"The Year In Creativity Blog" 2023 Edition
2023 had a plethora of new experiences including a trip to Greece, fall vibes and weddings - yes, plural! Here is my 2023 Top 5 projects.
5. Ignite Camp: Another year, another Ignite Camp! This was my 19th year helping with Ignite Camp through Eagle Church… Each year proves a challenge, this year was no exception!
Each year the lead up is pretty straight forward with all the deliverables. Logos, promos, email signatures, booklet, etc. Check out past blogs talking about Ignite Camp for more.
Some of the challenges typically include last minute ideas like random videos during camp and keeping things new and fresh. After a while of filming the same camp location finding new things to film is key. But you already quickly realize what you don’t need to film, like hours upon hours of worship. Recap videos about a youth camp tend to benefit from activities, certainly worship shots for the heart, but people love to see what activities there are!
4. Weddings: Two in One Year: Weddings are something The Media Buff loves to do! However, it’s not every year I get to do more than one wedding. I have a full time job outside of the wedding world, I prefer familytime on the weekends and editing all the time is rough! But I just happened to snag two weddings this year, which is great!
The first wedding was that of Ciara and Nick. If you love Hallmark movies and small towns, you should visit Atlanta, IN. I had the privilege of capturing Ciara and Nick’s big day a few weeks ago and I had no idea it would turn out to be such a Hallmark moment! I was able to use all the tools of the trade on this one; including a drone, GoPro’s, timelapse cameras and more. I also had the pleasure of my wife joining me to help capture the big day! Read more.
The second wedding I did this year was of Hannah and Peter. Filming in downtown Indianapolis is a must have for any videographer, it never gets old capturing this beautiful city! I enjoyed being able to not only captured alongside my wife, but being able to use so many fun tools to capture a unique and special day for Hannah and Peter. Highlight: seeing the special relationship Hannah has with her niece. It’s special moments like this - seeing the two of them so excited to get dressed up in beautiful dresses and have a wedding - that makes a wedding day so fun. Read more.
The Frettinger’s.
3. Family Photoshoot: I had the opportunity to photograph family! My cousin asked me to take some family photos and of course I said yes. We took photos in Nashville, IN in the fall. If you’re familiar with Indiana, and are looking for places to photograph in the fall, Nashville is the go to place. Nashville is located next to Brown County Stats Park, a massive property with fall foliage as far as the eye can see. Both locations are the perfect spot for fall images.
Logan and her husband Caleb were joined by their beautiful daughter, Kali, who steals the show of course. My cousins also joined in the small family fun.
It’s fun to capture the fall, new angles, family all in one shot and keep my people-posing sharpened. My wife and daughter also joined me for the shoot, and they enjoyed the fall colors with us as well!
2. Year-In-Review, Rewind: What better way to end 2023 than with a recap of the year, at least the year at Conner Prairie.
I love a good recap, as you know, so being able to make one on an annual basis for Conner Prairie is fun! It not only sums up the year and shows it off in an impressive way, it’s a tool used for a lot of people a Conner Prairie. That includes donors, staff and guests to reshare, use for promo and used to grow and show off the organization.
Some of the ways I crafted this recap include having a fun introduction with the title, then a brief recap of highlights. Then I go into the mission with some elements, as well as “classic” Conner Prairie things like Prairietown and the balloon, then I go into new projects, new exhibits, returning events and then sum it up at the end.
It’s fun to look back and remember all the work I’ve done with Conner Prairie and I look forward to new ways to recap the year. I hope to mix up the layout of this video and to see how to continue the idea in future versions.
Mr. and Mrs. Media Buff go to Greece.
1. Greece: In the Summer of 2023 I was contacted by my long time friend, Ian, who works with Global Partners. Ian asked if I would be interested in filming their international conference, or Amplified Missions Summit, or Mission 1:8 Summit. I said yes and off we went! I documented the entire event, creating 3 recap videos, a Donor Thank You video and a Teen Recruitment video all ON SITE. The Mrs. and I also had the opportunity to spend time together at meals, boating to a local island with a small chapel on it, walking around the town we stayed in and visiting Athens, Greece! Athens was incredible. As you’ve read on my blog before, I’ve been involved in church and a Christian for decades, so having the opportunity to visit biblical locations was so amazing.
- The Media Buff