Matt Adcock

Quote: Originally Posted by Calgrl Hi....never blogged before but I'm planning a wedding at Barcelo Riviera Maya in November and need some inside info! Any personal experiences are greatly appreciated. Having trouble getting in touch with the coordinator to finalize plans and I'm getting a bit nervous. Also, looking into both sol tamargo and claudia rodriguez as photographers, anyone have thoughts on them? Thanks! Welcome to the forum I'm a tad biased, but in your search I'd say you can't go wrong with that awesome wife of mine, Sol Tamargo but, like I said...i'm a tad biased Cheers & good luck getting great info here! matt

After spending countless days editing these photos, digging through the moments and literally reliving the wedding day, its crazy how someone who didnt even attend the wedding can actually connect with the emotions and almost feel the breeze blowing that afternoon. Thank you for trusting our vision. Its an honor to be asked to be part of such an intimate experience and we are humbled by your words! saludos, mateo

Quote: Originally Posted by allegraapple Thanks SOOOOO much for posting these links to photos. I think this has pretty much sealed the deal for my fiance and I. This place looks awesome - I've just been having such a hard time finding photos of weddings done there. Again - many, many thanks for sharing!! YOU BET! For this kind of thing, planning virtually is real tough and photos give you a real life visual of whats happening. Glad to help. I shot another killlllllller wedding there a few months ago... LOTS to see here. Especially, the bride and groom seeing each other for the first time from across rooftop balconies of different ocean view rooms. 11.20.09 Marshall + Kaory | Ceiba del Mar | Photos by Matt Adcock

sorry for the duplicate post. BDWF was literally stalling today on my browser. I've been noticing sloower loads recently and sometimes, timeouts. Please erase the other thread. the new beach rocks!

I couldnt believe my eyes last night when I laid my eyes on this massive operation...but it appears the Mexican govt dropped serious BANK rolls on a a project to give playa back its beaches that the last series of hurricanes have taken away. It is discussed and photos added here in this local Playa del Carmen forum thread.... WOW....if it stays like this, there will be some brides, especially those in Playacar Fase 1 and 2 getting a serious serious face lift with 60+ feet of beach added. This is major. Here is a youtube video of this: YouTube - Playa del Carmen Beach Reclamation - 01-17-10 And read about the locals and other travelers posting pics and chatting it up here. Playa/Playacar Beach Restoration - Playa del Carmen, Mexico forum As much as I want to be optimistic, I think mother takes what she wants...and I fear, in no time, this beach will be by by. BUT FOR NOW, yeay sorry i don't have any of my own photos to post... I just noticed it last night on my bike ride.

I couldnt believe my eyes last night when I laid my eyes on this massive operation...but it appears the Mexican govt dropped serious BANK rolls on a a project to give playa back its beaches that the last series of hurricanes have taken away. It is discussed and photos added here in this local Playa del Carmen forum thread.... WOW....if it stays like this, there will be some brides, especially those in Playacar Fase 1 and 2 getting a serious serious face lift with 60+ feet of beach added. This is major. Here is a youtube video of this: YouTube - Playa del Carmen Beach Reclamation - 01-17-10 And read about the locals and other travelers posting pics and chatting it up here. Playa/Playacar Beach Restoration - Playa del Carmen, Mexico forum As much as I want to be optimistic, I think mother takes what she wants...and I fear, in no time, this beach will be by by. BUT FOR NOW, yeay sorry i don't have any of my own photos to post... I just noticed it last night on my bike ride.

Humbled by your words....wow... Thank you for trusting our vision Saludos and Feliz ano nuevo! mateo

Quote: Originally Posted by ~Nicole~ I like your post Matt. It is frustrating trying to battle with a company as big as Karisma that doesn't care about us. I did a review of my wedding that I submitted to my TA who was going to speak to Management about some of the problems I experienced. I specifically asked for them to bring up this photography issue. Lets hope your concerns are driven home! I'd be interested if you hear a follow up from her about what the hotel had to say. A barrage of more requests like this will likely make a difference. Another problem is that some travel agents are fortified business partners with certain hotels / resorts. What makes them this way is the amount of referrals (or beds filled) every year at these resorts. If a TA has been in business a LONG time with a certain hotel company, then there becomes a fine line of keeping both the hotel happy and the client happy from the TA's perspective. I know some people may be reading this and thinking, What the F*#@! are you saying? Think about it. If I'm Joe Blow travel agency and I refer 30-50 clients (thats hundreds and hundreds of nights booked) at Hotel Hotdogs are so Good 4 U, then one must consider that the TA then makes a commission for all the beds filled. Its certainly in the TA's best interest to maintain and keep a good working relationship with that hotel because essentially, they are "in bed" with Hotel Hotdog. Pun or "bun" intended. Whats more important for the TA? 1 bride and groom and their guests or 1 hotel that pays them BIG $$CHEESE$$ dinero for meeting quotas (30-50 brides and grooms and their boat loads of guests). I'm not trying to generalize and say that all TA's are like this. I can confirm though, especially with my experience with Karisma, there is one TA out there who means quite a lot to them and they would do / say absolutely nothing to jeopardize their relationship with them.... your mileage may vary

