Heath Ceramics spec shoot

December 20, 2012

Luke just finished shooting and editing a personal piece, a 40 sec. spec commercial on Heath Ceramics.  This was an idea we both came up with a while ago, we got Heath dishes for our wedding and were inspired by the craftsmanship and beauty in these ceramics, not to mention we LOVE the food that goes on them! Its great to keep doing personal work, while our slow season starts. To see more of Luke's DP and commercial work, check out his portfolio site www.lukegoodman.com/portfolio.







Director: Luke Goodman
Stylist: Amanda Anselmino
Director of Photography: Luke Goodman
Assistant Camera: Jessica Fisher
Hand Models: Luke Goodman, Pamela Goodman, Aurora O'Neil
Surface Rental fromwww.sfsurface.net

Wedding: Lowry and Ian at Grace Cathedral

December 13, 2012

Lowry and Ian were married at Grace Cathedral in San Francisco. Once again it could not have been better weather for a fall wedding in the city. The reception was held at the Ritz Carlton San Francisco, under an elegant tent on the terrace courtyard. We worked with friends and photographers Kim & Niki who are a great team and fun to work with.





The Blackbird: A hybrid recumbent chopper bicycle

December 06, 2012

Cat Woodmansee's "Blackbird" a hybrid recumbent chopper-style bicycle, featured in Popular Science Magazine.



Wedding: Mona and Farshid at the Fairmont

November 29, 2012

Mona and Farshid were married at the Fairmont Hotel in San Francisco. It could not have been a better day for a wedding, with clear sunny skies to enjoy one of the best views of San Francisco. Mona and Farshid have known each other since they were kids, and to see their beautiful Persian wedding ceremony bringing both of their close families together was something special! We worked alongside  Catherine Hall, with Maurice Ramirez two awesome San Francisco photographers.




Jenny & Rishi's wedding on Borrowed & Blue!

November 12, 2012

Jenny & Rishi's beautiful Indian fusion wedding was featured on Borrowed & Blue today! The gorgeous photos are from Carlie Statsky Photography. Here is their wedding film, still one of our absolute favorites from the year.








Kiwi Crate: Shadow Puppets

November 08, 2012

I recently did a bunch of videos for Kiwi Crate, featuring the activity kit theme of the month. Last month's theme was shadow & light. It's been fun to shoot something completely different, and I enjoyed working with director, Bradley Tangonan.



Luke & Pamela at Home: Bread making!

October 25, 2012



As the wedding season is winding down for us, Luke and I have a little more time to enjoy being at home. And as many of you know, Luke and I love (ok maybe are obsessed) with DIY projects. There is something just so gratifying about creating something out of almost nothing. We've made our own beer, wine, cheese, gelato, home roasted coffee... And now lately I've been experimenting with making my own natural leaven bread in the French country style. Thanks to my new Tartine Bread book we got for a wedding gift. I love cookbooks like this!

I'm not new to bread making, and I've made lots of bread with commercial yeast in the past, but this was way harder than I expected, though totally worth it. I made my own starter with just flour and water, then waited for the natural yeast and bacteria in the air to collect and grow. After a week I had a nice starter going and attempted my first loaf. First loaf failed! It came out rock hard and dense, I needed to give the rising more time as I had rushed it along somewhat (note to self: don't start making bread at 1pm). Plus what I really needed was a dutch oven to simulate a steaming sealed wood-oven chamber. Second attempt was perfection, crunchy crust and moist inside! This bread was so addictively good, we couldn't stop eating it! It felt really good to have actually made my own real bread from what I "collected" out of the air with a little water, flour and salt! Some of the best things are the most elemental... simple.

I'm going to try to keep making this bread as much as my schedule allows, until I get better (my third attempt failed again- I accidentally left the rising dough in a 350 degree oven--duh distracted!) It literally takes a whole 9 hr day, but Ive found that I can work at the same time and take "bread kneading breaks." Who wouldn't want to put their hands into warm gooey bread dough after working at a desk for hours? Well until the next project... hmmm mushroom growing?!





