Vendor Spotlight: TSL Photography & Lighten Films

Name: Suzi & Terrence Lighten

Location: Vegas, Baby!

Company Name: TSL Photography & Lighten Films

Number of Years in Business: 3

Website: www.tslphotography.com and www.lightenfilms.com

Blog: www.tslphotography.com/blog and www.lightenfilms.com/blog

How did you get started in photography/cinematography? It’s kind of a funny but long story, but I’ll see if I can size it down a bit. When Terrence and I first met, we were both working at Costco part-time and attending college full time. I was on overload with 6 classes, majoring in Education with a minor in Photography. Terrence was studying to be a big-time Hollywood producer, majoring in Film Production. Truth be told, there tends to be a lot of “socializing” outside the workplace amongst co-workers at Costco. Although, Terrence and I were COMPLETE opposites and had 100% different perspectives on dating, Terrence tried to befriend me and invited me to one of his many Costco get-togethers. Long story short: Through much persuasion, and a few huge life-altering changes on Terrence’s behalf, we began dating, got engaged, married, and 4 months later photographed a friend’s wedding. The feedback we got on the photography was truly amazing! Everyone was floored and advised us to pursue wedding photography as a career. We incorporated cinematography into the mix to make sure Terrence’s incredible talents weren’t wasted, and voilà, here we are today!

If you didn’t do photo/video for a living what would you be doing instead? Well, I know Terrence would definitely be on a movie set somewhere, most likely directing one of the many film scripts he’s written, or helping behind the scenes in some other aspect to make movie magic happen! As for me, I would have to figure something else out that would allow me to be a stay-at-home mama and yet still be around people! We have two kids, and I love being at home with them. I would totally have to invent some sort of get-organized-and-make-your-life-easier habit that I could share with other moms…. ‘cause the good Lord knows I could sure use that myself! LOL!

What are some of your hobbies? Hobbies?! Ha – that’s a good one. In all honesty, Terrence and I have been so swamped with work and family, we haven’t had a whole lot of time for much else. But, when time permits, we enjoy picnicking in the park with our babies! Arielle is almost 6 months and Isaiah is 20 months (See, I told you we busy)! We also enjoy going to the movies. Terrence can practically recite the entire script by heart on the car ride home. Snuggling up on the couch watching CSI was a fave for us during both of our pregnancies. And for those of you who keep up with our blog already know that Terrence and I intend on going swing dancing more often… starting this weekend! E-mail me if you’d like to come hang with us!

What is the craziest wedding experience you’ve ever had? I’ve had some real doozies, but one wedding does stand out amongst the rest, actually. The bride who hired me *seemed* to be the shy, innocent, girl-next-door type. Alright, add some alcohol and a bunch of party animal guests, and before you know it, things were a tad bit out of control. Next thing I know, clothing’s flying across the dance floor, the bride was making out with another woman (which the groom seemed to be enjoying, I might add) and what was taking place on the dance floor really should have been taking place behind closed doors. Talk about crazy – wow!

What is the best wedding experience you’ve ever had? That’s a toughie! For us, we strive to make every wedding experience the best we’ve ever had. Through making connections with our clients and giving that extra bit of unexpected service, we really bond with our couples. After having laughed and cried through the vows and thank-the-Lord-they-booked-video-super-incredible speeches, at the end of the night, when the bride and groom get on the mic and personally thank us for a job well done – we’ve just experienced the best wedding ever… until the next one!

What is your inspiration? God! Yes, God is our inspiration. We just want to have a business that would please the Lord. That means having honesty, integrity, and good, wholesome relationships that lead to awesome referrals. When our clients know that they can trust us and are 100% in love with our work, they tell all of their best friends, their mailman, the clerk at the pet store – they tell everyone. The best form of advertising is free – and that’s why it’s so important to us to keep God the center of our business!

Name an exotic location you’d like to visit soon. Hawaii!!!

Why do your clients choose you over some of your competitors? We are remarkably different. Personality is key. And we’re all about going above and beyond the norm. Our clients see that during their initial consultation with us.

What is the best piece of advice you can offer a bride and groom on their wedding day? As much planning has gone into making this day the perfect day, don’t dwell on any of the details of the day. Leave that to your coordinator! (Juliet will have that all taken care of anyway!) Focus on one thing, and one thing only: marrying the love of your life. That is all that matters. Everything else will fall into place. Your photos and video will definitely reflect the pure, raw emotion of the day when you are grounded and left to focus on your love.

Anything else interesting you’d like to share? We just want to thank Juliet for wanting to feature an interview with us on her blog! Juliet is amazing and we highly recommend her so that you can focus on what matters most – showing up to marry the one you love and celebrating your joyful union!

Elena & Nick Highlight Video from Terrence Lighten on Vimeo.

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website * Email: juliet@greenorchidevents.com