mia Manor house, the light was able to bounce and light the subjects fairly well.

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Posted in: canon rebel,canon speedlite,canon xti

Cameras You Can Take a Sledgehammer To

As the title of this post may be a bit misleading, allow us to explain.

B&H just released a newsletter detailing some of the best cameras that you can use for your summertime ventures, and not have to worry about a little bit of sand clogging your iris.

Here's our list of favorite cameras, via Allen Weitz's review:

Canon PowerShot D10 ($329.95, BH Price)

We're always one to promote Canon products, as Canon is the brand of choice for all our photography needs. It has four different places for you to attach a wrist strap, which is an interesting new feature for a consumer camera.

The PowerShot D10 features a 12.1 megapixel sensor, a DIGIC 4 image processor, and a 4x 6.2 – 18.6 mm (35-105 mm equivalent) image-stabilized zoom lens. Aside from water-resistance down to 33', the PowerShot D10 is shock-proof from drops up to 4' off the ground, and is guaranteed to work in a temperature range of 14° to 105°F. For viewing images the D10 sports a 2.5", 230,000-dot LCD.

Olympus Tough-8000 ($359.95 after a $30 Instant Rebate, BH Price)

We're not normally fans of the Olympus brand, but that may be due to the fact that we've been out of the consumer photo market for about four years. This tough little bugger caught our eye, however. Check out its Tap Control Feature to be a little more amazed.

For a small camera it's rather hefty and solid to the touch. According to the folks at Olympus, the Olympus Tough-8000 is waterproof down to 33-feet (IEC60529), can be dropped onto a hard surface from a height of up to 6.6-feet (MIL-STD-810F), withstand up to 220lb of pressure, and is freeze-proof down to 14°F (MIL-STD-810F).

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