Wedding: Jordan and Derick at Nestldown

October 18, 2012

Jordan and Derick had the sweetest wedding at Nestldown. Jordan made most of the details herself with the help of family and friends, from signs and chalkboards to the tree branches draped in crystals and air plants. After riding the train into their reception they had a candlelit dinner on the lawn, which made for the perfect romantic setting for these two lovely people.
 

Wedding: Jen & Adam at Kohl Mansion

October 11, 2012

Jen and Adam had the sweetest wedding day celebration at Kohl Mansion. They got married on the lawn under crystal chandeliers representing their grandparents, and the reception was held in the courtyard lit up with strings of lights. Adrianna from Dream a Little Dream Events did an amazing job, and we were so impressed by how many of the details Jen did herself (she learned letterpress to do her own invitations and menus! how cool is that) We had a great time working with Caroline from Tinywater Photography. Check out her sneak peak of Jen & Adam's gorgeous photos on her blog!



Wedding: Mariel & George at Nestldown

October 04, 2012

Mariel and George are one of the most fun and adorable couples we have ever met, just full of life and love. They were married at beautiful Nestldown, under the shady redwoods. They did rock, paper & scissors during their ceremony to see who would say their vows first! Mariel infused their celebration with fun handmade School House details (she's a teacher). She made wedding day report cards, ad libs, and fortune tellers, and each table marker was a library book, with old school photos of themselves. Even milk and cookies were laid out as a bedtime snack. We got to work with Lindsey and Nathan of Bellalu Photography who always make the day fun! Amy Frugoli of Twitterpated Weddings did an amazing job, along with Kellye Clifford of Precious and Blooming, Sweet Tooth Confections who did the "bake sale" desserts, and the catering by Thomas John was amazing, one of our absolute favorites of the Bay Area.




"The Ancestor" animated music video by Darlingside

October 01, 2012

As some of you may know Pamela is also an artist and illustrator. She recently had a huge opportunity to help create an animated music video for the band Darlingside, with two friends Abe Dieckman who did the amazing animation, and Timothy Hahn, producer. She created the background paintings and textures, as well as many of the individual assets: trees, clouds, plants, stars, furniture etc. It turned out beautifully and the team is so proud to share it! It was just mentioned on Cartoon Brew, Everything Animated, Maimed and Tamed, and was a staff pick on Vimeo! We are trying to get the word out so please share it in as many ways as you can.

"The Ancestor" by Darlingside – Official Music Video from Crazy Lake Pictures on Vimeo.
















credits
music by: Darlingside
director: Keith Boynton
producer: Mike Lavoie
producer/editor: Timothy Hahn
lead animator: Abraham Dieckman
lead artist: Pamela Goodman

Wedding: Marisa and Brian at Manna Ranch

September 20, 2012

Marisa and Brian were married at her childhood home, Manna Ranch in Acampo, CA. Marisa is a talented wedding coordinator herself, owner of So Eventful and we know she had great time planning her own wedding. Their ceremony and reception was right on the front lawn beneath the trees, and Marisa transformed it into a complete party, with an ice bar, hanging chandeliers, even a runway where the bridal party was introduced. Their band at the reception, Savannah Jack was absolutely amazing!








Wedding: Michelle and Sebastien at Carmel Valley Ranch

September 04, 2012

Michelle and Sebastien were married at Carmel Valley Ranch. It could not have been a more beautiful day for a wedding. Sebastien who is from France, surprised Michelle during their vows with a song in French! They rode off to the reception in a horse drawn carriage (how romantic is that). Michelle and Sebastien incorporated many French themed elements into their celebration such as their patisserie dessert bar, a french circus mural, stilt walkers, and a variety of circus performers, even a Parisian sketch artist. A beautiful love filled night and a lovely couple! Coordinated by Colette Cuccia and her team who did an amazing job! Also thanks to Richard Grover from Grover Films for shooting with us.




Just for now...

August 30, 2012



A little photo teaser from our wedding from our videographer and friend Andrew Hsu, and Jessica Fisher... more to come by Tanja Lippert, we are so very excited!!! Thank you Andrew and Tanja for capturing our day, the photos and video will really be the most priceless things we have after the wedding!  (and yes, that is a real working tractor, no fake props on the Goodman property!)