Quote: Originally Posted by ~Nicole~ I like your post Matt. It is frustrating trying to battle with a company as big as Karisma that doesn't care about us. I did a review of my wedding that I submitted to my TA who was going to speak to Management about some of the problems I experienced. I specifically asked for them to bring up this photography issue. I think the best solution is: if photography is top on your list of wedding must haves and your picky about it.... go elsewhere. Your words are full of wisdom!

Quote: Originally Posted by Afrommert Tammy Im wondering if anyone has a direct contact person at Karisma resorts to talk to them about this outside vendo issue. ?? Interesting to see this thread resurrected. We jumped ship back in April 08 from working with any Karisma Property. Disclaimer. ... Honestly, Azul was our favorite and if we only had to deal with the people at Azul, everything would have been great. Karisma represents them, therefor they must follow house rules of the franchise. Unfortunately, this is not the case. Karsima sets the policies. Lomas Travel tries to enforce them. You are fighting an uphill battle with very little gas in your engine. Call it "David vs Goliath". However, this thread did bring about some change in their policy structure back when it first went live... I guess they actually cared that the millions of page views on BDWF seeing this sorta put a dent in the paint job.... But, you can bondo a car and paint it up nicely, but it will always have that dent. How deep does the dent go? Perhaps you can send your vents / frustrations to Faith Wishnie, director of wedding services for Karisma: [email protected] She was always very helpful to get things taken care of when we needed to get things done. She can take your email and apologize for not being able to do anything. Regrettably, I don't think there is any thing you can say or do as an individual to change things. Here is the pulp>>>> Wanna know where the foodchain starts? Contact your travel agents. Post your thoughts on public forums. Educate the masses so they know what they are getting into from the GET GO as to align all expectations...no surprises. This thread has been up for quite a while, so everyone now knows. (USE TO BE A STICKY)...Tammy? Quote: Originally Posted by Afrommert I am checking into the only 2 photographers available( with out a $500 penality). both photographers in my semi -professional opinion is they both use point shoot cameras and are amature, not so proffessional. Caribu or somthing like that seems to be the better of the 2, but i still am not SOLD on them. Its terrible that those are my only choices. I just dont get it. My buddie Paul had the best analogy here about the High and Mighty All Inclusives.. I think the resorts have a right to act this way. They're like Disneyland. I can't walk into Disneyland and start selling hot dogs. Not unless I pay Disney. And people oughta know that if they go to Disneyland they have to buy Disney food. If you get the wedding package at an All Inclusive resort you have to understand that. I have not seen nor do I know the photographers you list and don't plan on checking up to see if they are Ametur or not.... But from your words, seems as if you may be buying a Disney Hotdog.

Quote: Originally Posted by jackobelle Matt, those photos are GORGEOUS!!!! You & your wife are very talented! Thanks for sharing. Super thank you we friggen LOVE this job. I just shot a killer killer killer session yesterday, hotness everywhere. I'll post them on the blog soon! This thread is so full of awesome shots. Hope it continues too stir the imagination and perpetuates the TTD movement saludos, mateo

Quote: Originally Posted by Elizabeth Medina Welcome to the forum! Good luck choosing a photographer! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . HAHAHA! Just kidding, Matt! Yeah, I hope she finds a great one. Perhaps she should contact you Elizabeth? sheesh, nobody reads these threads, I'm convinced.

Quote: Originally Posted by yamille Terry and I just booked our return trip to Paradisus for the last week in January- I can't wait! I am already counting down the days. Have fun planning everyone! Be sure to drop us a line when you visit and if you are in Playa and if we aren't shooting like mad, an adult beverage would be nice to enjoy with you both saludos, mateo

nobody really reads the posts in the threads as they are still people saying "go with your heart" etc. While I agree with what you are saying, this thread could officially be "closed" because the original thread author 1. Chose her photographer 2. Had her wedding 3. Wrote a review and posted her pics. I guess none of this matters though, many people will still probably not read this.

welcome to BDWF land...the place to get lost in destination wedding planning or found! Saludos and congrats! mateo

