WOW! This is the Loupe. If you are shooting video with your DSLR, you must have this loupe. You simply cannot shoot without it. And those great Nikon lenses of course.

I looked at many other styles. Used the Zacuto Pro 3X on the Nikon D7000, loved it! But the Zacuto had its flaws,(eye cup always fell off, okay I could glue it on. Was very hard to remove to view the LCD screen for playback, or just switching back to photography. Was also always afraid parts were going to pop off), and cost a lot more than the Varavon. This model has everything the Zacuto has, and then some. The 3x zoom is better than most models. Most are non existent. It is the same as Zacuto. For us folks with bad eyesight, it helps. I even wear glasses and I can still use this tool very easily. The flip up viewer is perfect for reviewing what you just captured. Unlike the Zacuto.The mount is better than perfect, and easily removed if you need to convert back to photography, which is what I do.  I shoot photo and video on the fly at events, and could not ask for better.

A little more on the Zacuto. It is, hands down one of the best of its kind, but it is pricier, heavier, not as user friendly as the Varavon EX-Solo. Price is always a factor, but if you do not have the right tool, you are not doing yourself justice. For $100 less, I am glad I saved my money and got the right tool.

As an add on, be sure to throw in a Blue Star eye cushion, for the eye cup. You will be happy you did. It will save your eyes, and keep the lens from fogging during a long shoot.

Without a doubt, two thumbs up. No cons on this loupe, only I could not afford the next model up. Maybe next time.

Hope this review helps. This little loupe helped me.

Enjoy!

The XY configuration of the mics is very important for stereo sound, and with the capability to capture the direction of the sound from 90-120 degree, is a helpful tool. The possibilities of using this as a shotgun mic on our DSLR is very exciting.

Battery use in the field is also a concern. But with the ‘Stamina’ setting, the Zoom Hn4 shuts down a few of its functions to save on battery life. A very nice option.

As I have not had the chance to utilize it in the field, I cannot yet give it a full thumbs up. Yet I am very eager to see the results of our next shoot. I will keep you informed.

Check out their site for more information on this product. See it here Zoom Hn4

Enjoy!

In this next series of posts we are going to look to different wedding event locations. We have had the opportunity to film many events at these locations, and are honored to present them to you. But first, a few helpful tips.

Finding the perfect wedding venue for your special day is not an easy task. In fact, this part of the wedding planning is the most difficult part to finalize because there are tons of beautiful wedding venues, and you can get overwhelmed with all of the possibilities. But you will be happy to know that after you find the ideal setting for your special day, everything else will fall into place. Many venues have preferred vendors lists. This is a list complied by the wedding event location, of vendors that they work well together with, and that they trust their work. From florists to your culinary delight.

We have narrowed down and made a list of the most important things you have to consider when choosing your perfect wedding venue and we hope you find it useful.

1. Wedding Budget – make sure that you and your husband-to-be have set a clear budget before searching for your dream wedding venue. This will save you time and help you focus on the type of venue to look out for since wedding venue fees can vary considerably.

2. Availability – confirm and finalize your wedding date before contacting the wedding venue, or other vendors. This will help them check availability more effectively. We also suggest having 2-3 alternative dates just in case the first choice is already taken. Also remember that most wedding venues and vendors require a minimum of 6 months advance booking.

3. Wedding Style – We highly suggest that you have a clear idea of what you want. For example, decide whether you want to have a mansion style wedding, church wedding, ballroom wedding or a destination wedding, etc. The other alternative is to perhaps look in to it based on the season like winter wedding, spring wedding, summer wedding or autumn wedding. Figuring this out will help you find the perfect wedding venue and see if they can offer this kind of experience for your special day.

4. Number of Guests – intimate wedding of 20 or a big wedding of 300 – this factor will greatly influence the choice of your wedding venue and it is advisable to have a good indication of the number of guests you are expecting to have so that you can find wedding venues that can cater for this important requirement.

5. Civil or Church Ceremony – check with the wedding venue if they are licensed to hold civil ceremony or a religious ceremony. This will help you figure out whether or not you have to include this task of visiting local  churches on your wedding venue search. Distance between marriage ceremony venue and the wedding reception venue will be important to take in to account. In-house wedding coordinators are usually very helpful and they can give you a list of  churches or list of other vendors within close proximity to their venue. You may be thinking of having the ceremony in your own church, but do consider the distance that the guests, and other vendors will have to travel between locations.

6. Vendors –  Some wedding venues can only offer the ceremony venue and reception venue but not the accommodation, catering and other wedding extras. This means that you have to look for your own wedding vendors or you will have to contact the venue’s recommended vendors. All these issues will affect your wedding planning and wedding budget so always know all the important facts when you start liaising with the venue so you get all information as early as possible and plan accordingly.

7. Child Friendly – If you are expecting to have lots of children present on your wedding day, it is also good to find out from the wedding venue whether they can accommodate children. Some venues, like  stately homes can be quite strict about this and can also impose age restrictions due to some of their fine arts and antique collections.

8. Do’s and Dont’s– check with the venue if they have will impose certain limitations or do’s and dont’s on your wedding day. Some venues have rules like no loud music after midnight, no confetti, no candles, no high-heels due to floor damage, no red-wine  and more. This might not affect you if you are head-over-heels in love with the wedding venue, but it is still good to set everything clear from the beginning to avoid any surprises.

9. Accommodation – not all wedding venues have accommodation for you and your guests. But make sure to ask if they can give you a list of recommended hotels and B&B around the area so that you do not have to do your research about this. Ask if they can also give you a map to show the location of each hotel in relation to the wedding venue. For everyone’s convenience and ease of transport, you certainly would want your family and friends to be within close proximity to the beautiful wedding venue where you will be getting married.

