Annalisa’s Graduation Senior Portraits in College Station

We are so grateful that we got to do our dear friend, Annalisa’s, graduation photos! She is graduating with a degree in nursing and is a sweet friend of ours from church. We had such a blast taking photos for her and showing her around college station and the A&M campus. Since I am currently still working on my PhD in horticulture at A&M, I am very familiar with the beautiful spots on campus since our department plays a large role keeping these outdoor spaces beautiful!!

The Leach Teaching Gardens with a cute pose of her ripping pages out of a textbook.

I have quite a passion for gardens and cultivating beautiful outdoor spaces so I am grateful we got to utilize them for this special photoshoot. I’m excited to show y’all what we got and describe some of the best spots for senior/graduation/prom/engagement/really anything, photo shoot backgrounds.

Cute bench photo on west side of Leach Teaching Gardens

The first photos we took were at the new aggie park to the east of Kyle Field. My sweet hubby works across the street from this park at the production studio (Texas FilmWorks) and showed us the best place to park is at the association of former students parking lot. It has a gate but it’s almost always open to the public except on aggie ring days. Then there’s this long but funny story about how they have a changing password to get in and it’s always something ridiculous like “ice cream” or something.

Anyways, we then were aiming for photos that didn’t actually show off anything that would stand out as A&M since she is graduating from a different college. However, Aggie Park is amazing if you want to show off Kyle Field or the large aggie ring in front of The Association. There are also great water features and you can get adventurous and go sit on the water fall even!

Then we moved onto my favorite place on campus, The Leach Teaching Gardens at A&M. These gardens are AMAZING. They are right next to my office in the horticulture building and I loved walking to them and just sitting and enjoying some peace and sunlight when I took more classes on campus. It’s still an amazing place to go all year round and they are hoping to expand it soon!

Parking for the gardens is pretty easy. There is visitor parking that you can pay for by the hour in Lot 97. (here is a map to all the parking at A&M: https://transport.tamu.edu/parkingmap/) they have a little pay station that you pay at when you get there if you aren’t familiar with A&M parking.  The gardens have multiple backdrops that work amazingly well at golden hour. There are also bathrooms if you need to do any outfit changes, which we did.

Explore all the little alcoves there are and even walk down towards the river and get more rugged background photos. Since they haven’t expanded the gardens yet, there is still a beautiful open field to the west side of the gardens which is excellent for those stereotypical but beautiful portrait shots.

We also like to get the smiling and more serious posing shots because the serious poses can look very cool in black and white. They give me “album cover” vibes and of course, Annalisa is beautiful, so it was easy to capture beautiful photos of her.

Location: field west of Leach Teaching Gardens

For this photoshoot we used an 80 mm Viltrox lens on our A7SIII, which is just our absolute favorite for photography since it gives us that ultra soft background with great bokeh.
When we edit photos, we love to also bring up the green hues it almost always since it adds in super nice rosy tones and turns the greens less yellow which works very well for the aesthetic we go for.

I hope y’all enjoy me sharing a little bit about our photoshoot at Texas A&M and their amazing gardens. College Station is such a cool town with many other amazing back drops, but for this graduation photo session it was the perfect place to get a variety of backgrounds. Always feel free to reach out for questions or if you are interested in us taking some photos for you!  

Some Updates from College Station

I'm thrilled to take a moment to share some updates on our current ventures and how things are progressing. Firstly, I'm excited to announce that the short animated film Michael Dean has been diligently working on is now complete! You can expect to find it soon on our website, most likely at the bottom of our work page.

Looking ahead, our focus is shifting towards Michael Dean’s YouTube Channel and our wedding films. Personally, I've decided to take a step back from editing to prioritize my PhD defense scheduled for this fall. Nonetheless, I'm also delving into refining my calligraphy skills, envisioning a small side hustle of addressing wedding invitations for brides.

Over the past few months, we've had the privilege of filming for several brides. It's always a delight to witness the unique tastes and creativity each bride brings to her special day. Here in Texas, fall weddings are particularly enchanting, blessed with beautiful weather that enhances the magic of the occasion.

Our plan for this month includes purchasing the FX3, an exciting addition to our filming arsenal. With both the A7SIII and the FX3 at our disposal, we anticipate more diverse and dynamic filming days ahead. Stay tuned for more updates as we continue to capture the essence of weddings in College Station and beyond.

Baby Bliss and Filmmaking Updates here in College Station!

Howdy everyone! It's been a little over 6 weeks since we welcomed our little bundle of joy into the world! We're over the moon, and being parents is an exciting journey for us! Sure, it hasn't been all rainbows and butterflies. We've faced challenges, but guess what? Those obstacles have brought us closer together as a team as we're striving to make our journey one that glorifies God.

These days, I've been on a reading frenzy, soaking up information about baby care and child rearing. There are so many methods out there, it's mind-boggling! I'm tempted to share some of my newfound knowledge here, even if it's not directly related to Gold Leader Films. Trust me; I've got plenty to dump – strong opinions and all!

But let's not stray too far from the film and storytelling realm! Here in College Station, things are rolling smoothly. Michael Dean is making progress on his animation project, and we can't wait to see the final product by next month. As for me, I've got an itch to up my filming game. I've bought some fantastic online videography courses to enhance my skills, especially since I am far more comfortable editing. I want to keep honing my craft and be a well-rounded videographer. If you are interested, I could also do a review of the courses I am taking for anyone who is interested.

