50 Years Strong – Vow Renewal! from Steven Young on Vimeo.

It all began when Dave and his wingman spotted Leanna and her girlfriend at a local diner.  They were just teenagers, back in the age where there was no internet, when men actually had to think up of a clever line to impress a woman to get their attention.  Later that night, Dave and his buddy, spotted Leanna and her girlfriend walking and offered them a ride.

Leanna yelled back, “Sorry we don’t date guys unless they have mag wheels!”

‘Till this day, Leanna has no idea why she said that.

Moments later, Dave and his buddy returned, in a car – with mag wheels –

I tell you, what are the odds that Dave had a car with mag wheels, haha.  If he didn’t have a car with “mags” on it, there would be an entire generation that wouldn’t exist.   Can you imagine that?

Dave and Leanna renewed their vows on the North Shore of Oahu with the family they created and close friends.   They bought my Hawaii Vow Renewal package and added one camera video coverage .   Check out their video, it’s quite awesome.   To me, they are what all my clients should aspire to be – together forever, unconditionally with no personal agendas, through good times and bad.

[srizonfbalbum id=94]

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Steve Young

THE BIG MAN at Dream Weddings Hawaii

I pretty much do everything around here, from photography and video production, to the organization of all of my weddings. As you can see, I'm also the head writer too! If for some reason you can't reach me at my direct line, or my toll free number, feel free to hit me up on my company cell at (808) 479-0685. Call anytime...well, almost anytime. Don't call on Super Bowl Sunday or when the Philadelphia Eagles are playing!

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While this production timeline may seem very long to the average Joe, some photographers, may take up to a year to deliver their entire wedding project to their clients.  Albums and enlargements sometimes take forever to create.  That’s why I don’t do them anymore.  The modern bride is not as patient as her ancestors.  She wants photos, fast, so she can share twitter or facebook.

So why does it take so long for you to receive your photos and video?

The answer: Post-Production Hell.

Now, what is it exactly?

Well, weddings are much like producing movies and go through three steps: pre-production (which is your fundraising and planning stage of your wedding) , the actual production(which is your wedding), and post-production (the work after your wedding)  “Pre” and “Post” production in movies, and your wedding, is where most of the work is done.   In movies, post-production can take years to complete after the actual filming if complicated computer graphics are integrated into each shot.

For your wedding, just the act of turning a digital photograph into something spectacular, can also take time.

To better explain the post production process, here is a summary of the process that one photo goes through before it makes it to the bride.

STEP ONE: Enhancing The Basic Photo

This is an actual photo that is not enhanced.

All digital photos, in my opinion, must be corrected before they are delivered to the client.  I don’t care how great a digital camera is, it can never compare to the human eye.   What the human captures and remembers is night and day to what the camera records.

This photo has some major problems with it:

1. It’s dull in color
2. Lacks the natural warmth of the sun
3. The flash only reaches the groom and doesn’t hit the bride
4. The feel of the shot is dreary.
5. This is not what the bride and groom saw or felt on that day.

To fix this I must manipulate what the digital camera captured into real-world reality.

This is Lightroom!

The goal here is to enhance the exposure and color of the photograph to re-tell the story of the photo accurately without creating a noticeable bias.   I may spend hours adjusting everything from color, details in shadows, lighting, and much more, just for one photo.  I have to be careful.  Because if I create too much of a bias, too much of an effect, my client will realize that the photo has been manipulated.  And the reality of this photo goes from non-fiction, to the ultimate….fake.

A great photographer does not create great moments.  He captures it.  There’s a difference.  So if I succeed, the greatest compliment I should receive is no other compliment other than “I love the photos!”  If a client ever says, “I love the effect…”  Then as a photographer, I have failed.

Here is the finished export from Adobe Lightroom

STEP TWO: RETOUCHING BY HAND

Think I’m done now?  No way.

The photo is about 90% done right now, but now it must be manually touched up by hand.  Lighting, color, and warmth have been fixed. Luckily there is no one to remove from the background from the photo.  There are no pimples to touch up, or airplanes to get rid of.   But the brides face is shining rather brightly and requires touching up.

Sheen is removed from bride, skin tones adjust once more.

The finished photo looks as though it has not been re-touched.  This is how the bride and groom remember it through their eyes:  a yellow sunset, blue sky, a fun ocean to play in where the water was warm.

This tedious two-step-process is repeated for every photo that I take and that’s why it can take a little longer than you might expect to get great pictures.

Actual screen-capture of a wedding being color corrected

NOW WHAT ABOUT VIDEO?

