Meet Ryan Hender - Utah Videographer

Hi, I am Ryan Hender and I make videos. 

For years I made videos as a hobby for Youtube, garnering about 3/4 of a million views cumulative on one of my channels. I now make music videos, real estate videos, wedding videos, and promotional videos. I love making videos for other people, but I have really wanted to have a video done to introduce me.

A lot of people are afraid to pick up the phone and make a phone call, they're afraid to ask a simple question. Think about it, you would rather spend 10 minutes looking up a business listing online to find their business hours than call and ask somebody.. Right?

I have heard a saying many times over the years, in sales classes and from the mouths of my mentors. "People don't care how much you know until they know how much you care". This applies to every facet of life, religion, door to door sales, and in a Doctor's office. I have wanted to make a video that introduces me, and lets people know who I really am. Some people book me because of my price, but for others, they want to know the inner workings of me, and how much I care about them and their project.

I've thought about hiring a local videographer to do the work for me, but I decided to take a stab at it for myself. What do you think? Comments, questions, and concerns are welcome!

Why I Picked Video As My Career

I was asked the question, "why did you pick video". Great question!

My choice to pursue videography for a living is a long story! When I was in Elementary School I started entering writing contests, I would write short stories, poems, and more. I won a few contests and even had some of my work published in magazines. I fell in love with writing, and I really wanted to become a writer, but I was told that writers don't make much money.

At the age of 15 I picked up my first camera. I was in High School and taking pictures for a photography class, developing my own film. I fell in love with the art that I could create.  Once again, I explored photography as an option to make a living, and I came to the same realization as I did with my writing. 

 My family really struggled while I grew up, often wondering where the rent money was going to come from for next month. We ended up getting evicted from many houses, having to move every 6 months or so for most of my youth. From this, I learned that making a decent living was something that I absolutely HAD to do. 

At the age of 16 I started working full time, and going to college full time with my eye on a degree in Business. I studied marketing, psychology, and all other aspects of business. This was where I would make my living! At the time, I was working for a great company that offered much promise. I was promised a great living if I just finished my schooling, I would stay working for the same furniture company, but I would branch out into their Marketing department. I was absolutely thrilled! That was.. Until the company went out of business. 

As a hobby, I started making videos for YouTube. I would do tutorial videos, how to's, and so on. My wife's cousin got married, and I brought my new camera along just for fun. I took a few pictures, (not many) and put together a little video when I got home. I shared the video, and everyone loved it! This was my A Ha! moment. 

I love photography, I love taking a single image and telling a story with it. But, even better, how about taking lots of single images in the form of video to convey the same emotion, maybe even multiple clips and telling a story. 

With my education and background in business, and marketing, I knew that there was a psychology to storytelling. Just like with a TV ad, or a movie, there is a storyline. A beginning, middle, and an end. With any video, you've got to tell a story, and the art to the craft is creating a convincing string of video clips and dialogue that develop your story. With video, I get to force my viewers to feel emotion. They feel what I they are told to feel, with the tone of the music, pace of video clips, dialog, and the timing of everything combined. 

Nowadays with everyone having access to a camera, more and more people think they are photographers. With cameras getting smarter, being able to do more for us, anyone can be a "photographer". It takes a lot more discipline to get the exact shots that I want. When I am shooting video, whether it be for a wedding, music video, promo video, or other event, I have a vision of exactly where each shot will be used in the final product. With video, I am able to combine my first love of writing, with my second love of photography, along with my college education in business and marketing. 

When a client books with me, they are not just getting a guy with a camera. They are getting a guy that knows about storytelling, timing, and tone. This comes into play with wedding videos, and that's why I have such great reviews from my clients. Because of my background, I have  a lot more to offer corporate clients, for promotional videos, music videos, and more. 

See, I told you it was a long story!

Do you have a question for me? Ask away!

rhender@me.com

WHO/ WHAT INSPIRED YOU TO START YOUR OWN BUSINESS?