Oh, and another there's a fun side project in the works! Michael Dean is crafting some short stories geared towards middle-school aged kids. How cool is that? We'd love to publish these tales, and with AI-generated art, it's more feasible than ever! We're cheering him on, although balancing this creative venture with raising our adorable little human can be a juggling act (there are only so many hours in a day). But we are trying to be a productive Christian household! Keep an eye out, dear readers, if we do publish his first book, we'll make sure you're among the first to know. Well, almost first; our family and friends might snag that honor, but right after them, this blog is where we'll spill the beans! 😊

Welcoming a new member to the team! (+ a few updates)

We are thrilled to share some exciting news with all of you! Michael Dean and I are eagerly awaiting the arrival of our first baby (I’m writing this on June 8th and my due date is June 9th) It's an incredible time in our lives as we prepare to embrace the joys and challenges of parenthood while simultaneously managing our business. We firmly believe that God never gives us more than we can handle, and we are ready to grow in character and virtue as we navigate this new chapter.

Despite the upcoming changes, our dedication to our craft remains unwavering. Michael Dean will continue to capture breathtaking moments through his skilled videography, while I will focus on editing from the comfort of home. Of course, whenever possible, I hope to join him on weekends to film weddings in the College Station area. Balancing my PhD studies at A&M and our growing business will undoubtedly require some adjustments, but we are prepared to rise to the occasion with enthusiasm and determination.

In addition to this wonderful news, I am excited to share that I have plans to write more blog posts in the near future. I aim to provide insights into our unique filming style, share captivating projects my husband is working on in the realm of animation, and delve into the constant refinement and enhancement of our editing techniques. We have some thrilling updates to share as well, including our recent acquisitions of new lenses and various storytelling tools that will further elevate our work.

Speaking of projects, Michael Dean is currently working on an animation project for a client, set to be completed in the fall. This will mark the debut of Gold Leader Films' first-ever official animated production, and we cannot contain our excitement to unveil it to the world. Be sure to keep an eye out for its release and join us in celebrating this milestone achievement!

As our journey continues to unfold, we are grateful for the support and encouragement we receive from all of you. Your enthusiasm and kind words fuel our passion for what we do, and we look forward to sharing more memorable moments, heartwarming stories, and behind-the-scenes glimpses of our work with each and every one of you. Stay tuned for updates, as there are bound to be plenty of adventures, laughter, and cherished memories along the way!

The story behind the first wedding we filmed together

This particular wedding holds a special place in our hearts as it marked my (Cassie/the wife/second shooter) debut as my husband's filming partner. While my husband had already gained experience capturing beautiful moments at weddings with a previous company in Lubbock, this event symbolized the beginning of our own business venture as a married couple.

Despite the chilly and rainy February weather, the bride and groom managed to infuse the day with an irresistible warmth and radiance. Their love story, or rather their 'meet-cute,' is quite charming and involves the business owned by Michael Dean's parents. Speaking of which, our families' entrepreneurial spirit has greatly influenced our desire to start our own business, and we are incredibly grateful for this shared passion. But let's not get too sidetracked! The important point is that this lovely couple first crossed paths while working at the summer hunting camps organized by Michael Dean's parents. They proudly represent the first official 'Christian Outdoor Alliance (COA) Couple,' although it's worth noting that other happy couples have also found love and tied the knot through COA. It's quite remarkable, and if you happen to be single, perhaps consider working at a summer camp!

The wedding film we captured showcases stunning shots illuminated by the lights that adorned the surrounding trees, as well as the cozy atmosphere inside the reception hall. For the thumbnail of this blog, we opted for an SLR Magic 1.1 50 mm lens, which produces exquisite bokeh in our humble opinion. This lens happens to be one of our favorites due to its impressively low f-stop, and if you've seen our wedding films, you'll know that we absolutely adore a shallow depth of field. Another standout moment from the wedding was the heartfelt father-daughter dance. It was an incredibly special scene to capture, and the genuine love shared between the father and his daughter effortlessly translated onto film.

This first wedding experience left me feeling exhilarated and eager to film more beautiful moments. It truly ignited our passion for wedding videography!

Some Brief Backstory..

I like to say we have a Cinderella story, because we met because Michael Dean asked me to dance. Isn’t that too cute? I would not have met him had he not asked me to dance that night. We were both 18 still and at our freshman “fish” camp (you basically just learn all the fight songs and chants for your school), and at the dance on the last night is when we shared our first conversation but figured we would never see each other again. Little did we know that we would be living in the same dorm, see each other basically every day of our freshman year and become best friends. There is of course plenty more to the story but in 2020 we got married and have been working on this business together for almost 2 years now.

Now we are settled in College Station where I am finishing up my PhD in horticulture with a focus on wine economics. My husband works at an amazing company, Texas Film Works, as a producer, videographer and editor. We are also expecting our first baby come June 2023, so this year is looking to be a very exciting one! We hope to grow our business into our primary pursuit and focus and anywhere we are needed to film couple’s unique and special wedding days!

Marriage is truly one of the greatest gifts from God, and we love being able to share in so many couple’s magical wedding days. The first film we edited together for our business was actually our own wedding film. The footage was captured by the company Michael Dean used to work for in our college town, and they let us have it to edit ourselves. If you watch that video you may notice that the filming style is not quite the same as ours. We are really beginning to cultivate a unique style for our wedding films that we hope will allow brides to show off a fun and creative wedding film that stands out amongst the rest.

This first post it just to give a brief introduction to who we are as a videography team and couple. In my next posts I hope to discuss how we decided on our first equipment investments, and which purchases we recommend and also regret… So it should be interesting! I hope you find something that can be useful and helpful in our blog posts as I share all the fun and crazy stories of starting a business together as husband and wife.

Joyfully,

Cassie Marbach