Eli's Photography Blog

Our Wedding Video!! – St. Thomas, Virgin Islands

When Leslie and I came back from our wedding in the Virgin Islands we were so crazy anxious to see our photos and video; we knew that our guys Collin Hughes, Matt Brue, and Spencer Combs had a real challenge on their hands with the weather. What should have been a super easy, beautiful beach wedding… turned out to be a monsoon on an island, haha. But we still couldn’t wait to see em’ and expected very rainy wedding video/photos. Of course would have loved it all the same, because it was our wedding, no matter how much rain there was it was beautiful to us….. However, when Matt sent us the trailer to our video, Leslie and I were completely blown away!!! I dimmed the lights, cranked up the volume on my computer, and Leslie sat in my lap. We waited for the video to fully download and then pressed play. From the very first frame, our jaws were on the floor.  We must have watched it like 50 times that night!!! I can honestly say that I am still in shock, can’t believe that it turned out to be that cool. I really can’t explain how Matt made this happen, all I know is if you need a wedding video, he’s your man!

Eli + Leslie // St. Thomas, VI from capture studios on Vimeo.

After our mind was completely blown by the video, then the photos started rolling in. Leslie and I were THRILLED!! Can’t tell you guys how happy we were to have picked photographers that we were comfortable with. My only advice that I have for new brides-to-be out there is to find the photographer that matches you. There are lots of super talented photographers out there. I personally know several, but the best decision that we made for our wedding was picking a photographer(s) that we had fun with. They made us feel at ease and worked their butts off the whole time. I have tons of respect for all of my brides and I promise to give you my all on your wedding day. I want you to feel the same way that Leslie and I did on ours. I vow to do everything I can to make your photos beautiful and unforgettable. We have so many photos that we absolutely love, but here are just a couple for you guys!! Enjoy! Don’t I have a beautiful bride!
The top two photos are from the incredible Spencer Combs!


These bottom two are from the amazing Collin Hughes!

Tuesdays with Eli – I Still Love Video

This “Tuesdays with Eli” is a little different from the blogs in the past. I wanted to give you guys just a little taste of where I have came from. I started in the wedding industry shooting wedding videos. This was a few years ago, technology has changed rapidly since. I have a confession to make, even though I am a full time wedding photographer, I still have a love for video. Can’t a guy have two loves? Haha. I do believe that there is something timeless about photographs. Something that a video can’t emulate, this is why I am a photographer. I just wanted to share this little “date story” with you guys. Not sure if I will do any more of these, I guess that depends if anyone is interested or not. : ) I actually shot this about 6 months ago, I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do with it at the time, I knew I just wanted to shoot it. It went down just like my engagement sessions. We spent a couple hours together hanging out, and taking photos. The couple in this video are actually my sister and brother in law. They tied the knot in November of 2005. Elana has been super supportive of me and my business since the beginning. Before I even knew what I wanted to do, she trusted me with her wedding photos before I was a photographer. Nick has helped me out so many times when I’ve been in a pinch. Supportive family and encouraging people around me, are the reason I am where I am today. I thank God for blessing me and people around me for extending their help.

Nick + Elana Date Story from Eli Murray on Vimeo.

Music by: Ingrid Michaelson – “Can’t Help Falling in Love”

I hope you liked my little video. Just to clarify, I am not a wedding videographer. I encourage you to look into having a videographer for your wedding, I know many great videographers I can refer you to. I only shared this video because at the moment, I can do this. Not your wedding day, just an addition to the engagement session.
Here’s the technical stuff. I shot this with a Nikon D90 and a couple prime lenses. I used a Glidecam 2000 Pro to steady the shots. I spent about 1/2 an hour editing this together. I just picked a few of my favorite shots and threw them together. Now that I have shot one of these “Engagement Videos/Date Story”  I have an idea of what I want to do next time.
Leave me some love at let me know what you think. All you videographers, be easy on me. I’m just a photographer. Haha