LOS ANGELES WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHER - RUSTIN MICHAEL BLOG » Rustin Michael is a Los Angeles based wedding and portrait photographer

Earlier today I tagged along with my friends Mike Flanagan & Courtney Bell, who are directing and producing the documentary “American Marriage,” as they interviewed, Mindy Weiss in her Beverly Hills office. Mindy is one of the top wedding/party planners in the industry. Her past clients have include some of the top names in the entertainment industry such as Eva Longoria, Gwen Stefani, and Ellen Degeneres.

Mindy gave us some great insight about wedding industry with her many years of experience. During the interview I spent most of the time tip-toeing around her office shooting stills. I was so nervous everytime I pressed the shutter, scared that the sound would be picked up by the microphone. While I was taking photos I also got to listen in on the interview.  One thing she said really resonated with me.  She said one of the things she likes best about weddings the feelings of romance and intimacy that are evident in the couple, which in turn renews her romance to her husband.  I feel the same way: each time I come home from a wedding I can’t wait to kiss my wife.   

Here are a couple stills from the interview.

If you are a bride reading this blog, make sure you go pick up a copy of her book “The Wedding Book” on Amazon or your local bookstore.

Also go check out Mindy’s video podcast “Dress The Table with Mindy Weiss - Valentine’s Day”  about using some items picked at a local flea market for decoration.   Watching her podcast made me miss my weekly Sunday trips to the flea market we did when I was growing up.

If you have been following me on twitter you already know I have been working on the documentary “American Marriage” with my talented friends Mike Flanagan and Courtney Bell. Please read this full post for some amazing special offers for couples getting married before the middle of June 2010.

“The new documentary film “American Marriage” is looking for couples who want to have their nuptials featured in the movie. One of our main fundraising avenues has been filming weddings. Couples have taken the money they would have paid videographer and donated it to the film’s budget through the International Documentary Association (making their donations tax-deductible), and in exchange we’ve filmed their entire ceremonies and receptions and delivered the wedding video on DVD, just like a normal wedding videographer.

The shoot itself is exactly comparable to a normal wedding videographer shoot. We film the ceremony preparation, the ceremony, and reception on a single 3CCD HD Camera (the JVC 110u, a professional theatrical quality HD camera as opposed to the Prosumer HDV cameras standardly used in the wedding industry). The groom wears a microphone to ensure the highest quality audio of the ceremony. The footage is edited, and assembled with graphics, music, and minimal effects (dissolves, etc). We provide the couple 3 DVDs, authored with chapters and animated menus.

Because we’ll use some of the footage in the finished film, we ask the couple to sign an image release waiver allowing us to do so. We also ask that they make a donation through the I.D.A. and forward us a copy of the Paypal receipt before we arrive to film the event. We also ask couples if they would like to have a short “When Harry Met Sally” style interview that will be included in the movie.

You can view the trailer, which features footage from several weddings who took advantage of this model, below.”

There is no set donation amount. We ask that couples donate what they can afford. If you have a budget for a videographer we hope that, if you choose this opportunity, you would still be willing to use that budget to help the film.  If you would like to take advantage of this opportunity please click on contact in the menu above.

If you chose to make a donation and be in the film I am offering 20% off any of my photography packages. You can view my portfolio on my website.

Here are some links for the film
Official Website
Facebook Fan Page
International Documentary Association Listing
IMDB Listing - I got my first cinematographer credit on this film
Mike Flanagan - the man behind the film

Did a little house cleaning recently and found some camera gear that was just sitting around collecting dust. Prices include PayPal/Google Checkout fee and shipping. If you are in the LA area, local pickup is available.

Canon 580ex. Works perfectly, has signs of wear. My price is $290

Lowepro CompuTrekker Plus AW Photo Backpack. Only used a few times. In excellent shape. You can see the specs here My price is $110

It’s the end of another great year. This past year I shot some amazing weddings. I feel like I have done my best work so far in 2009, and look forward to applying some of the things I have learned to 2010 and beyond. There are so many wedding images I have shot this past year that I am proud to call my own. It was hard for me to narrow down my selection to just 10 of my favorites. I could even say that at least 5 of my top ten could be different depending on the day I put this list together. Here are my favorites from last year as selected today. I hope you like them!