Glass Eye Video Blog: The blog for wedding videography. Wedding and event video production company based in Cincinnati, Ohio.

Reagan, Mya, and I stepped off the plane into the frozen tundra of Cincinnati on Saturday. We had a great time in Ft. Myers before I had to leave for the video conference in Orlando. I learned SO much there from the top video producers in the world. Jason Magbanua from the Philippines flew in to speak about the same day edit (Instant Replay), Jeff Wright was there from California and a host of others. This was one of those times I wished I could write with both hands simultaneously. The knowledge gained was immeasurable and the people I met were my own personal celebrities. Guys that I really look up to and follow what they do. The front runners in the industry that go way above the next level. I learned so much and have already started to apply it. I’m really looking forward to this year and where my new knowledge will take me. Here are a few pictures of Mya on the beach!

In case you didn’t know it, the bridal issue for CiN Weekly hits the stands today. Tons of great information is packed inside with tips from European Bridal, Artrageous Cakes and many others. There’s even a little piece on yours truly, in the Wedding Trends for ‘08 section. I’m really honored to be considered for an article, especially one on up and coming trends and what’s hot right now. There are some really beautiful dresses featured as well as a list of upcoming bridal events. Best of all, its FREE! You can pick it up pretty much anywhere in the city or check it out online cinweekly.com.

I shot their Save the Date Trailer a couple weeks ago, it was a lot of fun despite the bitter chill in the air. We started at Ault Park where I tried some new ideas, then headed downtown to wrap it up. This wasn’t the original plan we had for the video but because of time & schedule compatabilities, we decided to try a different approach. I’m extremely happy with the video and very thankful that Joanna & Mitch didn’t mind the cold and gave me some really great footage. Their wedding is only a couple months away, May 24th to be exact and I’m really looking forward to working with them to produce their Instant Replay video!

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This past Friday, Reagan, Mya and myself flew into Ft. Myers to enjoy a little R&R and to give Mya her first taste of sand, literally. Being eight and a half months old, she really wasn’t a fan of the ocean or the sand for that matter but did give us a few good photos which I’ll post soon! Reagan’s parents come down here every year for a couple months and invited us to come down and spend some time with them and show us around. Yesterday we went on an airboat tour through the Everglades and ran into a couple alligators which weren’t to happy to have us treading on their turf. We were hissed at and made to feel unwelcome but it was an experience I’ll never forget. Mya of course couldn’t go, she stayed back at the condo with grandma and slept the day away. I left Mya and Reagan behind in Ft. Myers to drive to Orlando for an international video conference to learn all the new tips and tricks of the trade from the greatest in video production. I’ll be attending several seminars on various topics and I’ll bring all I’ve learned back to Cincinnati and apply to all I do! In just a day, I’ve learned so much, so many tips that are mind blowing, that will really breathe new life into my videos and I can’t wait to start using them! I’ll be able to meet the people I look up to, that inspire me to really push the envelope and my creative abilities. Its going to be a great week. And hey, you can’t go wrong with being in Florida in January!

This past weekend I was in the Cincinnati Wedding Showcase at the Sharonville Convention Center and had an INCREDIBLE time! I debuted my new feature “Cartoon Yourself” where I actually turn the bride and groom into cartoons for their opening credits. It was a HUGE success. There were people coming back to watch it again and again. I really like coming up with new ideas to put a twist to the classic wedding video and from my experience this past weekend, couples are really receptive to it as well. I’m looking forward to BridalRama on February 9-10 at the Duke Energy Center from 11am-5pm. I’ll be in booth 439 and I hope to see you there!

As you may or may not know, 94.9 The Sound has a contest going on to produce it’s new television commercial. It was a little bit of a challenge because I could only use certain songs, each song could not be longer than six seconds and the spot had to be 25 seconds long instead of the normal 30. I love to challenge myself so I decided to throw my hat in the ring and see what happens. I was racking my brain to come up with a concept when one of those ridiculous commercials comes on the screen for some ailment that seems equally ridiculous. The clouds parted and the angels sang a song of inspiration. I called Mya’s babysitter and her husband nabbed the starring role, with myself and my wife, Reagan making up the supporting cast. I had a great time putting it together and I’m really happy with the final commercial. The winner will be announced this Friday, but win or lose, I’m glad I was able to get back to my commercial production roots! Click here to watch the video. Please allow a few moments for the video to load.

I know, I know, I’m a little late in getting this out, but I wanted to share some pictures and stories of my daughter’s first Christmas! I don’t know who enjoyed it more, her or I. Its one of those moments I guess you’d have to be a parent to fully understand and enjoy and up until now I would’ve never guessed I would’ve written something like that. But its true. Even though she is only 8 months old, it was incredible to see her open her toys and discover new things.

These are just a few of the many pictures that were taken that day. Of course I got some video too and will share some soon. I’m going to miss Christmas now that it’s come and gone. We had our little rituals, Mya, Reagan, and I. We would carry her to the tree where we have a Christmas Story ornament that plays sound bites from the movie and she would get a kick out of it and would laugh herself into hiccups. She would love to reach out and touch the tree, the ornaments and the lights. I built a leg lamp a few years ago and she would love to touch the fringe on the shade and giggle the whole time. It truly is amazing how perspectives change once you become a parent. I’ll miss Christmas now, but I’m looking forward to it in 357 more days!

Happy New Year! I was recently asked to create a photo montage to show at the rehearsal dinner and I wanted to do something a little different. I wanted to create something that looked like a scrapbook, with all the elements you might find in one, you know, the yellowed scotch tape, the thumbtacks, the old style photo corners and even a coffee mug stain. I also wanted to experiment with animating a still photo. I’m very happy with the way it turned out and the couple was very happy as well. You can watch the scrapbook here, keep in mind, this is a shortened version of the actual video they received.