B&H Photo Video Superstore

Another benefit of being in New York City during this time, was the plethora of professional grade audio and video equipment stores, such as Adorama and B&H Photo Video, our favorite being B&H.

Several afternoons, while Tres was working, little Evan and I would stroller down to B&H and peruse their equipment the same way I peruse baked goods when I've sworn off sugar -- spending all my time salivating at the same few items, but never buying anything. I would ask the same questions to different workers each time, just in case someone had some new incite, but alas, the responses were always the same -- we knew what equipment was best and we just needed to take the dive.

But it was hard to justify spending so much money all at once. So instead, my first purchase was a very cheap consumer level product. Before I even took it out of the box I regretted buying it. Have you ever had buyer's remorse because you didn't spend enough money, instead of feeling like you spent too much? Well, that was how I felt about this Manfrotto Modo Steady. I wanted a real steadicam and instead I got a shoulder crutch made of plastic*. It was that purchase that helped both Tres and I decide our creativity deserved the best tools we could get and our little company deserved the best start it could get. So, back to B&H I went with my little return receipt in hand and a much bigger smile on my face.

*However, if you have a very light consumer level camcorder and are looking for a compact, portable, consumer level stabilizer to aid in your home filming, this could be a great product for you.

NYC Inspiration

During our summer in New York City, Tres and I saw several film shoots in and around mid-Manhattan including Rachel McAdam's "Morning Glory," Jennifer Lopez's "Back-up Plan," and a couple Disney films including, "Step-up 3."

They reminded me of my college days being on student film sets while majoring in film at BYU. Though, I didn't much care for theatrical movie-making even as a student. The large crews, large budget, and large egos turned me off to the Hollywood way of life.

My favorite classes and projects always had to do with documentary film-making. I loved learning how documentary filmmakers capture real-life stories in interesting and beautiful ways. I loved viewing their work as well as making my own. There's just such a nobility in visually and aurally preserving the events and people around oneself. And you can't help but grow to love and respect your subject after observing it for countless hours behind a camera and in the editing room.

Since getting married and starting a family, my time has been spent capturing the special moments within our little family, but after seeing these big productions I was inspired to once again reach out into the world and help others capture their life stories. Mainly, those special moments -- births, weddings, anniversaries -- when we, as humans, are encouraged to take a moment to reflect upon our life and those we love. And with that premise our company, Capture Me Videography, was born.