Lord Jeffery Inn

Met with Anne and Jiuming last night about doing their wedding video. They are getting married at St. Brigid's Church in Amherst, MA with a reception at the Lord Jeffery Inn, also in Amherst.

The question of high definition (HD) came up, and we talked about how important is it, is it worth the extra cost, what are the differences between standard def and high def. I thought Jiuming made a great point when he suggested that the video be shot using the typical technology of the day, which, in this case, would be standard definition. Your parents' or grandparents' wedding might have been captured on silent black-and-white film, placing it in a cultural and historical context. In the same way, shooting in standard definition now places your wedding in a specific cultural and historical context—so maybe you don't need to fret about high def versus standard.

To be sure, I love to use the new technology, I can shoot in HD, and I enjoy HD projects, so I'm ready for the next era of wedding video, too.

Bridal Sale Blowout!

Just heard about this bridal gown sale through the DJ Network:

Wednesday, Feb. 27th 4-9pm, at the Hilton Garden Inn in Springfield, MA (next to the Basketball Hall of Fame). All bridal gowns are on sale for $199 (originally $800-2500).

Violin Audition

On Tuesday, I videotaped an audition for a violin camp. Apparently, certain camps are getting very competitive, with students expected to submit a professional-looking demo. The 13-year-old violinist sounded great, playing two very complex pieces (a little daunting for me, since I just got a violin for Christmas and I'm having trouble with "Twinkle, Twinkle").

I had done another one of these a couple of years ago for someone doing a singing demo for another camp. I love doing these just to see the talent that's hiding out here in the valley.

Bridal Show Coming Up

March 9th I will have a booth at the Western New England Spring Bridal Show at the Mass Mutual Center in Springfield, Massachusetts. The show will include a fashion show by Bancroft Bridals of Agawam and live wedding bands.

Look for my booth—I will be offering an iPod nano loaded with your wedding highlights to anyone who books a date with us at the show!

La Renaissance

Met with Theresa and Ben in West Hartford today about producing their wedding video. They are getting married at St. Michael's in East Longmeadow, MA with a reception at La Renaissance in East Windsor, CT.

They are expecting a big crowd with 350 guests—not to worry, the La Renaissance can handle up to 800!

The Log Cabin

Met with Mirella and Rich today about producing their wedding video. They are getting married at The Log Cabin in Holyoke, MA. It is located on Mt. Tom, and has spectacular views. They will be in the Southampton room, which has a huge bank of windows with a southern exposure. Their late September wedding should give them beautiful views of the autumn leaves.

The Hartsbrook School

Taping today at the Hartsbrook School in Hadley, MA. Got a little bit of wet-on-wet watercolor painting in the two kindergarten classrooms. So sweet! Also, some of the kindergarteners were hauling around big wooden boards and things to make slides and pirate ships in their classroom.

Then, off to the eighth grade for a physics class. Learning about water displacement, their challenge was to shape a 8-by-8 inch sheet of aluminum foil so that it could hold the maximum number of pennies while floating in water. Looked like a lot of fun. When I left, one group had reported floating 104 pennies in their boat. Try it at home!