I got married in 2007 and my father in law hired a videographer for our wedding. His name is Kale Fitch. I remember that day being the longest day of my life. It went by so quick, but it was one thing after another. Run here, go there. Oops you forgot the flowers, now you've got to run back home to get them before you're late. Oh wait, you're already late!

Weddings are a once in a lifetime event and a lot of planning goes into them. By the time the day was over, I remember thinking back on when we were standing in the receiving line greeting our guests, and I didn't remember 90% of who came to see us. That was the night of. Imagine me now almost 8 years later, do you think I remember who came? NO!

Weddings are about people. Think about it, your wedding day is likely the last day that all of those people will be in the same place at the same time. Seriously! Who are you planning your wedding for? Not just you, but for your guests. You want them to be comfortable, that's why you picked the chairs that you did. You want them to have good food to eat, that's why you hired the caterer, or maybe you just had some family and friends make some snacks. You chose the centerpieces with a specific style in mind, not to mention that beautiful cake that you had made specially for you. 

You spent months, or maybe even years planning your perfect wedding. Someone spent countless hours and lots of dollars to put together your special day. 

Quite the accomplishment huh!

Now let me get back to the question. Who/What inspired me? 

Think about how you felt at Christmas as a little child, you waited all year long for that special morning. You worked all year to be good so that Santa would bring you what you wanted. You stayed up all night, hoping to catch a glimpse of Santa Clause and his reindeer. Then after that long night anxiously waiting to open your presents, the morning is here! You tear up your presents, one by one and set them aside anxious to see what's next. After the long long day of traveling here and there, playing with your new toys, and showing off your new bike, it's time to turn in. You lay down on your pillow and as you drift off to sleep, you think back on the big day and think about what you've got to show for all the waiting. 

A couple of months after my wedding day, we got a package in the mail, it was our wedding video. I remember watching that video for the first time, and how emotional I got. I'm not sure how emotional my wife got, but I remember really loving it. It was us, and our special day that we put some much time, effort, and money into. It wasn't just pictures, it was sights and sounds that we experienced that day. 

I had a hobby of creating videos for YouTube, and after going to a wedding for my wife's cousin, and putting together a short video for her, I realized my love for it. I always knew that I wanted to make people happy for a living, I just never knew it would be making wedding videos. 

At a wedding, there are a certain number of scripted moments. The walk down the aisle, first kiss, first dance, and so on. Anyone can capture those. There are so many perfect, unscripted moments that happen in life that will never happen again, they have to be captured in the moment. The twinkle in a Groom's eye when he sees his Bride for the first time in her dress, the first tear rolling down a Bride's cheek when taking to the floor for her daddy/daughter dance. Being able to take these once in a lifetime moments, and carefully turning them into a mini-movie for my clients is what I love doing. Knowing that each Bride tears up every time she watches her video is why I continue doing it. 

It is said that if you love what you do for a living, you'll never work a day in your life. I am always busy, but I am never "working". 

Wedding Music

A wedding celebration will become more romantic and unforgettable for a new couple if it has a wonderful venue and set of colorful decorations. But the most important thing that must be available in this kind of occasion at all times is music. Music gives life and meaning for all activities and special moments that will occur in a scheduled wedding ceremony. It has an amazing effect on the hearts and minds of all people who will witness the unity of a new couple while executing their exchange of vows. In addition to that, music makes a wedding celebration more exciting and full of touching moments for a new couple.

There are so many kinds of wedding music that people can use to make wedding celebrations more satisfying and worth remembering for those who want to get married in a very romantic way. Only a professional musician or instrumentalist knows how to select the best set of songs or musical pieces that can be played in a wedding celebration. In a wedding ceremony, music starts to play at the beginning of the wedding march where all participants and the celebrants in the event will be presented. A music that embodies the melody of a love song is the most recommended type of music that can be played in wedding celebrations.

