Merry Christmas From the Obers!

A Party for Hannah!

We had fun at a shower for a friend of ours expecting a little one in just a few weeks. Here's a couple of our favorite shots we wanted to share.

Happy Thanksgiving

Time for counting our blessings - big and small.  In the midst of a wild holiday season, we wish yours to be a blessed one. Keep safe on the roads and enjoy your holiday. Happy Thanksgiving!

Feature Friday: Sea Studio

Today's feature is one I've been excited to talk about. Jeff and Sally Honeycutt of Sea Studio Photography do beautiful wedding photography.  It has energy, creativity and every shot is my favorite. Just look at their stuff! I love checking out their blog when they have new posts of recent photo gigs. Michael and I enjoyed getting to know them back in March at a wedding in Yakima. Here's a sample from that wedding:

Jeff and Sally mesh really well with their clients and put them at ease. As a fellow wedding business, they were great to work with. Michael and I felt that we were a team.  There's nothing better than a group of people who can come together well to make your day go smoothly. Hiring people who can do that is definitely   something to keep in mind while you're planning.

While we worked with them at Kevin and Gretchen's wedding, you could see their professionalism and their sense of fun. The results were amazing. See them in action in our photo session video here.  They were even kind enough to share with us some shots they sneakily took of us while we were doing our work:

 When you're looking for a photographer for your wedding, Jeff and Sally may have the style you're looking for. Go to their website, www.seastudio.us, for more details on the services they offer. And please, when anyone books with Jeff and Sally, book us too so we can work with them again! Happy Friday, Everyone.

Welcome to the World, Ella

This week we've been having fun getting to know our brand-new niece. Meet Ella Marie, born 8 lbs. 6 oz. and 20 inches long.

Weddings and Beyond!

We do more than Wedding Videography. Oh yes. We have several ways we can serve your need for photos and video. And we love adding new things to the repertoire, so when you got a creative project - give us a call.

Here's a snapshot of the other services Ober Digital Media can do for you!

1. Senior Photos  - Our past clients have enjoyed their photos that show off your personality. Sessions include two hours of shoot time and a disc of the images. We can also do some touch up. (So even if you get one really annoying picture-day pimple right smack in the middle of your forehead, nobody has to know!)

2. Event Videography and Photography - One of our favorite things to do. We provide coverage for first birthdays, showers, anniversaries, parties, your uncle Bob's 40th surprise birthday and any other event that you want captured in high quality style.Very handy when you want to enjoy your party instead of getting stuck behind a camera. The video below is from Eli's First Birthday party. See a selection of the photos Here.

3. The 'Un-formal' Photo Shoot - This is what we call the infamous 'trash the dress' shoot. Take your wedding gown, formal dress, or just a dress you like and get some fabulously fun photographs doing things in your dress you might not do normally. No dress destruction is necessary. Perfect for wearing your special gown once more for some artistic photos before getting it cleaned and safely put away. We have had a few clients, however, that did this shoot just to do something crazy in their dresses. Tiffany is on the left looking great splattered in paint.

4. Real-Estate Photography -  Houses that have good pictures will make a better impression on buyers. We charge a simple hourly rate plus a flat photo-editing fee. On the left is a photo from a series we did on a house in the Parade of Homes.

Give us a call at (509) 961-7444 or email us and tell us what photos or video we can do for you.

Feature Friday - Fashion Corner

For today's feature, we're talking wedding dresses. Shopping for your wedding dress for many of us is a rite of passage. You search and search for that Perfect dress and you can't stop until you've got it. In 2008, I got to go on that famed dress hunt. I've never had the chance to try on so many gorgeous dresses. Dress shopping brought a lot of memories and some great laughs - like the time when I got stuck in a dress over my head and couldn't get it off. My bridesmaid had to quit laughing long enough to get me unstuck. Otherwise, I'd probably still be there today.

I mentioned last week in my post about the show that our booth was directly behind the booth for Fashion Corner - the shop where I found my beautiful dress. I am really glad we took the drive out to Sunnyside to check out what they had there. My mom and I had been searching and searching for a dress. There were a lot of lovely ones, but nothing seemed to really suit me just right. The gals at Fashion Corner took the time to help me go through several dresses. They were patient with me to help me make up my mind (So many dresses to pick from - so little time) and in the end, they had me a beautiful gown that I loved. I remember trying "the dress" on for the first time and feeling so much like a bride. I remember when the dress came in, we had a time crunch and I was quite stressed about getting it altered in time. Their seamstress dropped everything to get the dress done in one afternoon.Whew!

Fashion Corner is located in Sunnyside, Washington. It's about 30 minutes from the Tri-Cities and Yakima. Be sure to say hello to them for me when you go! 

Still Looked Great After an Afternoon of Dancing!

Our wedding  photographs were taken by Erin Grace Photography.