I really wish video production was a two step process.  But it’s not and that’s why it can be a deeper hell.  Not only must a video be color corrected, but there’s audio correction, titling, compressing, cutting, splicing, pasting, rendering, lip syncing.  It’s hell.  It’s really LOWER hell.   There are so many steps here that if I list them, I’ll bore you and myself to death.  Lets just say that that process is long and hard work, and you have to take my word on it.  Haha.

THE MORAL OF THE STORY

The lesson here that I’m trying to teach you is that more than likely, you’re not gonna get your photos and video right away.  I will work hard, but it’s going to be anywhere between 3 to 12 weeks.  I can send you a few photos for announcements.  If you do need or want your photos right away because you have a reception, I do have options that consist of a rush fee.  The fee is to cover the cost of the added help I will need to hire to finish the project faster.

The post “POST-PRODUCTION HELL” – After Your Wedding, The Work Just Begins For Me. first appeared on Dream Weddings Hawaii - Hawaii Destination Wedding Packages.

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Steve Young

THE BIG MAN at Dream Weddings Hawaii

I pretty much do everything around here, from photography and video production, to the organization of all of my weddings. As you can see, I'm also the head writer too! If for some reason you can't reach me at my direct line, or my toll free number, feel free to hit me up on my company cell at (808) 479-0685. Call anytime...well, almost anytime. Don't call on Super Bowl Sunday or when the Philadelphia Eagles are playing!

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BAD IDEAS OR JUST PLAIN STUPID?

I’m against making a bride and groom look stupid.  But sometimes, you just can’t help it! haha.  I kid…I kid…   I was surfing the net tonight and found these.  I thought you may enjoy them.  If you’re wondering, I never had a moment like this happen on my watch.

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Steve Young

THE BIG MAN at Dream Weddings Hawaii

I pretty much do everything around here, from photography and video production, to the organization of all of my weddings. As you can see, I'm also the head writer too! If for some reason you can't reach me at my direct line, or my toll free number, feel free to hit me up on my company cell at (808) 479-0685. Call anytime...well, almost anytime. Don't call on Super Bowl Sunday or when the Philadelphia Eagles are playing!

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VOW RENEWAL VIDEO!

My company does a lot of vow renewals.  Not many of these couples purchase a three camera video coverage though.   Here’s one that did. The cost for three camera coverage like the one you see above is not much.  It’s only $600.

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Steve Young

THE BIG MAN at Dream Weddings Hawaii

I pretty much do everything around here, from photography and video production, to the organization of all of my weddings. As you can see, I'm also the head writer too! If for some reason you can't reach me at my direct line, or my toll free number, feel free to hit me up on my company cell at (808) 479-0685. Call anytime...well, almost anytime. Don't call on Super Bowl Sunday or when the Philadelphia Eagles are playing!

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‘TIS THIS SEASON TO BE GREEDY

Don’t you love the holidays?  The Black Fridays, the last minute Christmas bargains, the 50% off deals.   THE CHAOS!!   This Christmas I scored a 55 inch Samsung SmartTV for $800, but it wasn’t without conflict.  My friends and I waited in line at Sam’s Club for hours and by luck, there was a 55 inch Smart TV on a cart laying right in front of us as we entered.  We asked the employee if the Smart TV belonged to anyone and she replied that it didn’t.  She continued, telling us that many people thought that the last Smart TV was taken because it was on a cart, but it actually was just put on there to make it easier for customers to take.   As she was telling me this and while my hand was on the wagon, an old lady who overhead the conversation came by and tried to wrestle the cart away!  For a five foot woman that was around seventy she was very strong.  But not as strong as me.  My grip didn’t budge.

I looked down at  her and said, “Hey, let go!  What do you want with a SmartTV!  You don’t even know how to use a smart phone!”

“I saw it first! It’s mine!”

“But our hand was on it, and we were standing right by it!”

“I saw it first you little kid!”

“You can’t see past five feet you five foot tall raisin!” I told her as my friend pulled the TV away and took off in the other direction.

“You are a rude boy, can’t give an old lady a TV.”

“You just tried stealing it from me!”

“I’m an old lady!”

“Sounds like a personal problem”, I said as I walked off.

I rest my case, that old lady would not know how to operate this machine.

When I’m not taking Smart TV’s away from old ladies at Sam’s club, I find myself immersed in work during the holidays.  Inquiries suddenly taper off around winter, but there are always a few vacationing couples that always want to tie the knot around Christmas, even on Christmas Day.   This time around, I had an awesome couple that wanted to tie the knot on Christmas Eve.

