Dogpatch Urban Gardens

We had the privilege of helping get the word out about this Des Moines gem.  Great food, great people, just great…

http://www.dogpatchurbangardens.com

Pork Tornadoes Live

This was our biggest live production to date. 12 cameras, 6 cameramen, multitracked audio, a bunch of rain, and a good band with a huge crowd. If only it would have been at Simon Estes Amphitheater like it was supposed to be. Still looks awesome though.

 

Janey’s Jam

I have been lucky enough to work with Janey Hooper throughout the years.  She has been a role model for many musicians in the Central Iowa area.  She’s dealing with some health issues, so the music community has “banded” together to help…

There has been a Go Fund Me page setup here.

SloMo

With our new cameras, we now have some slo-mo capabilities.  At 120 fps, it won’t catch a bullet, but it is still quite effective.

Falling in Love All Over Again (Wedding Season is Here)

The one week countdown to wedding season is here and I can’t wait to fall in love all over again.

I love studying stories on Friday nights and waking up on Saturdays with a unique purpose of mind.

I love spending Saturdays with my husband.

I love witnessing a day through the twinkling eyes of a bride.

I love seeing the groom and embracing his cool nervousness.

I love the guaranteed lunch date with my husband.

I love the stress and pressure and ambiguity.

I love the unpredictability of weather and people.

I love being forced to remain quiet and still and the challenge that the art of observation demands from us.

I love discovering the first line of the narrative we are writing.

I love building something from nothing.

I love days when my husband and I pull off projects seamlessly and love (even more) when we find ways to combat the unexpected curveballs.

I love the late-night, after-all-is-done drink that my husband and I sign off the day with.

I love the rare invitation into people’s love and life.

I love what we are capable of learning about ourselves from this work and am grateful that a reflection of who we are may find a thread into a new story.

 

 

Gearing up for 2016

With the 2016 wedding season right around the corner, we are getting all the new gear ready to go.  We now have 2 Sony A7s ii cameras with a handful of new Sony glass to compliment them.  There are a couple new lenses for the Canon bodies too.  We now offer up to 6 cameras for an event.  More if you want to count Go Pros…because we just added 6 GoPro 4 Black cameras in a 360 degree rig.  It produces those super awesome 360 videos that are starting to pop up more and more…the ones that you watch on your phone and you can look around the environment just by moving your phone.  Real cool.

All of these new toys…I mean tools…are here to make your video look even better to tell the story of your day.

 

“Why We Work” (Our Wedding Story)

We ask our couples many questions prior to their special day so that we can meet them where they are and tell their authentic story.  Their narrative always outweighs the technical videography, and the theme of them as a couple always outlives the moments of a wedding day.

In fairness, we must confess our own answers to some of the questions we ask of our couples:

How did you meet?:  Weirdly.  Not looking.  On a simple 21st of July in Denver, Colorado.   Both of us out with friends.  Again, not looking.  A show.  A green room.  A bus.  A movie.  A Warwick and a walk home. Many “I-just-found-the-love-of-my-life-at-the-wrong-time” kind of feelings left to explore—and not without challenge or resistance.  Good thing we are both so brave.     

The Proposal & Engagement:  There wasn’t one.  We had already decided “no proposal”.  When it was time to make a decision, we would make it together.  We held hands one Saturday afternoon while out driving, looked at one another and said,  “you wanna?”.  I picked out my wedding ring with him standing beside me, complete with genuine giggles and hugs and kisses.  Pretty sure everyone in that room knew we were in love.  

The Wedding:  Ceremony- Botanical Gardens @ 9:18am.   Reception Brunch at West End Salvage.  Post-party at Tally’s in Beaverdale.   No itinerary that I can recall. No bridesmaids, no groomsmen.  Just a few family members we invited to stand up with us if they chose to.  The night before the wedding, I realized I hadn’t found any shoes to wear with my dress (absolute true story).  He and I headed to JC Penny and I was elated when I found shoes “close-enough-to-white” to wear the next day. 

We got ready at our own house.  We drove to our ceremony together (stopping at Casey’s on the way so we could grab waters & snacks for the day).  I zipped up my dress on my own and touched up my hair the best I knew how.  He wandered…wondering what you do during the hour before committing your life to the person you have realized you love deeper and stronger than anyone else you have ever met.  I wandered as well.    

Our Vows:  There were 3 promises:  1.  I promise to not be perfect.  2.  I promise to help you make sense of this life.  3.  I promise to be present.

Our wedding day was not perfect.  Our life is not perfect.  We expected that.  And we embrace that.  We anchor to our vows.

Our videography work attempts to capture your “bigger story”….the one you will look back on and recognize as “yourselves”.  The moments are fleeting, the love is grand.

This is why we work.  

Love, Jon & Ali Locker