Meet BG Productions, a husband and wife Wedding Photographer + Videographer team. Every wedding they capture has a special creative flair to it. As you look through their portfolio, you'll notice an unmistakable “fun” factor that is consistent across their work; yet, each wedding seems to have its own personality. Within minutes of spending time with Cathie and Al it's clear how they make this happen - they are passionate people who put relationships first.
Their life is their business and their business is their life and they wouldn’t have it any other way. They lovingly refer to their clients as their “BG Family” and focus on cultivating a positive experience from the first time you connect with them through long past your wedding day. Cathie picks up on the uniqueness of each couple and works with her clients in a way that genuinely celebrates who they are.
We asked Cathie to share what inspires their work and how they execute seamlessly as a dynamic Wedding Photographer + Videographer team – check it out and if you have a question for the BG team feel free to join the conversation below.
Is there a certain moment in your career that stands out? What are you most proud of?
We love what we do and we are always so happy to be part of people's lives. The moment that really sticks out a lot in my career is one that just happened recently at our 10th Annual Client Appreciation Party (a yearly party that we host in honor of our amazing clients aka the "BG Family"). Al and I decided to do a vow renewal as part of it and have a big catered event with Birchtree Catering at the Globe Dye Works. Looking around and seeing how many clients came to share such a special moment in our lives really just made us realize how blessed we truly are. We honestly believe everybody's apart of the BG family. Looking out and seeing everybody smiling, and several even crying during our vow renewal was just so touching.
What's your super power? Everyone has something they do better than everyone else.
I am really great at being organized and I am task oriented. We like to help our couples stay on time, get all the photos they want and have a GREAT time enjoying their wedding day without having to stress! This is definitely an important skill as a Wedding Photographer.
How did you become a Wedding Photographer + Videographer?
I have been doing Photography since High School and have always loved it. I like looking at the world from different perspectives and it allows me to have an outlet for my creative side. When Al saw my talent he really encouraged me to do it professionally. Al has always had a love for film and directing. After serving in the military he went to The Art Institute of Philadelphia and immediately started his own business, Flat World Media Productions, for commercial and corporate work. We combined forces and started BG Productions Photography and Videography... and no - the BG isn't for bride/groom. It is for our last name - The Berrey Greens! Over the years we have enjoyed building both businesses.
What do you love about your job?
Our clients! Everything we do is for our clients. From the moment they book us to do photography and video for their wedding, we are there to help them make their wedding day perfect. We work with our clients to create the perfect timeline to have enough time for all the important photos they want and so they have time to spend some free moments together as a couple too. In 10 years of business we have never had a bad experience with a client. Our clients become BG Family for life (and no it's not a cult lol!). A majority of the couples who hire us, stay in touch and have us photograph other life events (maternity photos, family photos, children's milestones. etc.) and we see a lot of them often at dinner parties, trivia nights, brunches in our home, just getting together and of course our yearly client appreciation party.
Where's your favorite place in Philadelphia? In the world?
We love to explore and travel be it in Philadelphia or around the world. We have been to so many amazing places it's hard to narrow it down to a favorite. I think, right now, I would say Hanoi, Vietnam. It was just so different that the US - so much hustle and bustle and so much culture. We did just recently go to New Zealand and we LOVED it. It was so beautiful no matter which way you looked.
What inspires you?
Nature and Travel. We are always so in awe of how beautiful this planet is. Even just here in the US there are so many beautiful places. Having had the chance to travel all the states, I can say I love something about each one of them. We have been to so many beautiful places around the world and have so many more to see. Traveling always inspires us from the different people you meet to the different cultures you learn about. It helps you not always think inside the box. We feel that if more people traveled around and met people that are different from them, they wouldn't be so afraid of them. Travel helps you know that no matter where you go everyone shares so much in common. We should concentrate on that in our lives.
If you could give couples a word of advice what would it be?
Do your research and hire the right professional Wedding Photographer for you! Our line of business gets more and more saturated every year with "professional photographers" who offer their service at super low prices. Unfortunately, we find that we lose business to that but those people quickly learn that with a budget Photographer, you get budget photos. We think that your wedding photos, that you will look back on for the rest of your life, are worth the investment of a quality Photographer who will make you their top priority. You also need to jive well with your Photographer and make sure their style is what you are looking for. Oh, and most importantly, have fun! That is what you will remember when you look back on your wedding photos.
How would you define your style?
Fun, quirky, unique, artistic and creative. Our focus isn’t on stiff, posed shots, but instead our experienced Photographers will work with you to get your best shot and have fun doing it! We look for beautiful light, beautiful architecture and interesting backgrounds.
What do you do for fun?
We try and have fun no matter what we are doing. For us work is life and life is work. We mix the two all the time and just try to make everything an adventure! Our specific interests include: Steampunk culture, Doctor Who, Marvel, DC Comics, rescuing animals, traveling, meeting new people and spending time with our animal family.
What do you love about weddings?
The love between the couple - whether it be bride and groom, bride and bride, or groom and groom. The wedding day is a celebration of their love and we are so lucky to be able to be apart of their day and capture it for them.
How would your clients describe you?
Our style of Photography would also describe us: fun, quirky, down-to-earth, funky, dynamic.
How would your fellow wedding professionals describe you?
We work extremely well with our fellow Philadelphia-area Wedding Vendors. Communication is so important to make a wedding day run smoothly. We do our very best at every wedding to work with the other vendors so I think they would describe us as hard-working, willing to help to make everything perfect, detail and time oriented and fun! And we always appreciate an awesome venue who makes sure we get plenty of water and get fed so we have the fuel we need to photograph.
What questions or comments do you have for BG Productions?