Wedding: Meghan & Austin at Mission Santa Clara

August 28, 2012

Meghan and Austin were married at the beautiful Santa Clara Mission Church, where they first met in college. Their reception was at the Menlo Circus Club in Atherton. Meghan and Austin are truly the sweetest couple we have ever met, and we felt so welcomed and excited to share in their special day. We were so excited to get to work with our friends Nathan & Lindsey of Bellalu Photography, and Rachael and Kyle from Sweet Tooth Confections, who did all the delicious desserts. Coordinated by the amazing Sarah Lucas of Sarah Lucas Designs.





Wedding: Ours!

August 15, 2012

Pamela and I are getting married this Saturday on August 18th! We are so excited to share in the joy of joining our love and lives together in our own wedding. The planning process has been a lot of work (as we did most of it ourselves!) and we truly appreciate all those who do this for a living. We will be out of the office until the 25th, and it feels good to have almost two weeks off. We love our clients and will get back to you all as soon as we can!

~Luke & Pamela


Wedding: Colby and Evan at San Francisco City Hall

July 27, 2012

Colby and Evan were married at City Hall in San Francisco. Colby and her father descended the beautiful grand staircase and they were married on the steps under the rotunda. The space was transformed for dinner, with their family and friends surrounding them with their support and love. Isabella Sikaffy of Florabella Weddings and her team did a fantastic job! And we had a great time with Leigh Miller who photographed the wedding.


Wedding: Jenny and Rishi at Carneros Inn, Napa

July 05, 2012

Jenny and Rishi were married at the Carneros Inn in Napa, CA. It was a gorgeous day with full blue skies. Jenny and Rishi tied their family traditions together with both an Indian and Western ceremony. It was a wonderful wedding day full of family love and joyful celebration. The groom's family met the bride's in a traditional marriage procession called a Baraat, complete with a horse drawn carriage, music and dancing. We working alongside Carlie Statsky and her husband Gabe of Carlie Statsky Photography and had a blast!


Our Engagement Photos: Pamela and Luke

June 29, 2012

We recently had our engagement photos taken by the amazing Lindsey Freitas of Bellalu Photographysee them here on their blog!


We cannot thank her enough for taking the time to shoot our photos, as we are all busy getting ready for the wedding season. Thanks to Monina Wright of Moderne Beauty for her talent with makeup and hair! We had such a great time with them, and being in front of the camera again (as opposed to always behind the lens) was refreshing and fun! Luke and I realized that we don't quite take enough pictures of us together, and were excited to have some newer and current photos of us. These were taken at Clos La Chance winery in San Martin, great wines and beautiful views. Luke and I enjoyed some wine on the terrace afterwards. Thank you Lindsey you're the best!!



The best pair of work shoes ever!

June 14, 2012

When Luke and I are out shooting weddings we work long days often in the hot sun, and are constantly on our feet. After some trial and error we both solved the problem of having a good pair of comfortable shoes to wear. If you work in the wedding industry you soon realize you need shoes that are both comfortable and "nice" if not "cute" for ladies. And heels just aren't an option, at least I can't do it. It can make all the difference in how tired you are at the end of the day when you're wearing poor shoes.

I went through tons of brands of black shoes to find that perfect pair- you think the more you spend the better the shoe, only to realize you trash them every weekend shooting. Until I came to Crocs! (thanks to Tanja Lippert, who got me on them.) I always thought crocs looked kind of goofy and were probably painful since they look like plastic shoes. I have never had a more comfortable shoe! Not only do I wear them all day without blisters but I wear them barefoot, no socks or tights. They have breathable holes throughout so my feet stay cool, and the comfiest padded soles. Plus when they get dirty I just hose them off and they're clean again. They come in cute styles and colors too.

Luke also found his ultimate comfort shoe- Rockport walking shoes. Comfortable and durable leather, he literally walks miles on these shoes and replaces them every year. These happen to work for us, and if you're still searching give these shoes a try, you might like them too.





Wedding: Amber & Erik in Carmel

June 07, 2012

A stunning ocean view at Highlands Inn in Carmel set the scene for Amber and Erik's intimate wedding. We love small gatherings and this was truly a small family celebration. We were so excited to work with our friends Mike and Gina of Mike Steelman Photographers. They are a great husband and wife photography team, and hanging with them always makes the day fun! This was a half day of coverage.