Three Rivers Bridal Show 2009 = Sweet!

Thank you to everyone who visited our booth at the Three Rivers Bridal Show on Sunday. We met a lot of great businesses and brides over just 5 hours. I really enjoyed talking with so many friendly and interested brides.


I got a little surprise while we were setting up - the booth behind us was the dress shop that I got my dress from last year when we got married! It was neat to see them there - and their booth was busy almost all day.  They loved getting to see photos of my dress from our wedding. I'm planning a special blog in the coming weeks about them. Stay tuned to see some of the photos yourself when Fashion Corner is featured here!

Many brides stopped by and watched our show videos. It was amazing how inspirational the video clips were for many couples. Several times they watched and started getting ideas for their own wedding. We even met the mothers of a bride and groom who teamed up from both sides of the family - out scouring for wedding ideas for their kids. Great teamwork, moms!

We're already cooking up ideas for next year and we are also looking forward to talking to more brides interested in our work. If you're planning a wedding, or any other special event, email us at: info@oberdigitalmedia.com or call us at (509) 961-7444.

Here is a movie remix we did exclusively for the show featuring one of our lovely couples.

Why Hire a Wedding Videographer?

Alright - we confess. We can be a bit biased on whether or not couples should consider having a professional movie made of their wedding. Michael and I truly believe that they are one of the most heart-grabbing, wonderful keepsakes a couple can have. Just the other day, we had one sister of the bride thank us for doing her sister's movie and told us it had her in tears (the happy kind). It's wonderful to be able to provide a part of the wedding memories for the couple and their families. We provide wedding videography partly because we know that most every couple wants a great video. Yet, for many couples it is an afterthought.

We have discovered that a bride usually realizes she wants a good quality movie AFTER the wedding. Wedding Videographers are commonly known as one of the first things people whack off their budget.  Check out this finding from the Wedding and Event Videographers Association (WEVA) when they did a survey of how brides ranked videography before and after their weddings:

"The brides were asked to rank videography on a personal “Top 10” list of wedding priorities. Prior to their weddings, barely 50% of the brides listed videography as a Top 10 item. However, after the weddings the emphasis changed dramatically. A whopping 79% of the brides placed videography among their Top 10 items for wedding planning."                     - www.teamwedding.com

You may be only so-so on having a professional videographer at your wedding, but after the Big Day, there's a very good chance you're going to miss not having it. Check out this video from a couple who talk about why they are bummed they didn't hire a wedding videographer. We do not personally know the couple or the company who did the video, but they give some great insight direct from a bride and groom.

One of the things they mention is about the obvious difference they saw between the photography and a wedding video. We often hear about whether or not a couple decides to hire a professional videographer is that they prefer photography. There's sometimes an unsaid battle about what is more important - like you have to choose between them. We actually believe they go together! Not only do you receive these beautiful moments captured in time - but you can see the day with sound and movement. Don't think of it as an either/or decision, but a way to preserve the memories in a complete way.

Don't wait until after you're wedding is over. Capture your memories with a wedding movie from Ober Digital Media. Trust me - you will love it! Give us a call (509) 961-7444 or email us at info@oberdigitalmedia.com.

And you can visit us at the Three Rivers Bridal Show in Kennewick, Washington October 18th from 11am -4pm. Come see our work on a big screen TV and be ready to get some special discounts - only offered at the show.

Happy Planning!

2009/2010 Brochures Are Here!

Today we received our order of brochures showing off our services and our prices. We spent several weeks designing and writing  it to be the best handout ever. They've got all the info needed to make a decision on what we can do for you.  On October 18th, at the Three Rivers Bridal Show, the brochures are making their debut to the public. BUT - if you want a sneak peek here it is:

 If you or someone you know would like one - come to see us at the bridal show or email us at info@digitalmedia.com and say "Hey! Be a pal and email me one, would ya?"

Stuff We Like

We are part of the website called WeddingWire where we can list our services and connect with other wedding vendors around the country and the world. One of the people we met this month, called Eternal Covenant, does some really unique work. She hand makes ring bearer pillows! When I went to her online store to see what she made - I went all ga-ga for them and asked her if I could share her work with you all. I'd love to see one of our brides pick one out someday. They are certainly not your average pillows. Check out her work on her etsy website, www.karenyee.etsy.com, for a unique and fun piece for your wedding.  Here's a sample of some of her work offered on her website:

The Girls: An Un-Formal Photo Shoot

Tiffany and Nikky were just waiting for an excuse for doing something fun in their formal dresses. Of course, I was happy to oblige. There's nothing like spending a few hours in the park splattering paint all over each other. We were sure to get some photos pre-painting, for posterity. And even Tiffany's adorable daughter came decked out in her finest to get her moments in the spotlight as well. Here's some of my favorites from the shoot:

* Fun Fact: I shot Nikky's Senior photos a couple years ago at this very same park.

