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Wedding, Special Event, & Funeral Photography and Videography Solutions for San Jose, Santa Clara County and the Bay Area

Featuring high definition video DVD and Blu-Ray plus high resolution photos on CD and in print. Even if your are pressed for time, I encourage you to read the following information carefully. I do things differently in my business. These may be the services you need!  You only get one chance to choose the right photographer and/or videographer. Aside from your dress and some special mementos, your photos and/or video are all you will take home from your special day! My name is Douglas Dailey. I have produced photography and videography for weddings and other events for over 20 years between the San Francisco and Monterey Bay areas, and especially in San Jose and Santa Clara County. Although weddings are a major part of my work, I also do special events, funerals, quinceañeras, cotillions, anniversaries, bar/bat mitzvahs, baptisms, and so forth. I enjoy employing the latest hardware and software to produce high definition videos, including Blu-Ray, and high resolution photography. On this web page, I would like to talk mostly about weddings. When I am at a wedding, I have 3 main objectives: 1) to tell the story of your day, 2) to help everyone look her or his best on screen and in print, and especially 3) to give you the products and services you want in a form that you and your family can use and treasure for many years. With over 1400 weddings as experience, I know how to be unobtrusive yet take all the photographs you need and the ones you want. I hope the samples available on my website will get you curious. In my studio I have all the photos and videos for the last 100 jobs I have done. You can look through any or all of them to get a sense of the consistency of my work. I do not use the proof system. You do not select a limited number of pictures from a number of proofs. Instead you get all your high definition photos on CD, plus a web-ready slide show with music. You get 3 copies of the CD so that both sets of parents can enjoy them. Neither the photo CDs nor video discs (Blu-ray and DVD) are copy protected. You get a contract that you help to write so that you know what you get, when you get it, and what the final costs are. You get the guarantee that I personally will be at your event the entire time coordinating the photography and videography services.  The so-called proof system originated in the early decades of the last century, when photographers had to insert fresh film for each picture. They couldn't take many pictures, so they slowed everything down to pose it. And if they took more than the bare minimum number of photos, then the client was expected to pay for these "extras". This proof system still generates more money for photographers and, with the advent of digital cameras and editing software, eliminates the cost of film. Still, many photographers don't want you to get additional photos from your friends and relatives, because they are counting on charging you for any "extra" photos you may want beyond the limited number of "proofs" you can choose. So the photographer may become hostile toward them. Nothing can bring down the mood of a wedding like a hostile and pushy photographer. Unfortunately, it is not uncommon. I enjoy working with your friends and families who might enjoy photographing as well. I even carry extra batteries for some of their cameras. I believe that anyone important enough for you to invite to your wedding is important enough to be in at least one photograph. When you hand your finished album or your photo CD to friends who attended, they will be looking for their own picture. It requires many photographs to assure that all aspects of the day are captured in expressive and attractive photos. Many other photographers will offer to take hundreds of photos, but then you choose a much smaller number to make prints or albums. You may never see the other photos in a finished form unless you agree to pay considerable additional fees for those "extra" photos. Many full-day weddings require several hundreds of photos to cover. We spend between one and two weeks just editing your photos so that they all look perfect. You get all these finished photos plus the high resolution files. We are proud of our work and want to make certain that you can use your photos in as many ways as is possible - so there is no copy protection on our work. The photo CDs even contain an extra file with informaiton on how to get the best quality prints, both at home or at a photo finishing lab. After your wedding, we process all the digital files and put them on a CD along with a slide show set to music (which is also formatted for posting on the web). We then put a custom label on the CD and its case, and take that CD to the lab to have all your prints made. Then we give you the CD with your prints and album, plus two extra parents' CDs at no extra charge. You can also copy your entire album for the price of a blank CD and give it to anyone, because the label files are also included on your CD. Your friends and family can email any particular file they want to a lab and get a copy. Using and sharing your professional photographs couldn't be easier. You can get both comprehensive photo and video coverage without the expense of hiring 2 different businesses; the combined coverage is efficient and unobtrusive.  