Promo: Behind the Scenes with Jill Johnson Photography

May 31, 2012

This is a behind-the-scenes video for Jill Johnson Photography showcasing her gorgeous photos and backstage goofiness with stylist Tia Reagan. This footage was from a bridal shoot we did in the fall for Today's Bride, just re-edited with Jill's beautiful photography. Check out her blog to see all the photos from this shoot.



21 Mile Walk

May 24, 2012



A few weekends ago Luke, his sister Audrey and I went on a 20 mile walk down the Los Gatos Creek trail. It starts at the top of Meridian and Willow, and follows the creek for 10 miles past Vasona Lake and down into the Lexington Reservoir (which we actually hiked through to loop around). We had a nice halfway lunch break at Los Gatos Brewing Company, before we headed back home. It took us 8 hours! (good thing we left at 9am)


20 mile walk down the Los Gatos creek trail and back


Luke had an idea last fall, to walk the entire length from San Jose up to San Francisco along the El Camino Real. The original El Camino Real was the first road along the California coast connecting all the missions, and they were each a days walk apart. Its about a 2 days walk from San Jose to San Francisco and about 50 miles! 25 miles per day. So as warm up we decided to walk 21 miles.
50 mile walk from San Jose to San Francisco, 25 miles a day


Its amazing how little we all walk now in our day to day life with jobs that require us to sit, and cars to drive us around, but we were made to walk. It actually wasn't as long as it seems, and we were surprised to find that after 3 hours that much time has passed while walking. After 8 hours my knees were aching but the next day we were feeling fine! We will see how the walk to San Francisco goes...
 
the walking shoes of choice...
beer tastes so good after walking!

officially 21.58 miles of walking!

Promo shoot: Elite Vendor Group: Speakeasy styled shoot

May 17, 2012

The Elite Vendor Group is a talented group of wedding & event professionals in the Bay Area that we are a part of. We recently collaborated on a Speakeasy party theme, that came together beautifully down to the last detail. Be sure to check out the photos by Kati Decker.




Speakeasy Styled Shoot 
Location: Domenico WinerySan Carlos


PARTICIPATING VENDORS (in alphabetical order by company)
Kevin Whitlock - Aces Up Casino Parties, (acesup.com )
Arlene Marcos – “Ah…New Beginnings” Professional Wedding Consulting( ahnewbeginnings.com)
Susanna - AM Party Rentals (ampartyrentals.com)
Andree - B Chic Fashions (bchicfashions.com)
Lisa Eliopoulos – Cakepop Delight (cakepopdelight.com)
Debbie Lyn – Debbie Lyn’s Costumes (dlcostumes.com)
Lisa Eliopoulous – Domenico Winery Venue (domenicowinery.com)
Crystal/Megan – Enhanced Lighting (enhancedlighting.com)
Gigi Moss - Hair by Gigi (hairbygigi.com)
Myra Hadden – How Sweet Isaias (howsweetisaias.com)
Judy Lee – Iridescence Bridal Couture, Inc. (iridescencebridal.com)
Jen Kwapinski, Jen’s Cakes (jenscakes.com)
Lauren Beene – Lauren Beene Skincare (assisting Kristen with make-up) laurenskincare@comcast.net
Kati Decker - LightSplash Photography (lightsplash.com)
Dirk Decker – Assistant Photographer
Lori Carsillo – Vocalist, Guitar (Jay) and Bass (Mike) Players (loricarsillo.com)
Laura Sabahi - LS Blooms (lsblooms.com)
Luke Goodman & Pamela Francisco - Luke Goodman Cinematography (lukegoodman.com)
Kristen Calderaro – Make-up by Kristen (makeupbykristen.com)
Melissa Hoffman –Assistant Make-Up Artist
Bonnie Harper – One World Designs (one-world-designs.com/)
Sona Kaur and Jasmine Kaur - Ruak Styling (ruakstyling.com)
Mary Seaton – Sofa Outlet (bayareacustomsofas.com)
Joe Salazar and Oscar Reyes – West Coast Bartending (westcoastbartending.com)
Karla Randolph – The Card Lady (facebook.com/designsbythecardlady)
Dexter Cura & Daniel Wilcox – The Laugh Box (thelaughbox.com)
Tiffany - Wildflower Linens (wildflowerlinens.com)
MODELS
Eric Aku (ericraku@gmail.com, 925.336.6906)
Alex Decker (apdecker@gmail.com, 408.394.7338)
Scott Howell (scott@reddotfitness.net, 310.944.5888)
Eric Stackpole (estackpole@gmail.com, 707.483.5067)
Jay Logan (tharealjlogan@yahoo.com, 510.393.1041)
Joe Salazar (westcoastbartender@yahoo.com, 408.280.6043)
Oscar Reyes (reyesor@att.net, 408.221.2396)
Ashley Carvalho (Ashley_carvalho86@yahoo.com, 707.3331.0690)
Valerie Demattei (valerie_demattei@yahoo.com, 650.464.4987)
Jenna Gimarelli (fanmm76@yahoo.com, 650.861.7738)
Jillian Gomez (jilliangmz@gmail.com, 408.667.7206)
Christy Henry (christy_henry@comcast.net, 650.533.9619)
Melissa Howell (mhowellruns@yahoo.com, 310.944.5888)
Naomi Valentine (cakes_by_naomi@yahoo.com, 530.210.0058)

