Matt Adcock

sure, put it on your website or anywhere. The way we see it... if any person out there wants to almost get their feet wet visiting Al Cielo, they can watch this video and share our experience. Cheers matt

Feliz Ano Nuevo! Recently, we celebrated our 1st anniversary Dec 6, 2008. We decided to stay at Al Cielo Hotel for an experience of sunrise magic, afternoon pampering and beach side chilling, cenote swimming, a perfect dinner plan and setup by the hospitality artists of the staff. We decided to bring our cameras along and shoot a little bit of what Al Cielo set up for us. *if you are a potential honeymooning couple or anyone interested in a very intimate location, don't forget about Xpu-HA Beach's Al Cielo.... I made a mixed media (photo stills and video capture) of our entire experience there. The walkdown to the beach sequence really gives you the feel of walking in our shoes and exploring the total beauty this beach has on any given perfect day If you want to know the power of the potential full throttle Al Cielo experience, do indulge in the 4 minute movie. We were not paid or commissioned to make this sequence...we just did it because we are in love with our jobs Click over to VIMEO to see the full HD video version. Del Sol Anniv | Al Cielo Video here are a few scene setter shots to wet the taste buds...

Quote: Originally Posted by pdcbride09 So, I seen a post the other day on someone stating that there has been some violence in Mexico. Well..it's true. There has been a lot of kidnappings throughout the country, and now this brutal scene in the state of Yucatan. My fiance and I are a little scared now because we are planning to have our wedding in Playa Del Carmen. In order to get to Playa, you have to take a 40 mins bus/taxi/car ride down the highway. That's a long stretch. don't know if we are over-reacting or what? Here's the story 12 decapitated bodies found in Mexico - CNN.com All one needs to do is check the local headlines near all big cities (small cities too) in the USA to find some aweful crime / murder scene... How about that A$$ hole who showed up in a santa suit and killed a 8 people, burned down a house.... school shootings, bank robberies, etc. Violence is everywhere. My wife & I just spent 10 days driving around 4 states through the Yucatan and in Chiapas, the state South of the Yucatan Peninsula. We must have drove through 30+ military checkpoints, all an effort from the Mexican Govt to look out for Narcos, drug & arms trafficking. We drove on some serious back roads in places that may have seemed scary but all in all, 2650 Kilometers of driving, & we experienced NO potentially dangerous situations. We were WAY out of "safe" or so called safe tourist areas. Come to Cancun, take a transfer to PDC, you couldnt be safer... I'd even gamble that you have a greater chance of getting in an accident on the HWY 307 (the 50 min hwy ride between CUN & PDC) from a reckless driver / idiot on the road... VS getting in a gang / violence hold up from the evil doers mentioned in those articles.... My 2 cents.

congrats amor, the photo with the dad, kid in arm, yanking another kid out of the way is priceless, I heart this photo! Its definitely a "top" photo! thanks for posting this Elizabeth, saludos to SOL! cheers, mateo del sol edited to add this: I LOVE the comment made by the father of the bride...

I know you are asking about a non-beach location and although this may exist, I'd like to suggest a spot that we chose for our wedding day. Here is the link to Sol's blog showcasing our vendors and the ceremony site in Playa del Secreto. Check this place out. You will likely need to hire a wedding coordinator to help you set up all the logistical challenges of making a place like this fit your wedding dreams. The beautiful thing about it was that it started as a complete blank canvas. We had TOTAL freedom here Sol Tamargo Photography The property has a palm grove just off the ocean. Out of all the places I've seen in the Riviera Maya out of hundreds of weddings, nowhere had the feeling and setup that Secret Jewel had for us.... We had 58 guests. Any idea of what your overall budget is for your wedding? Ballpark? I believe this is an important consideration here because this kind of gig is a create from scratch and parts of that approach can tug on the wallet. But totally manageable! For other suggestions, Xcaret. Check out this wedding we shot this spring. del Sol Photography Wedding Photojournalism The grounds are amazing and you are on a hilltop chapel that is completely open air. The reception is in this MAJOR huge cenote cave that has air conditioning.... I could write about it for hours, just mind blowing. Check it out as a possible non-beach option Hope this helps! Cheers, matt

