Call it a fad. Call it cool. Call it whatever you want but it’s happening and it’s FUN. The gangnam style wedding dance makes the guests laugh with tears flowing down their eyes. All that fun with a picturesque backdrop at The Lodge at Pebble Beach of the bay.

In this tough economy, consumers are being very selective about where they choose to take their business. Before they pull out their wallet, people are performing online research. The Pew Research Center survey on Internet use shows that 78% of adult Internet users look for information about a service or product they are considering buying, and 69% search for information about someone they know or might meet.

What does this mean for your business? You can bet your potential customers are carefully comparing you with your competition. If you want to capture their attention, you’ll need to find that extra thing that will separate you from the pack.

The best new way to draw in potential clients is with a video testimonial. Written testimonials, as you may have noticed, are overused and overabused. Many websites have them, and while visitors may take the time to scan the page, the information doesn’t really sink in. It’s nothing like staring into the eyes of someone who is raving about the person or company the viewer is considering. It’s an easy sell, and the best part is that you don’t need to brag about yourself.

Video testimonials are a great marketing tool to separate you from a million other competitors. We recently put one together for Terel Beppu, a real estate agent with Intero Real Estate. There are currently NO other realtors who are doing this, so it really makes him stand out from the crowd.

The video shares stories from actual clients who worked with Terel, and shows several families in the houses he helped them purchase. The impact of their statements is much greater than it would be in a block of text; you can see their faces and really tell how much they mean what they say.

The video also shows Terel in action, his demeanor, his professionalism and ethics. You get to know his personality well even before meeting him, and to see how dedicated he is to what he does. What is it like to work with Terel?

Because they can present a ton of information in just a short time in an interesting way, video testimonials are much more effective than plain old text. They are great for all kinds of businesses and products, and can even be made for dating services, showcasing a person and his or her personality.

Oh, and I should mention one more thing about the Pew survey: 71% of adults watch videos online. If you post it, they will watch.

Megan and Ken are both educators in a world that desperately need teachers. They are patient, soft spoken and in love. Their wedding was held at the Hollins House at Pasatiempo in Santa Cruz, overlooking the spectacular Monterey Bay. It was the precursor to a larger reception 2 weeks after.

We shot photo + cinema for this wedding, edited the 20 minutes long feature presentation that surprised the couple 2 weeks after in their reception in HS Lordship, Berkeley.

The great thing about having a photo • cinema team is that the photographs can also be embedded into the cinema, something most videographers can’t do.

We’re tickled to find Westin St Francis’ blog featuring our photography for the wedding where we were the photographers and cinematographers / videographers, just 3 weeks ago. They seem to have found our blog of photos that showcase their wonderful stairways.

So, where’s the cinema / video , you ask. Worry not, here it is, the highlights from Lara & Elie’s wedding in San Francisco, aboard the trolley and all.

(be sure to turn HD on)

18 year old Reilly is leaving Atherton, California for college in Texas. Everyone is excited for him, but at the same time, sad. As fine art photographers and cinematographers, our imagery and video/cinema speaks about the family we photograph. Even more so when each family members have so much love and fun with each other.

We almost felt like close relatives, being there, absorbing the love and resonating and reflecting the TLC back into our photographs and cinema. This was photographed in the backyard of their home during our family portraiture session in Atherton, CA (next to Menlo Park and Palo Alto). Enjoy Texas, Reilly!

(Notice Georgia whispering “I love you” to Reilly when she was leaning on his shoulder? )