Friday night cooking at home: Scallops, Pinot Noir and brownies!

May 11, 2012

Pamela and I stayed in and cooked at home tonight. I felt like playing with the new camera a bit. It was also a good chance to play with the new editing software update for Adobe Premiere. It's proven already to be a great update to an already fantastic piece of software.

Pamela planned a dinner of fried scallops with fennel, grapefruit and english cucumber. A perfect meal for a warm summer evening. We topped off the evening with pinot noir, brownies and ice cream.

Yum.




Wedding: Kellie and Michael in the Backyard

May 03, 2012

Kellie and Michael were married in the backyard of Michael's family home. Their wedding could not have been sweeter, filled with laughter and their families' love. They filled the pool with floating candles, and strung lights across the backyard dinner tables. Their first dance was right at twilight, and just as we started shooting bubbles were blown across like magical fairy lights. So romantic! There is nothing like hanging out at your own home and we truly felt like part of the family that night. Claudia Akers was the photographer, and we had a blast working together that day.



Wedding: Savannah and Rowland in Point Reyes

April 26, 2012

Savannah and Rowland celebrated their wedding in a rustic California setting in downtown Point Reyes. Their wedding was uniquely steampunk themed, and one of the most charming and creative weddings we have ever seen. Very fitting for Rowland is an art gallery owner and collector, and Savannah is a talented musician. Their creative friends Traci and Patrick of Bird Machine Bird, coordinated everything down to the detail. Their reception was held in Tobys Feed Barn and the details were beautiful and unique, from shadowbox displays, and vintage lighting to black and white films projected on the walls. The celebration continued with square dancing and fun on a bicycle powered ferris wheel by Cyclecide. Their wedding was also featured on the wedding blog, Ruffled.



Julie & Jeff featured on Style Me Pretty!

April 19, 2012

Julie & Jeff's beautiful Napa wedding was just featured on Style Me Pretty! Thanks to Jen Skog for submitting the gorgeous photos. We are so excited to get to showcase our work alongside these other talented vendors!

Promo: The Laugh Box Flip Books with Dexter Cura

April 19, 2012

We just completed a promotional film for The Laugh Box, a photo flip book company owned by Dexter Cura in San Francisco. They were one of the first companies to offer the flip book. Check them out these flip books are a ton of fun, and Dexter & Daniel are so great to work with!

We love doing promo videos and are currently taking on more of these projects. Soon to come, a new promo for a graphic designer as well as a photographer.



Wedding: Angela and John at Dawn Ranch Russian River

April 12, 2012

Angela and John celebrated their wedding in a woodland meadow setting at Dawn Ranch Lodge in Russian River. The day was filled with many personal details, including a photo timeline of Angela and John's lives and relationship, heartfelt blessings from the bridesmaids and groomsmen, and prayer flags from their travels together. Their wedding film is unique in that it was shot with a combination of HD, Super8 and 16mm film. We love the organic feel of true film, and get excited when we have the opportunity to shoot a film like this. And even better when our clients are excited about film! Shot with Chris Poeschl.