Many years ago, I observed that the best locations for the photographer at a wedding were usually also the best locations for the videographer. Most brides and grooms hire (and support) two different businesses which are usually unacquainted with one another. When something important happens at the wedding or reception - which is all the time - both crews will rush to the same area and often experience conflict with lights and competition for floor space. The photographer often appears in the video and the videographer often appears in the photographs. When you hire us to do both photography and videography, you get a tremendous savings in cost, plus the benefit of equipment and techniques which are integrated, flexible and effective. The proof can be seen in our collection of photos and videos. And an important extra benefit is that we can use some of the photographs in the introduction and on the cover of the video. You get a beautifully produced video with photographs of your wedding on the DVD's label and cover. And as always, you get three copies of the DVD and the CD (plus HD Blu-ray master) and are welcome to make any other copies whenever you need them. We use high definition videocameras and Adobe Creative suite to produce DVDs and Blu-Ray disks. The vows are captured with a tiny wireless microphone. It is very common for guests in the back of the ceremony area not to hear the vows, even if the officiant has a microphone. We produce a video in which all the vows are clearly heard. And at a typical reception we may interview 30-90 guests, each getting to say something personal to the bride and groom on their wedding video. To complete the video editing, we create a personalized menu that enables you to jump directly to the special events of your day. I can show you a sample of a digital photograph enlarged to about 60" by 40", almost life size. It is amazing how clean and sharp the image remains. With film, there were always problems with dust on the negatives, deterioration of the negative, or the grain in the negative itself. You may never want a photograph that large, but you may want to crop and enlarge a smaller portion of a digital photo image. That is when the extra resolution my equipment produces is so important. Special and uncommon services I provide include DVD & Blu-Ray, custom digital collages using your pictures, multi-media video introductions or slide shows for your reception, and restoration of old treasured photographs using Adobe Photoshop.  What does the "advanced" in Advanced Wedding Photography & Video mean? You don't get proofs - you get all the finished photos of your day plus the original files with no copy protection. All your high-resolution digital photos are touched-up using Adobe Lightroom and Photoshop. Our styles include candid, photojournalistic, and formal posed portraits You get a beautifully edited video on DVD and Blu-Ray, complete with your own personalized menu and introduction You get to know and choose your options right from the start You get an easy-to-read contract that specifies the services we will provide You can get both photography and video coverage in one easy package We provide the services you need at very reasonable prices We use the most professional digital still cameras, videocameras and lenses for clear, accurate images We use Adobe Lightroom, Photoshop, Premier, Encore and After Effects (Creative Suite 6) for digital photo and video editing We can provide portable lighting with enough battery backup to work for hours even in a power outage. We serve the San Jose, Santa Clara, San Francisco Peninsula, South and East Bay, and Monterey Bay areas We have 20 years of experience working quickly and efficiently so you can enjoy your day We will help you get custom albums, including magazine layouts and parent's albums, at cost Here is what you get.  We usually come early to where the bride is getting ready and take pictures and video. Then we go to the church and photograph the gentlemen. During the ceremony we work unobtrusively. After the ceremony we can quickly and efficiently get the formal portraits. If there is time before the reception, we might stop at a park for some outdoor scenes. Then it is time to party. I work closely with the coordinator and DJ so that all events go smoothly (arrival, introductions, dining, toasts, first dances, bouquet toss, garter toss, cake cutting, etc.) We can stay with you until the end, and we get lots of candids and family and group shots. At a typical wedding we usually take from 150-350 pictures, depending on the length of the wedding, the number of people, and the types of events. Unlike most photographers who depend on selling you additional enlargements and "extra" photos, I give you all your touched-up high-resolution digital files to keep, as part of your package (plus copies for both sets of parents). That way you can arrange economical and custom enlargements when you need them. Of course, I can recommend print labs if you like. In the future I always want you to be able to get the best quality albums, reprints, and enlargements you can. I will help you get the most elegant photo albums at cost will assist you in their purchase. I can also coordinate the production of magazine-style albums, if you prefer that style. I can't show you the many videos I have over the Internet, so I hope you will phone me so we can get together to view them. If you live in San Jose or in the Santa Clara areas, then you will find my office very easily. Please call for information. Packages may include photography alone, videography alone, or both photography and videography. At any time you can see package descriptions and prices by clicking here: If you feel genuinely comfortable with the photographer you have chosen, your friends and relatives will sense your trust and comfort. That is what makes it easy for us to move among a large crowd of strangers (friends we haven't met yet) and get lots of great expressions in our photographs. Choosing a photographer or videographer is not easy. There are many issues that clients are not aware of. For example, it is extremely important that you hire a photographer that always rotates two or more cameras during the entire day. If the photographer has only one camera and something goes wrong with it, you could lose ALL your photos. Another important issue is that many photographers will sign a contract with you on behalf of their business, but