Kaitlin Noel Photography | Professional Cape May Photographer

Yesterday on the blog, just in case you missed it, I wrote about everything “promo video”. I went into why its important to do one and what it has done for my business since its been released. To read that blog, click HERE!

Todays post, as promised, is about the ever FABULOUS Chris Wilson of Christopher Leigh Studios. Many of you know him as the brilliant man who photographed the MEGA wedding. Or you know him from from seeing his countless videos made all over the country for some very lucky photographers.

When I found Chris, I emailed him then and there…over a year ago, and told him that without a doubt…when I choose to invest in a video, he would be the guy for the job. 10 months later…I found him again and told him I was ready. With just under a month to get all affairs in order, Chris was on a plane from Arizonia to Cape May, NJ and in a matter of 2 days, a promo video was made. And for me, I couldn’t be MORE impressed and proud of both Chris anddd my video. Want to see what I am talking about? Click HERE to watch my video : )

But today, less about me and my video and more about the REAL STAR behind the scenes. Please welcome Chris Wilson and read his amazing interview!

The Interview

1.Tell us something about your business and how long you have been a professional photographer/videographer/promo guy?

I started photography like many others, when my first son was born. I wanted to take great photos of him like my mother had done for me so we bought an XTi 2 das before he was born and took horrible photos. I like to learn more things so I decided that this was my next thing… a hobby. As time went on I learned and got better. People started asking me to shoot their family photos, etc… (like so many other stories go) and I had to start charging to suppor the habit. I started my photography in Seattle, with the perfect lighting any time of the day. After we moved from Seattle to Phoenix when my son was about 8 months old I realized things were VERY different with lots of light (probably too much!).

I fell into weddings after tagging along on one and suddenly the primary photographer’s camera went dead, forcing me into the “first shooter” position on my very first wedding. It went well, and I LOVED the thrill and fun of wedding coverage. I booked my first gig back in 2009 after convincing a friend of mine to shoot his for $500. I shot mostly alone for the first one and a half years and then brought on second shooters. It’s been 80 weddings since then ranging from Washtington to Hawaii and I have brought my wife on board to shoot as a husband/wife team. It’s a blast having her there and we feel like we’ve come a long way.

I first decided to try some video using my DSLR when my son was going to preschool for the first time. I thought, “Hey, my camera can shoot some sweet video, so why not try it?” I had no idea what I was doing, but it seemed to work well and people liked the end result.

As fate would have it, I had a free flight to burn that was going to expire so I told the Showiteer group that I’d be willing to fly to the best location in the country to shoot a free video for someone if they wanted it. I posted the video of my son for a “portoilio” and got about 50 replies. It was a tough decision but I finally settled on Leigh Anne O’Neal in the pan handle of Florida for a beach shoot. I couldn’t resist! It was my first ever video promo shoot and it was a blast. So much creativity and new elements that I never had to deal with when shooting photography.

Since that time I’ve been to Utah, Ohio, New Jersey, Iowa, and back to Arizona to shoot about 17 films for creative people and a wedding highlight video. No shoot is ever the same and it’s been so much fun making new friends as we create a film to tell their story.

2. What do you love the most about photography and film? Do you like one better than the other?

I really like photography because it forces you to tell the story in moments. It allows you to be stealthy and get shots when no one is looking and is the way people relive so many moments in life. Take a look at an old album or a gallery online of photos from a few years back and you’ll see what I mean. Photography is what you hang on your walls that tells the story of your life.

Video is, to me, the highlights. The wow moments that involve audio, visual, and feeling in a way that evokes emotion and highlights the event. If photography tells the story, video highlights the story. It is THE WAY to connect with others and tell your purpose or get your message across.

I think I like video a little better than photography right now because I get to work with other professionals and the atmosphere of B2B is a little more laid back!

3. Where are you located? Do you travel?

We are located out of Gilbert, AZ (a suburb of Phoneix) and we travel all over the US doing films to tell stories of the most amazing people.

4. How would you describe your approach to filming promo videos?

My approach to doing a film for a client is to find out the purpose of their video. Why are they doing it and who are they wanting to attract, reach out to, or make a connection. I then take that purpose and help them craft a concept that will ring true to that with elements of their own style and personality. In the end, I try to take it upon myself to make a cinematic showcase of their concept and get it into a visually compelling film that you want to share and watch over and over again!