Wow, 200 something pages to this thread and counting. Needless to say, I've been waiting to post here for quite a while. We have been involved in SO much work this year (a record breaking year) for del Sol, that we just havent had the time needed to do a good job pulling together all our TTD stuff to showcase in gallery form. Anyway, I've finally put together 6 galleries of some of the hottest TTD photos that I believe you can find on the internet, all in one place We are shooting lots and lots and lots of these sessions and coming up with new tricks and toys and ideas every time and hopefully, you can get an idea of what to expect if you "dream big" as we feel there are no limitations (well, almost none) as to how far we can go. After all, these sessions are very fantasy based and fairy tail like so why not take it to the limit, eh? Here are the links to our TTD slideshows, also found on our blog in the gallery section. del Sol TTD Gallery 1 del Sol TTD Gallery 2 del Sol TTD Gallery 3 del Sol TTD Gallery 4 del Sol TTD Gallery 5 del Sol TTD Gallery 6 and a few photos... These pics are from a land far far off... Some of them make you want to get wet We really love the use of color as a compositional tool Sometimes, our clients just can't keep their cloths on We bring "taking a bath" to an entire new level Sometimes, firefighters are on call to put out the fire from the"photo hotness" Matching his and hers wow You can see, sometimes after a hard day's work, a break with a snack and treats is a must! There is definitely more in our Trash the Dress section too on the site, if you care to see more more more. Dream big, take out all the stops, and take these photos into fantasy land (above water or under it)! Saludos, matt

The original thread author chose del Sol http://bestdestinationwedding.com/fo...5/#post1023123 Thanks Vanessa and Steve for trusting our artistic vision. Going with your gut is always the right choice! Here are their photos, if you care to see

Quote: Originally Posted by traceyfranzel Matt, Thanks again for taking such good care of us. The pics are wonderful! I just emailed the link to all of our guests. I'm sure they will have tons more compliments! Very detailed review coming soon! We HIGHLY recommend DelSol Photography! De Nada Tracey, it was my pleasure! I posted this in another thread and am not sure if it will get lost.. so I will say it again here. One thing that stood out to me was the fact that the Royal staff placed 4 palm trees around the ceremony site. Naturally, these trees don't exist in this location. This addition made a NIGHT AND DAY difference with some of my photos, giving me the ability to show depth and also gave the reception an atmosphere. A + Royal for this! Is this extra? I havent seen it before, but love the concept! Good stuff

del Sol is opening a branch in PV. No travel fees, same great quality. Lots of possibilities there. We love the vistas and the ceilba (views and jungle). Saludos, mateo

A few more shots... Scene setter with palm and lounge, at dusk! Dusk light RULES here. The dance floor was a cool idea. Props are SO Much fun, wish we could see them at all weddings!

Thanks Tracey & Brent for trusting the vision of del Sol! I wanted to post a few here.... What was interesting, and something that I hadn't seen before, was the addition of palm trees on the beach. There were 4 for her wedding. I'm not sure if she paid extra for this, but I loved it. It added a dimension or a layer not usually there. As you can see in these photos, when carefully framed and different parts of the photo include these palms, the shot takes on an entire new meaning. Sad thing is though, they aren't real trees, but the tops of trees that "i think" were cut and buried for this weekend of events. Not sure though.. Either way, cool FX. Those crazy MOSQUITOS here are so bad.

cool story, congrats!

Quote: Originally Posted by NaM I just hired Fernando and will be using him next week. He doesn't do hair..but he brings someone who does so yes, it's a package deal. We love working with Fernando! del Sol will see you soon Amiga! Nov 21 is almost around the corner! No hurricanes either

Quote: Originally Posted by Lady_Di aww, i want to see your pictures! will you be writing a review sometime soon? She just got her slideshow today!!!! ROCKIN HOTNESS. Hopefully she will be posting a review soon saludos matt