then on the day of the wedding a stranger (the "associate") shows up to do the work. This associate may or may not be what you expected. And of course, never hire anyone without a solid, clear contract. There are many serious reasons not to have a friend photograph or videotape your wedding. The first is that there is only one chance to do it right - you can't do your wedding over! Also, no matter how enthusiastic they may be, friends can get board or overwhelmed; and they may want to party as well. But a hired professional is always your employee and should always be looking for ways to create great photos and video. Professionals have many years of experience working with quickly-changing, often sub-optimal lighting situations, as well as the knowledge to be exactly where they need to be at the time they need to be there. Professionals can also afford to bring backup cameras, video cameras, lights, power supplies, meters and backdrops. Even if they are educated or have some experience in other areas of photography or videography, a well-meaning friend or amateur can ruin your precious wedding photographs without even knowing it. Amateurs usually use amateur or "pro-sumer" gear and may not choose the correct operating mode for the weather and lighting on your event day. Such gear also lacks the sensitivity to create clear, sharp photos in the dim lighting of a church or reception hall. Making arrangements for photography and/or videography.  Don't wait long before you book your date. Some dates have already been booked months in advance. Telephone or email me and let me know what you are planning. Then you can come to my office in Santa Clara to look at sample photographs and videotapes. It is important to talk in person. Letting your photographer get to know you, and feeling comfortable and at ease around him or her, can be important factors in how natural your photographs appear. I require one third of the package price as a deposit to hold the date for you. Approximately 2 weeks before the wedding day, I usually ask for the second third of the package price. This also provides us opportunity to go over final details. On the day of the wedding, at your convenience, you can pay the remaining third if you like. Some people prefer to pay the last third when they pick up their materials. You can decide what makes you most comfortable. I provide you with a contract so we can both know what to expect on your important day. If anything in the contract is not the way you wish it to be, then we can adjust it so that you feel comfortable and certain that everything will go smoothly. For more information...  I would enjoy talking with you about your special event. There is a “Contact” tab at the top of every page that you can use to reach me. If you leave me a message (email or phone), please let me know the date of your wedding and the best way to reach you. I hope we will be able to spend some time talking and then have you and your partner come in to view samples and talk in more detail. Trust and confidence are very important. On the day of your wedding, I don't want you to have to worry about me or any of your vendors. If you like and trust me, then the chances are very good that your friends and relatives will too. This makes it much easier for me to move among everyone and photograph great expressions, and for you relax and enjoy your very special day.   In 20 years of service we have been all over the North and South San Francisco Bay areas, but our home is still in San Jose, California. Please remember that we also provide services for cotillions, quinceaneras, sweet sixteen parties, debutant balls, baptisms, family reunions, funerals, and memorial services. Cotillion Photography San Jose area. San Jose Quinceañera Photos and Videos serving SF Bay Area. Debutant Photography & Videography. Family Reunions, Parties & Special events in and around Santa Clara County. Baptism and Funeral Photography and Videography. Funeral coverage is particular important for the Filipino, Ethiopan and other communities. We have many samples.  Summary Advanced Wedding Photography and Video is located in San Jose California. We provide coverage of baptisms, bar mitsvahs, bat mitsvahs, birthday parties, conferences, cotillions, debutant parties, engagements, family reunions, funerals, memorial services, parties, quinceañeras, showers, seminars, special events, and weddings. We can provide you with both photography and videography in one affordable package. We provide formal portraits, candid and photojournalistic styles. You receive all the high-resolution originals on a CD as well as prints plus an album. We offer basic albums, custom albums, engraved albums, and magazine-style layouts (also called flush-mount albums). In the last 22 years we have worked in the San Francisco Bay area including Atherton, Benicia, Berkeley, Burlingame, Campbell, Carmel, Concord, Cupertino, Daly City, Dublin, East Bay, Fremont, Gilroy, Hayward, Los Altos, Los Gatos, Martinez, Menlo Park, Milpitas, Monterey, Morgan Hill, Mountain View, the North Bay, Oakland, Palo Alto, Pleasanton, Richmond, San Francisco, San Jose, San Leandro, San Lorenzo, San Ramon, Sacramento, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, South Bay, Stanford, Sunnyvale, Union City, Walnut Creek, Watsonville and other areas. All our photos are extensively and carefully edited using Photoshop and Lightroom. We have experience with nearly every type of wedding ceremony, including Assyrian, Baptist, Buddhist, Catholic, Chinese, Christian, Episcopalian, Ethiopian, Filipino, Hawaiian, Hispanic, Indian, Latino, Japanese, Jewish, Mexican, Muslim, Persian, Protestant, South American, Unitarian, and Vietnamese. Our prices are very affordable, even if you are on a budget. There are no extra or hidden charges. You are protected by an easy to understand contract. You get to keep all your original high-resolution digital files (photos) at no extra charge.