Quote: Originally Posted by Morgan here is some info on protecting the cenotes that I dug up. i wish I would have researched this more before we went & made up a list for our guests. Do not touch! To the best of your ability, avoid touching the walls, floor, ceiling, and formations ...anything. from this website: Cenotes of the Riviera Maya Home, Steve Gerrard Cavern, Cave, Technical Instructor I actually own his book... its super good. I am currently working on a project (without brides) to photographically document the region's cenotes... I was going to contact Steve with my photo research... I am a diver too To completely take his comments in the context that he is talking about...I often think about how he produced his book which is to educate snorkelers and divers and tourists of there where abouts and the advantages or disadvantages that each cenote offers to the potential visitor. In reading his book, he is very detailed with each centoe... hundreds and hundreds of them. One section is actually dedicated to snorkelers. Although I respect Steve very much and his interests for the environment, I also think that there is a slight double standard going on here. He published his "public awareness" article that you cited here and to me, it seems as if he may have himself, broken some of his own rules. I have visited many of the cenotes that he writes about.... and although that I agree, don't litter and dont touch and destroy these precious systems, and also pay the fees that the land owners require, you must actually WALK INTO some of them. These cenotes are underground rivers and they flow eventually into the ocean. The pollutants from these cenotes kill reefs all along the RM coastline. Sadly there is not enough done to protect them. The dump systems of playa del carmen have crushed the underwater ecosystem.... There is huge amounts of talk about it....But, they did actually stop development in Tulum due to harmful damage posed on the underwater river system and yanked operating privileges for several hotels, which was the subject of a recent post here, if i remember correctly. We respect the cenote environment., we personally know the land owners of all the cenotes where we shoot, and we agreed on paying them a "high fee" every time we work there. This fee is directly used to support them and their efforts to maintain the cenote ecosystem. Thanks for posting his book though... its what originally educated me on the world of the cenote Cheers! Matt PS... moderators... is this post getting off topic or what?

Quote: Originally Posted by nathanielthompsonphoto First Matt, let me say that I love your work and your style. You and Sol are definitely at the forefront of the TTD sessions. Any bride would be fortunate to have hired you and Sol, as your work is beautiful and innovative - plus I'm sure you're really nice folks to be around. And, I'm sorry to hear that you've had so many emails to respond to. When I saw you posted on this topic, I was excited to read what you had to say. Especially about the Cenotes - as you certainly have the experience and expertise. And you're right about shooting at noon etc. Its actually quite manageable to use artificial light to overpower the harsh light with radio poppers or pocket wizards - and it creates a unique look. I just feel that you came across as condescending to other photographers with the "afraid" and "textbook" comments. You could just have pointed out the beautiful colors possible at midday with artificial lighting techniques - and shown those gorgeous photos and left it at - remember to just trust your photographer. I think ccarmany23 had a simple question, and it was simply answered - even more completely by you with pointing out the midday options. I don't think you were meaning to offend or come across as "we're so great and everyone else isn't" its just the first impression I got when I read your post. Again, you and Sol do amazing work and your success is so completely deserved. I wish you all the best - and I will try to think of the impact this forum has before I make a quick response. I will continue to admire what you and Sol do with your TTD sessions. Cheers! Your right man.. .i just went back and re-read my post. Sounds like a peeved photog writing that... I've cleaned it up and added at the top: Trust your photographer.... My entire concern from the beginning is seeing so many poorly done images... I'm taking it personal I guess. I want photographers to challenge themselves more and go the extra mile to make art. Too often, i'm not seeing these efforts. I am confident though that most photographers with a skill set can deliver and that is really the point that I need to drive home. Its possible to get great stuff and you don't need a studio team or crew to do it, but you do need smarts..... after all, look at Ben Chrisman.... that guy shoots weddings with 3 cameras, no assistants, and sets world records..... so i guess anything is possible! I apologize to all that I offended by writing that post.... I really only wanted to inform the uninformed to know that basically anything is possible. Hopefully, that is communicated Cheers ! mateo

Quote: Originally Posted by lambert13 the shot where the bride is standing on the bottom of the cenote is a big big big no-no. That stirs up sediment in the cenote which disrupts visibility as well as the ecosystem of the cenote. Standing in a cenote is not going to harm the ecosystem bro... I'm no environmental engineer, but I'm pretty sure that there are worse things happening right now in cenotes.... Possibly swimming with sun tan lotions, yep. We encourage our clients to not wear any... also, we tell our clients to take showers at centoe facilities where available to make it good.. I've been to about 30 or so different cenotes... while some of them have platforms that are built over very deep water, most of them require you to actually walk in if you are going to dive / swim / explore..... Are you suggesting that people do not enter into any cenote at all? Regardless of your answer, we will continue to look out for the environment.

Quote: Originally Posted by Morgan I was told that you quoted someone $17,000 for their wedding plus TTD. ... so you can "keep costs down." Then I learn you quote $17,000. We actually spend 1k + in cost (paying assistants, transportation, location fees, etc) on some of these ttd adventures... its all in what we put in our work. I'd like to keep this thread on subject here because we have received boatloads of emails from clients and potential clients, just based on them reading this thread... Its informative and has some juicy facts. Thanks, Matt

easy there killer... i didnt mean to step on your toes... Just stating the facts to what it takes to make killer imagery consistently. Our clients expect that