You have written some great stuff here for consideration... I have a few thoughts, enjoy or cringe Remember, this is our opinion...it may stink, just some words words words and as always, mileage may vary. Quote: Originally Posted by martin Hiring a Photographer Chemistry Brides often underestimate the importance of the photographer’s personality, yet this person will end up being a very personal guest at your most important event. Evaluate carefully whether you feel comfortable with this person. Some of the most beautiful moments happen behind the scenes, while the bride is dressing, while the couple steals a kiss, and you should feel comfortable inviting the photographer to capture these moments. First find a wedding photographer you like as a person, then evaluate the artistic criteria. Super important. We publish our blog. Its basically a journal of our life. We write about what we are doing pretty much every day. Lots of photographers have these blogs, so its easy to semi stalk them for some time to see what is going on, how they write (do they post on the forum) etc. Blog stalking is a great way to identify personality... phone chat too, if a meeting is impracticable. Problem for us, meetings in April - June are kinda tough for us because we have zillions of shoots. In actuality, we only meet with 5-10 people per year... 150 events. Virtual is the way of the future (combined with other investigative means listed below). Quote: Originally Posted by martin Hiring a Photographer Are you familiar with the location? Your photographer should be familiar with the ceremony and reception site so that he or she can quickly and efficiently capture the best shots. Actually, for us, this is quite the contrary. Of course, mileage may vary per photographer...these are just my thoughts: Although it makes perfect sense in black and white the way you have it written, its a tad more physiological for us.. Let me give you a for instance: There once was a quote that always stood out for me (Pattern and Repetition are the cancer of time). Basically, same ol day in and day out. If I shoot 200 weddings in a hotel, I'm going to be super board with every angle I can find because its already been found by me. What I'd love to do is to show up to a situation, totally inspired because its ALL NEW and nothing has "been done before"... When this is the case, I am 1000% percent sure that the emotions and feelings of what is happening actually are easier to photograph. Regardless, we make the most out of every location we go to. For us (and most of my peers in this industry), we are typically challenged when the spot is super NUEVO. Fashion a comparison to your hometown. The downtown shopping district. How many times have you been there, shopped those shops, walked those streets, sat on the park bench, seen the sites you've seen a zillion times before... Then, imagine going to a new city, walking down the street for the first time, seeing new signs, buildings, new shops, everything is TOTALLY different... Its almost like the feelings a kid gets when they go in a candy store.... every turn of the head stimulates the mind... Make sense? I want to be the kid in the candy store with my camera at every wedding! Sometimes, knowing nothing at all about the spot encourages creativity.... Quote: Originally Posted by martin Hiring a Photographer What are your references? Call each reference and ask whether or not the person was satisfied with the overall experience and received the desired photos. Well, references are sometimes obtainable... but in a virtual world, I belive there might be a tad more available to help ease this decision vs contacting a list of past clients from all the photographers your interested in. First, how about the BDWF as a source as a reference. Place one post in the board where you are planning your event about a vendor, see how many responses you get. As we all know, there are a ton of great reviews here and some bad ones... In addition, check to see if the photographers have any accolades or if they belong to any professional organizations and what those organizations mission statements are.... does the photographer have awards? Does the photographer have a Rave or Testimonial page? Also, GOOGLE them... you'd be surprised to see whats archived out there. Sometimes, photographers may write their own obituary by something they did or said that was then posted on a public forum or written in a newspaper article...etc. Quote: Originally Posted by martin Hiring a Photographer Once you have found the wedding photographer with the skill set, style, vision and personality to suit your needs, you must schedule follow-up meetings to discuss specifics and plan your wedding photography. Together you will decide how many hours your photographer will spend at your wedding, your overall vision and specific photo suggestions. Plan the wedding day photography from beginning to end. Try to visit the location with your photographer to preview the site. This will help determine lighting conditions, photo locations and alternatives in case of inclement weather. Site visits are pretty tough. Sometimes, we make visits if we can, and sometimes its just impossible due to our crazy schedule. I would think that with destination brides bringing in foreign photographers actually may have a better chance for their photographer to make the site visit if they are staying on the property. Its just going to be tougher in the destination wedding market and in foreign countries to guarantee every photographer hired knows the property or can make a visit or has the availability on the calendar to make this happen... Much of this goes back to the kid in the candy store metaphor i mentioned above. Knowing the location though, isnt a bad thing, it just may not be totally practical in all circumstances. Planning alternatives for in-climate weather is a super good idea. First, get the WC's thoughts. The photographer may have no control here, but can always offer up good suggestions. For example, last Saturday, the WC wanted to cancel the beach reception due to "POTENTIAL RAIN", 30 minutes prior to the ceremony. Due to the fact that I'm a local and I can look at the sky and know which way the wind direction is coming from and typically, can judge when its going to rain or not, I gave my advice to this bride. DO NOT MOVE YOUR RECEPTION... I'm no meteorologist, but I just didnt feel it was going to rain. She is a BDWF bride and hopefully, can attest in her review to my advice here. All in all, your info is pretty spot on. Contracts are a must. Hopefully, the time of coverage is discussed PRIOR to the contract being signed. We go out of our way to interview the bride, gathering all the info about the wedding day timeline prior to even sending pricing info. We want to 100% make sure that all her expectations are met by the coverage we recommend. At the end of the day, my best advice is to hire a professional. Preferably someone who specializes in destination weddings business. Someone who has proper equipment for the job (LOTS OF BACKUPS) and who knows the region (vs the actual hotel) and the ins and outs of the region. Thanks for your post!