Today's Bride: Sassy and Sweet with Nancy Liu Chin

April 05, 2012

Sweet Love! This is the last of the behind the scenes films for Today's Bride Magazine. Nancy Liu Chin and Charmed Events teamed up to create this sweet and flirty wedding theme.





floral + event design nancy liu chin designs / event planning charmed events group / photographer kevin chin photography / cinematographer luke goodman cinematography /  cake designer butterfly cakes / ombre donut tree sweet luna desserts / location terra gallery /  paper hello! lucky / props, furniture, linens, tableware, table + chairs hartmann studios /  gown bella bridesmaid / hair + makeup stylist mimi + taylor salon / headpiece + hair accessories tessa kim / shoes hey lady / bridesmaid dresses and something blue / models mimi + taylor salon

First 5d Mark III Film.

March 27, 2012

Jessica Fisher and I spent Sunday afternoon and part of Monday this morning shooting a test film on the new Canon 5d Mark III camera.

I'm in love with coffee. I started roasting my own coffee about six months ago, and I haven't bought pre-roasted coffee since. We shot a bit of the roasting process on my Behmor 1600. I purchase all my green beans, the roaster and supplies at Sweet Marias based in Oakland. They are a phenomenal supplier of beans and the knowledge and expertise to get you started in roasting.

The espresso machine is the Miss Silvia from Rancillio, with a custom PID (Temperature control) installed by Dave's High-Tech Espresso. Another amazing company.

A few technical notes:

  • The ISO's we used were 160, 320, 640, 1250 and even 2500 for a few shots. The shutter ranged from 1/160th to 1/30th.
  • Our goal wasn't to try to fault the camera, we just wanted to shoot something with it. This isn't meant to be a resolution test, moire test, or a rolling shutter test. We did find both moire and rolling shutter are significantly reduced (however, take a good look at the pine table shots in the end: if this was the 5d, this part would be painful to look at).
  • This is all shot on "Standard" picture style with only two clips getting a basic curves/levels adjustment. We underexposed a few shots more than we meant to. I will be color grading this, but for the sake of sharing I thought it best to show you what it does out of the camera. This is a quick edit, and I do plan to edit a tighter version soon. When I have the color timed version I'll add it to this post.
The video file is my sequence setting: full 1080p MPEG. I've made it available for download, I suggest you watch it this way for critical viewing.



Canon 5d Mark III arrives!

March 23, 2012

I received my pre-order of the Canon 5d Mark III, the second in the 5d series to shoot video. When the Mark II came out, I purchased two the instant they were available. I raced to do the same again this time, and the day after release I've had the chance to play with the camera a bit. *UPDATE: At the bottom are some new notes after more time with the camera.


So far, I'm blown away by what It does when taking PHOTOS. The camera has a phenomenal autofocus, which was always my largest complaint about the previous camera.

The video functions however haven't got me that excited. The main "upgrades" Canon has added to the new camera:

-Manual audio levels and headphone monitoring DURING recording!
-Incredible new auto-focus system (doesn't apply as we only shoot photos for fun!)
*UPDATE: I'm not a photographer anymore, but I have photographed around 150 weddings. I want to reiterate how amazing the new auto-focus is. Photographers will be VERY happy with this camera!

-Reduced Moire and Rolling shutter (this was a big one for me)
-New file format with less compression (I have yet to test this, though the bitrate is VERY high!) This compression is IPB, where every frame is compressed separately
-Incredible high ISO performance and low light performance (See the short video below)
            Note: you can download this 1080p original file on my vimeo.
-60 frames per second at 720p (the 60d, t2i, t3i and 7d ALL had this feature too)
-more rugged body and a deeper grip which my large fingers love *UPDATE: I like this more and more. It feels extremely solid compared to the 5dII.
-dual card slots (which won't auto-switch in video)
-29:29 run time (due to a lousy Europe regulation and tax on video cameras)

Now, here's what I HOPED FOR and a few of my complaints:

-More resolution: It's very clear to me that this camera does not resolve any more than the previous 5d II. This may sound somewhat confusing as it's a "1080p" camera. It does give you a 1080p file, however this file really only holds roughly 800 lines of resolution (and not 1080). This is sad Canon. You should have fixed this.