Remember, wedding refers to the unity of two individuals who are willing to love each other forever. It’s all about love. Therefore, all examples of musical pieces and songs that must be played in its whole celebration must contain touching messages and lyrics about love and its importance in the life of a new couple that has been united in the name of God. The most romantic music or song must be played in bride’s processional. It should be something that will provide joyful memories in the heart and mind of a groom who waited for so long just to gain the love and trust of her dream wife.
It’s not too easy to find an excellent wedding music in this modern world where several genres of music are already available. What matters most in selecting the best set of musical pieces that must be played in a wedding ceremony is the message that all available options can provide. Select a song that shares the real message and meaning of love. It should be something that has a relaxing melody.
The music for bride’s procession should be a song or an instrumental music that embodies the love story of the new couple which will be united in the wedding celebration. This music should be something that can encourage the bride and the groom to be loyal with each other for the rest of their lives. It should be something that will always remind them of all things that they have gone through in the name of love. Internet is one of the largest sources of songs and musical pieces for wedding celebrations nowadays. Look for a trusted website that offers high quality wedding musical pieces while preparing for a scheduled wedding ceremony that needs to be celebrated in a very special and romantic way.

The single most important ingredient for being successful as a wedding photographer

Ok so you’re probably thinking that I’m going to say ‘technique’, ‘experience’ or ‘great people skills’. Well there’s no doubting that these factors are really important when it comes to being a proficient wedding photographer. However, the actual answer, and it’s really quite simple, is ‘attitude’.

You see its attitude that ultimately dictates how successful you will be in this field. Wedding photography, as a field, is over-saturated with photographers, many of whom are very talented. To compete in this market means that you have to stand out, and this in turn means that you have to have a really focussed ‘can do’ attitude.

When I first started in wedding photography there’s no doubt I felt disheartened. I kept looking at all the other photographers out there whose work was vastly superior to mine. I also became discouraged by the lack of weddings I was booking. I took solace and encouragement from my wife and close family, whose positive encouragement saw me through some tough times and self doubt. 4 years later we are 90% of the way towards our business can support us financially full-time. I learned a really important lesson. That to succeed in this brilliant career, you not only have to commit to continuously improving your skills, but you also have to become emotionally and psychologically resilient. To succeed, you simply have to ‘want it’ so much that you refuse to be defeated by the inevitable set backs and disappointments that WILL come along.

So yes, by all means invest in the latest gear, and most definitely invest in some of the brilliant training courses being run by established pros and online resources such as Creative Live. But most importantly of all, invest in yourself- your attitude, your resilience, and your spirituality. For it is only by looking after these fundamentals that you will be successful. In this respect there are some fantastic books out there that can help you on your journey, including the brilliant ‘7 habits of highly successful people’ by Steven Covey. 

About Matt

Matt and his wife Brenda are Surrey Wedding Photographers that shoot wedding and also portraits across the UK and beyond. They have a passion for teaching photography too. You can see their site at:

http://www.fodenphotography.com

One of the hottest wedding trends for 2015 continues

One of the hottest wedding trends for 2015 continues to be dessert and candy buffets. One easy and fun way to class up any buffet is to add customized favor bags for your guests to use. Following are my three favorite uses for these amazing little bags. 

1) fill them with home-baked cookies or treats using a favorite family recipe, then give that family member credit in the print! This shop owner is even willing to help you customize something completely unique! https://www.etsy.com/listing/214235980/wedding-candy-bags-monogram-candy-buffet



2) A beautiful table spread of assorted glass containers filled with candies in your color scape. Add colorful favor bags which also match your theme and scoops for your guests to serve themselves for snacking or a take-home favor! https://www.etsy.com/listing/219728561/unique-wedding-favor-bags-candy-buffet

 

3) coffee! Who doesn't love a cup of fresh ground coffee, these eco-friendly and consumable favors are sure to be a hit with all of your guests! https://www.etsy.com/listing/220076654/coffee-bean-wedding-favors-earth