This year has flown by and I can’t believe it’s almost the end of the year. This time is always a good time for me to reflect on the year and also see what changes we need to make to our pricing for the upcoming year. This year we have simplified our wedding commissions to offer one all inclusive pricing for weddings. Check it out with the PDF attached, if you are looking to book us for your upcoming wedding in 2013 we only take on limited commissions so contact us soon!

Wedding_Pricing2013

5 Amazing Proposal Videos

People put videos of just about everything on the Internet these days, and while most of it is for entertainment purposes, some of it can be helpful as well. For example, it is now somewhat common for people to put personal things like proposal videos online, and if you are looking for a creative way to pop the question you might want to study some of these! Here are five great examples of fun engagement videos online, as noted by stylist.co.uk:

1. Disneyland – Proposing in a meaningful location is always nice, and in this couple’s case Disneyland was the perfect option, as it was where they met. However, the proposal involved a lot more than simply the location. This young man puts on quite a show as he stages a fun and romantic performance on Disneyland’s Main Street, all with the help of park performers.
2. 6 Years In The Making – This young couple had a confident but adorable plan to travel the world together while spelling out the message “we always knew” by holding up letters in pictures. The project spanned six years, but its final step was more than the young woman could have anticipated, as the final “w” turns into a proposal she doesn’t see coming.
3. Metro Station, “Shake It” – Another boyfriend with a taste for theatrics, this man involves what seems like half of a city in his proposal. Set to Metro Station’s popular song “Shake It,” this elaborate song and dance makes for a very exciting proposal, as well as a fantastic video.
4. Weather Report – This proposal has actually been duplicated since the original, but it’s still a great one to watch if you’re looking for creative engagements. Basically, an unsuspecting weather girl’s boyfriend surprises her on live TV by sabotaging her weather report with a proposal. She seems to appreciate it.
5. Bruno Mars, “Marry You” – Arguably the most elaborate proposal ever filmed, at least to anyone’s knowledge, this incredible performance involves a lip-synced version of the Bruno Mars song “Marry You.” The bride-to-be is treated to a real life music video with friends and family dancing through the streets, all leading up to a very romantic proposal.

As these incredible filmed proposals demonstrate, we are living in a time that allows an amazing amount of creativity with regard to celebrations and major events. People are doing all kinds of new, fun things for proposals these days, whether it means customizing their own engagement rings at http://www.77diamonds.com/engagement-rings.htm, planning and filming elaborate engagement videos like the ones described above, or frankly whatever else anyone can think of. With this in mind, if you are planning your own proposal or wedding, don’t be afraid to try something non-traditional. You might have an incredible idea on your hands!

It’s been awhile since I posted here but hopefully will catch up and post some recent wedding images and slideshows soon Here is a quick glimpse into Sam and Amanda’s big day!

– Mark
Fine art wedding photography

We finished up another great reel life wedding video that I am happy to share. Check out this fun wedding for Kirk and Stacey!

Stag Imagery Reel Life Wedding Photography from mark stagi on Vimeo.

– Mark
San Jose Wedding Photography

I have talked about the Reel life photo/video products that we do a lot in the past and we are finally finishing up the editing from the ones we did last year. The editing process is a lot of work and these take some time to create but are still something that I really am excited about and are such a powerful way to capture a wedding day.

We got to photograph an amazing wedding up at mountain winery last year for Sean and Reyna, even though there was a little bit of rain they had a beautiful day (complete with a rainbow) and a great celebration. Check out this little view into their day with our Stagi Imagery Reel Life coverage.

– Mark

Fine Art Wedding Photography

We kicked the season off this year with a great wedding up at the Mountain Winery in Saratoga. They have done some great remodels over the past year and really have a beautiful location for a wedding. Rene and Ben had a great wedding up at the winery, it was a small and intimate day with their close family and friends and a really fun group of people. They also had a great band that I got to work with for the first time that was cranking out some nice tunes all night. Check out http://www.80srockreplica.com/ for a band with some great energy!

Here is a quick little highlight slideshow with the story of Ben and Rene’s day!

– Mark
Fine Art Wedding and Portrait Photography

Since we get so many new visitors to the site now I wanted to share some quick information about myself and what drives Stagi Imagery along with a little video that I did awhile.

Passion is what its all about for us. True passion and love for photography drives me each and every day (and a few Mocha’s along the way). Photography has been a love of mine since childhood and I shoot not only to provide my clients with the most awesome images they could ever image but to also fuel my creativity and need to capture compelling images. When I was a kid I took a photography class and was mesmerized by the ability the camera had to capture a moment that would freeze time. One split second moment could capture the essence of a person and it intrigued me so much I knew I had to pursue this further.

I am a very passionate person about everything in life not just photography. From my family to all things tech (don’t get me started on my love for Apple products) I believe in living your life with purpose and passion.

What type of style is your work? This is one of the most common question I get from brides and grooms and it’s always a great conversation. “What’s your style”. For me that is really a difficult question to answer with one word. Am I an artistic photographer? In a way yes, but not fully. Am I a photojournalist? In a way yes, but not 100%. There really isn’t a catch phrase or key word that can describe an artist and what you do. Maybe that is the best answer I am an artist with many different experiences and passions that all shape my “style” of photography or my Art. I do really believe that any artist is shaped by their life and that their artwork is always growing and evolving. Normally when I get that question asked to me I like to give people a short view into my life so far, I think its really important for people to know who your photographer really is, not just their credentials. My degree in art and studying photojournalism did help shape my photography but really not as much as certain personal experiences have had. The way I interact with my clients and work with people at a wedding is from years of always learning.

One phrase that I love that really fits my style of shooting is “La Dolce Vita”. In Italian this means “The Sweet Life”. For me it means to enjoy life to the fullest, to give lots of hugs and kisses to your loved ones, to cherish the moment. Our work is all about embracing “The Sweet Life” and capturing moments that will tell the story of your life for generations to come

If you want to be inspired then come on in and lets chat.

– Mark

Intro to Stagi Imagery from mark stagi on Vimeo.

Yesterday was iPad day with the release of the brand new iPad. The retina display is just remarkable and I had to create a new slideshow to see how my portfolio can look on this amazing display. I have to say I am pretty pleased with how great the images look on this display compared to the iPad 2. I won’t go into any long tangents on the iPad, if do you want to see some sample images to compare the iPad 2 and the new iPad check out this article I wrote over here: The New iPad Camera vs. iPad 2 Camera. But getting back on point I put a little mix together with some of my favorite moments from the last few years. I always get to enjoy so many amazing weddings so sit back and enjoy a few great wedding moments

If you are looking for a fine art wedding photographer for 2012 let us know!

Last year we started a brand new type of coverage to add to our Fine Art Wedding Photography that I have been calling “reel life”. This is a really cool blend of HD video, still photography, audio and music into a cool multimedia movie. It can add so much more depth to a wedding to include a few snippets of video and audio to bring back the memories of the day. Here is a quick preview of Ryan and Jeanette’s day at Leal vineyards from last year. There are some more that we are finishing up and will showcase very soon so stay tuned!

Leal Vineyards Reel Life wedding coverage from mark stagi on Vimeo.

– Mark
Fine Art Wedding and Portrait Photography