10. Wedding Photography Considerations – I place great emphasis on wedding photography and video. I think that this is  an important consideration when you are looking for your perfect wedding venue. An ideal venue will also provide breathtaking spots at the venue for both indoor and outdoor photography. One golden rule is to have ample natural light, with shaded areas, picturesque gardens, or beautiful backdrops such a Victorian mansion. A good wedding photographer can find beauty in every wedding, and every bride, but a nice setting helps. You only get married once, so you want to ensure that you will have great wedding photographs.  So we feel that this is an important factor to also add on the list.

Happy wedding planning!!

We will randomly pick  from our entries, and post that single couples story. This couple will win a free engagement photography session in an outdoor setting near our Studio. This giveaway will include the sitting, an online gallery for you to share with friends and family, and a disc of the images that you may print from as you wish.

So spread the word. If you hear of a friend or family member getting engaged this Valentines Day, have them email their story to Eric@EricLittlePhotography.com

Happy Valentine’s Day Everyone!

Valentine’s Day is a popular day for marriage proposals, which means it may not be a surprise to your sweetheart, especially if you two have discussed getting engaged in the near future. So if you want to surprise your loved one with a marriage proposal when she least expects it, a holiday is probably not the best time. Yet, for romantics getting engaged on a day that celebrates love could be just perfect.

Getting engaged on Valentines Day is very symbolic of your love for each other because it is a holiday that honors expressing love.You’ll be able to find many venues decorated in romantic themes for the event. If you like hearts and cupid themes, you can find many cards, decorations and other props to create the mood.

Here are some marriage proposal ideas that may work well on Valentine’s Day:

Valentine proposal poem: Propose with a special poem. There are romantic poems from the great poets to consider that work for proposals. You can also find many free proposal resources online. For a personal touch, consider writing your own poem about why you want to marry your beloved.

Handmade Valentine with proposal: Embrace the tradition of the holiday and make a handmade Valentine card that includes the marriage proposal. Write words from your heart and include special romantic quotes or poems from classic literature. You can easily get supplies for handmade Valentines at the craft or scrapbooking stores. You can even make a lovely Valentine with items from many local grocery stores, such as construction paper, markers, and lace doilies. You can give her the special card and then get down on one knee to ask your question.

Valentine proposal video: Make a video tribute to your love, let her know why you want to marry her and then ask the big question.

Give her a special bouquet and hide the ring among the flowers. Make sure the ring is secure and will be visible when she looks at her flowers. One way to do that is to fasten the ring on a floral decoration in the bouquet or tied onto a stuffed animal that comes with the bouquet.

Create a Valentine theme treasure hunt with the grand prize being the engagement ring. Lead her through a hunt for little romantic gifts with clue cards that talk about your relationship and what she means to you. Let her think she is simply hunting for her main Valentine gift, and then surprise her with the ring and proposal when she finds the treasure.

If you plan to be engaged for a year or more before the wedding, consider a Valentine’s Day wedding. It can be very meaningful to get married on the same holiday that marks your engagement, especially the most romantic day of the year. Couples who have always enjoyed celebrating festive  holidays may really enjoy doing this. Just be sure to make your wedding arrangements as soon as possible because this day is also very popular for weddings.

Most importantly, don’t feel too pressured about the marriage proposal or it may get in the way of enjoying the sacredness of the act. You both want the marriage proposal to be a treasured memory and however it happens, it will be.

Planning a wedding is hard. The movie “The Wedding Planner” filled my head with visions of running around town in a day and in the snap of my fingers, all of my planning would be complete. Boy, was that wrong!

Having planned and coordinated a great deal of weddings for my job, as well as several friends & family members, I thought I knew the work that was involved…until I started planning my own. I knew the important items to get off my checklist quickly: the date, the location, the officiant, the food and the photographer.

For most brides, one of the hardest decisions is the photographer because the pictures last forever. It’s hard to pick from the millions of photographers that seem to be out there (ok, maybe not millions, but you know what I mean!) and it’s incredibly overwhelming. You want to make sure that you have the best photographer, who can get the pictures you want and capture the essence of your wedding in those pictures. You also want to make sure you are comfortable with your photographer because, let’s face it, it is their job to stalk you the day of your wedding and to be right there with you all day long. These images will go to all of your friends, family and occasionally, on the world wide web. The photographer you select is very, very important.

The easiest part for me was my photographer. (And yes, the date, location, officiant and food have since been decided!) Having worked so many weddings alongside Eric and seeing the gorgeous images he captured at every wedding, I had no doubt in my mind that I wanted Eric to capture my day with his camera. Eric’s vision and the photographs that he, in the midst of chaos, grabs with his camera amaze me. As I was running around coordinating weddings, making sure things were on time and bugging the chef to see when the food was coming out, I’d look over to find Eric cool, calm & collected, just snapping away. I often was stressed with other vendors I had to deal with – some showed up late, some seemed to be too busy worrying about when they would get to eat and some just seemed to not be too into the bride and groom. With Eric, the bride & groom of each wedding had his complete and undivided attention for the entire night. I never saw Eric take his eyes off the bride and groom. He knew what was taking place when and was always ready for the next thing on our list. I had the most confidence in Eric that he would capture each moment, especially the ones that the bride & groom weren’t able to see. With his professional attitude, his relaxed demeanor that will calm even the most anxious bride, his knowledge of weddings, and, most importantly, his talent, it never ceased to amaze me the moments he was able to capture and how he was able to turn those into gorgeous photographs that will last a lifetime.

Seeing Eric take these amazing photographs each time we worked together, I knew that I wanted him to be there with me on my “big day”. All of the other plans are slowly falling into place and I’ve started to question myself on a few of my decisions (did I pick the right dress?!) but I have all the confidence in the world that Eric is the right pick to capture my wedding day.

Jaime Murray