Keith and Nicole's Movie Preview

We are proud to present the sneak peek of Keith and Nicole's wedding video. Michael has been working on it over the last few weeks and I wanted to share a little bit of the footage we got on their big day.  Enjoy this snippet!



* Final Video is of much higher quality that shown on the web.
** This is an example of "the works" wedding package

Three Rivers Bridal Show October 2009

We're headed to the Three Rivers Bridal Show! It'll be held at the Three Rivers Convention Center in Kennewick, Washington on October 18th 11-4. This will be a great opportunity to meet a lot of different vendors from around the area. Not to mention, bridal shows are the best places for discounts, giveaways, and specials. Come join us or pass the word on to someone you know who is planning a wedding in 2010 -or even one in late 2009. We'll be there with bells on (not literally of course).

Here's the center's event link.

Shannon's "Trash" the Dress

Several weeks ago, we began a new photo service where new or past brides or anyone with a formal can wear their dresses once again and celebrate their style in unique photos. I offered two "Trash the Dress" shoots for anyone wanting to get all dressed up and get to be our test model for an hour or two.

Shannon took us up on our Trash the Dress kick-off session. So she pulled out her wedding dress that has been in storage and gave it one last hurrah. Here's a few of our favorites:

 Trash the Dress (or Rock the Frock, Aftershoot, Flaunt the dress, etc) is a unique photo shoot to celebrate the dress one last time before putting it away. You don't have all the concerns about getting it too dirty. We do photos in a range of messiness. So, you can be as little or as much messy as you would like. Our aim is to provide you a fun way of getting memorable photos. Wear it again! info@oberdigitalmedia.com

Brandon & Amanda's Wedding Movie Preview

This was our second wedding this August. Here are some of the highlights of their mountain-side wedding in Idaho. Enjoy!


Brandon & Amanda Wedding Movie Preview from Ober Digital Media on Vimeo.

* Final Video is always of higher resolution than the internet version
** Now booking for 2010 - contact us for a unique and beautiful video of your wedding day.

Blog Updates

 We're in the process of re-formatting the blog. While it's going well, some of you may notice it still has a couple bugs. Hang in there, we'll have it all sorted out soon.

Update: 8/26/09: All done! 

Back from Corvallis

Michael and I made it back from Corvallis, Oregon after doing Keith and Nicole's wedding. They had a wonderful ceremony in a tree-lined niche at a local park. We have a lot of great footage. It's got us so excited to show you some soon. So stay tuned!

We are also editing two other weddings, so keep an eye out for those videos as well. You're keeping us nicely busy. Thank you everybody!

In the meantime, here's a photo I took of Gus while we stayed with his family while in Corvallis. Gus is a sweet, but very austere cat. Never took his eyes off of me when I was taking pictures of him. He just watched me unblinkingly with that one eye. But in the end, I guess he didn't mind being the center of attention for a bit.

Things That Inspire #1

We're back from a lovely wedding held up a mountain-side with a great view. Gorgeous views and a darling couple. Looking forward to posting some video.

In the meantime, we want to share a unique wedding video that Michael came across online. Videos like this inspire us to try new things and get us really excited about what we do. This video was done by a company based in England called Lockdown Projects. We hope you enjoy it as much as we have!

Brian & Eileen's Wedding Music Video. from LOCKDOWN projects on Vimeo.

Well done, chaps!

Billy & Melissa Movie Preview

Now showing: A fantastic montage featuring Billy & Melissa & their beautiful wedding day. Take a look!

Billy and Melissa Wedding Preview from Ober Digital Media on Vimeo.

The song is "Primavera in Anticipo" from Italian singer Laura Pausini
*Watch it directly on our Vimeo page.
** Final Video Quality is always much higher than the online video.
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Billy & Melissa (Part I)

Yay for Billy and Melissa!

We spent a beautiful morning in Oregon documenting their Wedding. It was wonderful to be a part of their day. We wish them the best in these new days as husband and wife. Wedding movie highlights are coming soon!

Views From the Coast

Last month, Michael and I took a scenic three day trip to the beach for our anniversary. We posted the photos here on our blog. One of our video cameras also came along on our trip. And before we could let our vacation end, we spent some time capturing a slice of the beautiful Oregon coast. Most of this footage was shot in Ecola State Park. The music is from Jason Harwell's song called "Declaration Song."

Cannon Beach from Ober Digital Media on Vimeo.

Blast From the Past II

Here's a classic from my photography files. This is my first big project done with my very first digital SLR camera. The Waters' asked me to be their photographer for their summer ceremony in southern Idaho. The bride and groom (and practically the whole wedding party) were friends of mine in college. Some of them were in our wedding. What a way to get your feet wet with a new camera!