This happened at 9am on Christmas Eve.

You can get me to work on any day of the year.  Just not on Superbowl Sunday.

On top of my duties as a wedding planner and photographer, I was also responsible for cooking the prime rib for our family’s Christmas Eve party.  To make things more complicated.  In December, I also launched a coffee company and wanted to take advantage of the Christmas rush.  Which I timed perfectly by the way.  And just to make things a little more tough for myself, I promised a great wedding couple of mine that I would get them their video and pictures by Christmas.   I would estimate that I got maybe 8 hours of sleep from the 23rd to the 25th of December.   But, I got all my work done, and that’s what’s important.  More so, according to my couple who got their video on Christmas, I delivered the best Christmas gift ever!  No one said being Santa was easy.

Stealing away Smart TV’s from old ladies is much easier.

Here is the video of that couple.   All I have to say is that is a really photogenic looking couple.

On Christmas Day, I came down with a mild case of the flu.  I don’t think it had anything with being overworked, but for the fact that I was stuck in a Karaoke room with friends who might have been sick.  I loaded up on vitamin C, fasted for 24 hours, and went for a bike ride, and within two days I was back up to 90%.  Fasting for 24 hours is a great way to kill he flu.  Before I discovered this trick, I would get sick for weeks at a time.  I have a photo shoot on December 29th that I should be 100% healthy for.

I didn’t get much gifts for Christmas this year, but hey, that’s what happens when you’re not a kid right?  I also didn’t give out much gifts this year either.  Everyone is getting New Years gifts because I was just too busy to shop.  December just flew by.

All I want for Christmas 

Christmas for me wans’t on December 25th.  Christmas is on December 29th!   Why? Because that’s the day the Eagles will beat the Cowboys so we can go the playoffs!

Merry Belated Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Author information

Steve Young

THE BIG MAN at Dream Weddings Hawaii

I pretty much do everything around here, from photography and video production, to the organization of all of my weddings. As you can see, I'm also the head writer too! If for some reason you can't reach me at my direct line, or my toll free number, feel free to hit me up on my company cell at (808) 479-0685. Call anytime...well, almost anytime. Don't call on Super Bowl Sunday or when the Philadelphia Eagles are playing!

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The Patriot Package includes minister services, 1 hour of photography coverage, and 75 digital color/exposure corrected photos. 

Destination weddings, contrary to belief, and in the majority of the cases, are much cheaper than your local wedding.   The “budget killer” of any type of wedding, ranging from your typical local gala to destination, is always your reception.  On average, you’ll spend around $100 on each attending guest.  Each attending guest usually comes in a pair.  So if you invite 50 friends and family, who in turn bring a plus one, that’s 100 mouths to feed.  At $100 a head, simple math says you’ll be spending around $10,000 on just food…ALONE!   Take in mind, this price doesn’t include the cost of entertainment, extended photo and video coverage, the cost of a DJ, wedding cake, alcohol, and the cost of the reception hall.  Tally up those expenses and you can easily be looking at another $15,000 to your ever-growing-atomic-budget.

Enter the destination wedding.

In most cases, when you plan an overseas wedding, be it in Hawaii, the Caribbean, or Europe, the majority of your guest will not be able to make it.  Generally, traveling overseas is either too expensive for your guest, or it conflicts with their work schedule.   Fewer guests means a much smaller reception, a smaller reception means less money, and less money spent on guest means more money for yourself.  Are you being selfish or greedy with having less guest attend your wedding?  I say, no.   You’re just being a lot more economical!

To state it rather bluntly, if you’re looking to save some hard earned cash, planning a destination wedding may be something you seriously want to consider.

Actual screen capture from my agent booking engine on October 9, 2013

Your wedding ceremony (that includes the minster and photography package) plus travel to Hawaii  from Los Angeles, could be as cheap a $2500.  Throw in a small dinner reception for a group of ten, and spending money for the trip, you could be looking at spending $5000 in total.

• $5000 is what your local wedding photographer will charge you for his or her’s days work.
• $5000 is probably what you may be your bar tab at your local reception hall.
• $5000 is what you may pay in therapy after dealing with the stress of planning a local gala wedding!

When you plan a destination wedding, especially one in Oahu, there are two things you also may get that money just can’t buy: a lower stress level and romance.  Maybe I’m being a little bias here, but I’ve planned all types of weddings.  Larger weddings are not as romantic as smaller ones.  They just aren’t.  There’s something really special that happens to a couple when they are on a deserted beach and all they have to worry about for the day is saying their “I do’s.”