-Cost: From a video standpoint, this camera is $3500, which makes it at least $1500 more than a 5dII, especially if you're willing to pick up a used one (photographers are going to be dumping the old 5dII's like a barista with a bad shot of espresso).

Pamela and I have learned to deal without the audio levels while recording, and I'm not that into slow motion. What's left? The excellent low light performance is great- but is it worth selling and upgrading all of our cameras? We shall see.

-Buttons changed: I can't tell you why, but canon has changed the zoom button for checking focus. This is driving me crazy! You can map it to the "set" button, but it's really not as convenient.

Bottom Line: It's a camera. It's an amazing camera regardless. Is it worth the extra $$$? Time will tell, as will more testing but my gut is saying no (for the videographer). It's been three years Canon, I own nine of your lenses, and a ton of other accessories. You're going to have to try harder than this to get me to jump on two more of them. It's been three and a half years, these improvements are so minimal in my opinion, when they ought to have been revolutionary. Canon has a 4k cinema camera coming out next, perhaps it will have the bells and whistles I'm asking for.

I'll update with more thoughts as I learn more about the new camera.

*UPDATE:
A few more notes:
1. I'm in love with the "silent" touch capacitance (think the old iPods and how they worked) while recording. You can adjust aperture, shutter, ISO and audio levels without disturbing the sound! It's incredibly useful for events like weddings.

2. There is a MAJOR glaring audio issue. The preamp in the camera ads a large amount of hiss when you go below what I would call the %52 mark. To simplify, it at %53 it sounds fairly clean, when you drop it one notch to around %52 it gets VERY noisy. Something to keep in mind. It happens with both external microphones and the built in mic.

3. Time limit: Canon has really helped us here. You can now record just shy of 30 minutes. Not only this, but it blinks at you for two minutes BEFORE it turns off. When it does finally turn itself off a message in large letters displays on the screen "Recording has stopped automatically." If you're anything like me, you've probably recorded on the 5dII before and not realized that your recording had stopped! This can be very problamatic. These are little things, but they can make a huge difference while shooting.

4. External monitoring: This camera does not switch resolutions or black out while recording. You can monitor, get focus and hit record and instantly see what you're doing. This is a huge perk for many such as myself. I have a Small HD monitor, which will pair very well with this camera.

5. Bit rate and Record times: The data rates aren't what canon has been saying. I need to do further testing, but my first test was to fill a 32GB card recording a tv show (camera pointed at the screen). This simulates a wide variety of situations (I think). The data rate for ALL-I (the least compressed format) at 24/1080p seems to hover around 45Mbps (Mega bits per second). This translates to under 6MB/second. This leaves me very confused. I was able to record 1 hour and 40 minutes on a 32GB card. This is completely off from what Canon says in the manual (44 minutes for a 32GB card). How can this be so off?

*Update: I think Canon must be erring on the high side. I looked through the data rates of all my files, and I do have some that are as high as 98Mbps. It seems that the compressor is good at saving data when there are repeat frames.

*UPDATE: New test for noise comparison here: http://vimeo.com/39499056 (download entire file for best viewing)

Wedding: Debbie & Justin at Nestldown

March 22, 2012

Debbie and Justin were married under the redwoods at Nestldown, a beautiful fairlytale inspired venue in the Santa Cruz mountains of Los Gatos. The private estate is full of fun fantasy elements to discover as you wander through, including snow white's cottage, a miniature train and animals peeking out of the grass and trees. Their wedding day was sweet and romantic, Justin played Debbie a song on guitar at their reception and they danced away the night in the barn. We enjoyed working alongside photographers, Danny and Julia Dong.




Today's Bride: Bridal Shoot in Petaluma

March 15, 2012

Another peek into a fun photoshoot for Todays Bride Magazine. This was at a dairy farm in Petaluma, with Jill Johnson and Tia Reagan working their magic.





Location: Todd's Farm, Petaluma,CA / Photographer: Jill Johnson / Hair and Makeup: Tia Reagan, Freebird Productions / Gown: Gabrielle's Bridal Atelier, Amy Kuschel / Bridal Headpiece: Twigs and Honey / Bouquets: Really Bad Kitty, Flower Divas
© Luke Goodman Cinematography. All Rights Reserved