5. When did you notice you had a passion for photography/film making?

I think my passion isn’t in photography or film making, its in learning, story telling and pushing to the next level. I found that as I WANT to learn more and push the envelope I find new and better ways to tell the story… photography, films, and who knows what will be next.

6. Where is the best place you have ever had the chance to shoot?

Hawaii was a kick in the pants when it comes to exotic locations… but the BEST location was the Adoption Video I did for a great photographer who wanted do a film of her son’s birthday as a way to highlight her love and show the world that she would love to have another precious soul in her care. That was the most heartwarming and fun film I’ve done yet. I wouldn’t mind changing it up a bit though, I would love to start shooting elopement type weddings as they have the best scenic backgrounds, I know a photographer in Portland who does this type of photography. His name is Dylan M Howell so definitely go and check him out.

7. What is the hardest thing about making a promo video?

The hardest part is the preparation. Conceptualizing the idea and then making it happen. People need a jump start to get the process going and we’ve come up with a way to help with that. Getting the parts and pieces put together so when the actual day comes it rolls smoothly and we can get ALL of the elements we need to tell the story.

8. Best advice you could give a prospective client interested in their own video?

The best advice I could give anyone is that you NEED to do it and to make the investment. It’s not an if but when discussion. The general public wants video, they LOVE video, but making the decision to take the time, effort and money isn’t an easy one. What’s easy is seeing the return other people have from making a film so in the end the time is time very well spent.

9. Best advice that you could give someone else that is pursuing a photography/film career?

Have confidence. Don’t give up because you think people don’t want what you have. Creativity to a degree can be taught. I’m not a creative person, I’m a technically sound person with a hard core will to tell a great story. If you are confident, it will show in what you do, who you are, and ultimately your final product. People will notice and they will feel confident in you as well. The next best advice, don’t follow big name photographers and film makers. Don’t do it. Not everyone would agree, but it’s hard not to compare and to try to follow exactly what they are doing… then you lose yourself and what makes you awesome. When you lose that, it’s hard to feel confident.

10. Funniest moment while filming? Do share!

You know, I don’t think I could pin it down to one moment. There are ALWAYS things that go wrong, issues that come up and mispahps on any shoot. These always make us laugh and bring it back to the reason we do what we do. If I pin it down to one stellar moment I’ll let you know!

How much does a promo video cost?

The cost of the video is similar to what the photography world charges. It’s based on experience, style and demand. If you are thinking about doing a film, you can get one made for about $500, but the story, style or feel might not resonate with your audience or make the connection you are looking for. I hear this all the time. People invest in you as a photographer or creative soul because you can produce something no one else can… and they are willing to pay you nicely for it. Some creatives think that because they are in the same industry as their film maker there is some sort of magic… a friendly discount because we know how each other feels. If you are looking for a profesisonal, you’re going to pay a professional price even more than with photography. Equipment for the film world and skill with that equipment make a HUGE difference because the story telling comes in length of clips, steadiness, audio and as well as creative elements and is no longer a single moment in time. A good film will run between $2,000 – $4,000

How does the prepping and planning process go?

We have a system we’ve devised to help with the preparation and planning. We put it into palce after our first film and it’s a great way for people to get a concept and make it happen. It’s a pretty in depth process, but the summary can be told like this:

1. Purpose – Define your purpose and audience. Who are you trying to attract? What are you wanting to get across? What is the final purpose of your film? (ie. Book your services, get to know you, tell others, share the video, etc…)
2. Brainstorm – write down what you want and include anything you want to include, price is no object.
3. Concept – From your ideas, make a concept that defines the feel and style with a few elements
4. List– List out the components of what you want to make the concept happen.
   1. Must Have List – These are items that MUST be shown in your film to tell the story
   2. Nice to Have – This would be items that would be awesome to have but aren’t totally necessary.
   3. Wish List – If cost was not an object, what would you include in this film?
5. 4 W’s
   1. Who, what, when, where: For each Must have item list out the people, things and tasks that need to happen to make your concept a reality.
   2. Don’t forget to include the timeline including setup, breaks, travel time.

Ok, I am ready to book…how do I do that?

If you are ready to book, we’d love to set up a time to chat and get a feel for your project. Go to http://promo.christopherleighstudios.com and see what we do. If you think there is a good style fit please fill out our contact form found on that website and we’ll get in touch with you right away!

Thank you so much for the interview Chris…you are a truly talented and amazing person and friend!

xoxo,

Kaitlin Noel