To prove my point, watch my latest video.

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Steve Young

THE BIG MAN at Dream Weddings Hawaii

I pretty much do everything around here, from photography and video production, to the organization of all of my weddings. As you can see, I'm also the head writer too! If for some reason you can't reach me at my direct line, or my toll free number, feel free to hit me up on my company cell at (808) 479-0685. Call anytime...well, almost anytime. Don't call on Super Bowl Sunday or when the Philadelphia Eagles are playing!

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Chris and Jenny’s Oahu Wedding Video

Chris and Jenny tied the knot on the west shore of Oahu, at around 4pm.  The video coverage shown here cost $750.  The video package consist of 3 camera coverage, editing, color and audio correction, video streaming, 3 dvd’s (ntsc or pal format), and 3 bluray disc.

To view their wedding photos click here

Author information

Steve Young

THE BIG MAN at Dream Weddings Hawaii

I pretty much do everything around here, from photography and video production, to the organization of all of my weddings. As you can see, I'm also the head writer too! If for some reason you can't reach me at my direct line, or my toll free number, feel free to hit me up on my company cell at (808) 479-0685. Call anytime...well, almost anytime. Don't call on Super Bowl Sunday or when the Philadelphia Eagles are playing!

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SUNRISE OAHU WEDDING –  WAIMANLAO BEACH

I think I may be the only wedding industry professional who plans their clients weddings, photographs, and video records them, all at the same time.  I started out in the wedding industry as a photographer.  Then when I realized I knew more about weddings than all of the planners that I met.  So I basically started doing that too, planning.   I was always good at videography, but the thoughts of photographing and video recording a wedding at the same time sounded rather frightening.  But then, when my videographers, who were not as good as me, and had a habit of moving around too much to get fancy shots, told me that they wanted more a lot more money; and then threatened me by saying, “What are you going to do?  Replace us with tripods?”   I took their advice and did.  I setup three tripods perfectly, got the exact shots I wanted, saved a lot of money, and passed on that savings to my customers.   That’s why my video coverage is a lot cheaper than my competitors :)

That was over 10 years ago.  Now I’m a pro at multitasking.

You can view their wedding photos by clicking here

Author information

Steve Young

THE BIG MAN at Dream Weddings Hawaii

I pretty much do everything around here, from photography and video production, to the organization of all of my weddings. As you can see, I'm also the head writer too! If for some reason you can't reach me at my direct line, or my toll free number, feel free to hit me up on my company cell at (808) 479-0685. Call anytime...well, almost anytime. Don't call on Super Bowl Sunday or when the Philadelphia Eagles are playing!

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BRYANT AND HELEN’S WEDDING VIDEO

Three camera coverage of their wedding ceremony.  I think Bryant is the first groom that has straddled a croc.  I’m not sure if I could ever muster up the courage to do that. Doesn’t that croc look a little big?  Most likely, it’s a tourist picture thing.   But in any case, it’s still pretty big.

To view their wedding gallery click here

Author information

Steve Young

THE BIG MAN at Dream Weddings Hawaii

I pretty much do everything around here, from photography and video production, to the organization of all of my weddings. As you can see, I'm also the head writer too! If for some reason you can't reach me at my direct line, or my toll free number, feel free to hit me up on my company cell at (808) 479-0685. Call anytime...well, almost anytime. Don't call on Super Bowl Sunday or when the Philadelphia Eagles are playing!

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WEDDING IN LAIE, OAHU!

I don’t do many weddings in Laie.  I think I had I planned maybe three weddings there in my lifetime.  That’s three out of the 3000 plus weddings and twelve years that I’ve been in this business haha!   The main reason why I don’t plan many weddings there is that it’s rather windy, and there is no clear shot of the sunset from the beaches.  The vacation homes there, are rather cool.

Our company only got hired to provide the minister, maile lei, and video coverage for Jenna’s wedding.   I really wish she would have hired me for photos though!  Shucks.   There is no ending slideshow that consists of wedding pictures because we didn’t get the photos from their photographer before their reception deadline.  The video still turned out great.

Enjoy the show!

Author information

Steve Young

THE BIG MAN at Dream Weddings Hawaii

I pretty much do everything around here, from photography and video production, to the organization of all of my weddings. As you can see, I'm also the head writer too! If for some reason you can't reach me at my direct line, or my toll free number, feel free to hit me up on my company cell at (808) 479-0685. Call anytime...well, almost anytime. Don't call on Super Bowl Sunday or when the Philadelphia Eagles are playing!

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