Episode 1 in a series of videos related to the event industry in Kauai, stories about wedding officiants, hair and make-up artists, coordinators, caterers and other artists. If you are having/ planning a wedding in Kauai, this video might be a valuable tool in your research, as you’ll see in action the best non-religious officiants on Kauai, ideal for elopement weddings, vow renewals, and events that require official services by a licensed officiant.
Shipwrecked
She walked slowly, her thin shoes not completely shielding her feet from the hot sand. She was nervous… and excited in the same breath. Shore waves, about three feet tall, were crashing along the shoreline. Misty sea-spray was in the air. She took a deep breath, tasting the briny elixir that was on her lips. There wasn’t a shipwreck in sight. But she could see her man, faced away from, as he was meant to at this moment. He was waiting for her. Her heart began to beat even faster.
Not that I really knew what was going on in the bride’s mind at that moment; I just guessed it. I had been hired to capture these moments on video. It’s a typical scene that is experienced by thousands of wedding couples at this particular beach: Shipwrecks Beach. My mind drifted off for a moment, and I wondered, how many ‘shipwreck beaches’ are there? I know that in Greece there’s a Shipwreck Beach that some call Smuggler’s Cove. And I’ve heard that Oregon has a Shipwrecks beach, as does Washington State. In Hawaii there are at least two that I know of, the one at Lanai, aptly named Shipwrecks because it really does have mangled sea vessels littering its shore, and the one that I was on at that very moment: Shipwreck Beach, Poipu, Kauai. But here you wont actually find a shipwreck, not anywhere along the beach or along the spectacular coast. You will, however, see the iconic rock face—Makawehi Point—a sandstone landmark which the bride was presently heading to, and where her groom was waiting. You might have heard about this particular beach for another reason: This is where locals (and some brave tourists) leap thirty-five feet off the rock into the turbulent Pacific. Notably, Harrison Ford and Anne Heche jumped from it for the movie, “6 Days and 7 Nights.” It’s just a short walk along the sand from the Hyatt Regency and other Poipu resorts, which might also be why so many wedding couples choose this location. Waves smash again the cliff and when it’s really hot, wedding couples can move twenty feet from the water’s edge and find shade under the canopy of lush ironwood trees. It’s idyllic for dramatic photography and videography. The image below is pulled directly from the video, filmed by me at Shipwreck’s on November 11th 2019.
The groom turned…and gasped as he saw her for the first time that day. His heart was galloping at a hundred miles an hour. In his prepared vows, he told how she’d so profoundly changed his life, for the better; that God and destiny had made it so. When it was her turn, her eyes turned watery and her voice trembled lightly; this also made his eyes glisten.
Fifteen minutes later, the officiant proclaimed them husband and wife and they fell into each other’s embrace. There weren’t any violins but if there had been they wouldn’t have been out of place. Nice ceremony.
A footnote: there used to be an old weather-beaten boat lying at the water’s edge. It sat there for many years, and that’s where the pirate-like name came from, I guess.
If you know of another Shipwrecks Beach, I’d love to hear about it. Shoot me an email at davidm617@me.com and visit my website: Kauai Video Productions 
.
A few years ago, in the age of camera sliders, on a sunny beach in Kauai
Besides great cameras and film lenses, I fashion my videos with all sorts of tools. Of course tripods with professional fluid heads—that’s a given for any pro, but I also use short dollies called sliders, and regular dollies with thirty feet of track—for beach weddings in Kauai not very practical. Then I use jibs and film cranes—again, for a small beach wedding a bit of an overkill, although I love the cinematic look of crane shots. I now also offer aerial shots using a DJI Inspire quadcopter. All in all, the slider is my pick of the crop, light and small enough for the beach or anywhere yet it packs a mighty cinematic punch. If you like the look of this Kauai wedding video with the cinematic feel, and you’d like to book me for your upcoming event, please contact me through my home website at http://www.kauaivideoproductions.com. I am both a cinematographer and photographer and I love both mediums.
Fabulous Hanalei Bay Kauai wedding
Style, glitz, Hanalei Bay, what more can I say. This is a premium package wedding video by Difraser.
My favorite wedding location in Kauai
Favorite? Hands down, Hideaways in Princeville. I’m not talking tourist Hideaways, but the other one below the bluff at Pali Ke kua. First you have stunning views from the bluff top. Then the trail down to the beach has spectacular picture book photo ops every ten paces. And once you get beyond the grassy plateau and the barbecue pit, it’s like stepping out of the jungle into paradise, with a naked beach, sparkling rock pools, lava rocks, and in the distance, the misty Na Pali coast mountains. Simply drop dead magnificent. Unbelievably, hardly ever used for pro photo shoots. Go figure! If you’d like me to film you here, either photo or cinematic video then contact me through my main website http://www.difraser.com. Mahalo—Difraser.
Shooting the Bride
PLEASE VISIT MY OFFICIAL WEBSITE
Only one person could have stopped it, the bride. It was a bright sunny day, two in the afternoon. He checked to see if it was loaded. It was. From his vantage point, high above the crowd, he saw the bride emerge from behind a tree. Soon the others would see her too. Wasting no time, he placed his eye to the finder, and squeezed the trigger. What a shot, the videographer smiled to himself with smug satisfaction, as he panned his camera to keep the bride perfectly framed.
How was this guy really doing?
You’re about to hire a wedding videographer, but you’re confused; you’ve started looking at websites containing dozens of wedding videos and they’re all sort of melding. Who really is the better craftsman? What should you pay, or maybe more importantly can you find the right wedding videographer for your budget? Can you negotiate even though the videographer sent you an e-mail quote or you saw the price on their website? How long do you want your edited wedding film to be?
Finding the right videographer is probably about as exciting as watching grass grow. A recommendation might be the way to go. There again, your taste might not be in line with the recommender’s. Watching demos, and not just the first ten seconds, is the only real way to judge the skill of the videographer and editor. Watch for framing, smooth or jerky camerawork, focus, the use of close ups or lack of close ups, music choices. Some videographers use a reveal technique, using trees or bushes or people to hide what they are about to film before gradually revealing the subject with camera movement. Some videographers have the skill but not the equipment. You can probably tell this right away: colors are not vibrant, images are grainy or just not crisp. Top-notch videographers use top-notch gear—usually. But sometimes, even a top-notch videographer filming a budget video might not be willing to avail his $50,000 camera gear. Ultimately, it’s all down to your preference. But one caveat: Jazzy wedding films with fast edits to catchy music might look great to you today, but years down the road you might wish the videographer had spent more time holding longer shots of your mother or grandfather; you might wish the videographer captured more intimacy and allowed you to actually hear what Aunty Lizzie is saying.
One thing you can do that will greatly help you get the perfect wedding video is discuss with the videographer what you want,not just what you’ve seen the videographer do before. Really discuss it over the phone, not by e-mail.
Film-style digital cinema video for weddings in Kauai
Please visit our regular website for more information www.kauaivideoproductions.com or call (808-212-9742)
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