Edited to add: Trust your photographer... They will schedule your session knowing that the time they choose will best suit their abilities and capabilities to deliver rockin stuff. Its pretty amazing how a thread on this forum causes the emails to start pouring in from our clients second guessing and or asking about the best time for their start time for scheduling a TTD. There are several different factors here to consider and hiring a local photographer or a destination wedding photographer who has experience with the weather conditions in their specific region, can pay off in a big big way. First of all, del Sol has scheduled and will continue to schedule photo sessions / ttd's at any and all times of the day just to accommodate our clients requests.... For example, did you know that there are a million zillion photographers who will tell you that taking photos at 12 or 1 (high noon) is the worlds worst idea.... yep, some may think that. There is no question, its very challenging and the light is very harsh. BUT, one must understand, there are ways to do just about anything. We will schedule sessions at 12noon because we know that we can get some amazing color from the ocean... Photos on the beach at the first hour and last hour will NOT YIELD the natural vibrant blue / green colors from the ocean of the Riviera Maya, just so everyone is clear. Only photos taken mid day when the sun is high in the sky will allow you to be in an ocean or next to the ocean and retaining that color? How does del Sol meet this challenge? Experience and equipment. We bring lighting and a crew to most of our sessions.... It may take masking off direct sunlight with reflectors or making light with flash, to compensate the bright sun. Also, one major consideration with all this has to do with STYLE.... some photogs roll different than other photogs... Having said all that, here are some conditions that we consider. Photo examples provided so you get the idea... Keep in mind that these circumstances may change depending on the time of year and the sunset time... 1. Clients wants blue water and knows that sunset sky colors will not be present... (session scheduled 11-3ish) --Ok, we will usually have more of a staff, and set up the shoot and let everyone know that sweating and near heat exhaustion will happen.... we also know a few spots near super blue ocean that provide partial or full shade. We may visit multiple locations. I'm providing this shot to showcase that we actually setup a studio with flash power that matches the intensity of the sun.... in this case, this is a setup shot. You can see me laying on the ground between the couple, describing my madness for the shot setup... Notice the brightness on their faces on the opposite side of the sun... we made that with flash power from our assistant. SHOT at 1PM. This shot also showcases the awesome color of the water in RM Here is the final results I was going for... Notice the light on the opposite side of the sun's rays.... The light on the right side of their hands and on his face, opposite side of the sun... we do this to defeat the hardcore shadow given by high noon light Here is another from the session...Shot at 1:16pm Love the color on the ocean... Most photogs would be afraid to book a session at 12-1pm..... Likely because they don't know how to control or make light. And another shot at 12:40PM. LUV THE COLOR~ 2. Clients wants pretty sky colors near sunset and ocean background... (session scheduled 4:30-6ish) --We usually schedule session in location that is near the ocean that contains many other locations to shoot in that are in partial or full shade, and will finish the session on the beach. This one also depends on experience with the location. Speaking exclusively for the Riviera Maya, the coastline faces east. BUT, did you know that you can actually get photos of sunsets on the RM coast? Knowing where to go is the difference here.. Shot at 7:02pm and another shot at 6:35pm Shot at 6:59pm. Sunset was likely at 6ish..... so we like to work late into the dusk hours for sure... excellent lighting makes these happen! 3. Clients wants Cenote (scheduled at any daylight hour after 9am and before 4pm) --This is a situation where experience with the location pays 100%. These cenoes usually face certain directions. Some have holes with openings in them. The sun hits these openings at certain times in the day.... shooting in these locations depends 100% on the knowledge of the location. We have 6 locations that we consider for different times of the day, depending on the clients availability. We do this as a convenience to our clients and make sure that optimal conditions are met. getting to these locations when the sun is in the PERFECT position is crucial... As you can see, shooting in these locations can have quite a few factors that make or break chances at getting some rockin photos... most important, does your photographer really know what they are getting into and how to accommodate just about any situation? This entire post can relate to photography for just about any session on the beach..... but, please note that we do recommend our weddings to begin at or around sunset to ease the harsh light. By no means is this the bible of all of what we do, because we often mix and match circumstances and have clients whose schedules just limit themselves to different times. Regardless, we make it work with our very best effort. Sometimes it requires bringing a portable studio with us...staff, equipment, and experience to see the results that are on our web pages these days. In closing this novel, I'd say don't worry about the time that your TTD session is scheduled. If you have hired a photographer that knows their stuff, they will do you right (hopefully). Cheers! Matt

del Sol has a pretty big following from the brides and grooms on BDWF and I figured I'd put a post in here updating everybody with our status of recent so you can know when to expect back from us.. Currently, we are taking our honeymoon in Costa Rica for 18 days. August 13- Sept 2 or 3.... We got married Dec 6, 2007 and due to the fact that we work our tails off (82 weddings and 35 ttd's shot so far this year) we decided to postpone our honeymoon 6 months. Nonetheless, we are traveling in the mountains of Costa Rica and we will go days and days without checking our email. In some places, they claim to have internet but its so slow that it takes me back to dialup days of having 14400 modem and waiting 10 minutes to download one photo. As lame as it is, we are actually working on our honeymoon but at a very very slow pace, answering inquiries as we can. We have 4 or 5 days left on this trip and so far, we have had 38 individual wedding inquiries since we left for the honeymoon.... Because we individually answer each inquiry (instead of having a bulk response or a staff robot answer each request) we take time to cater to each client. Therefore, we beg for patience with all of you and thank you so much for trusting our vision enough to inquiry with our studio! Sol is documenting our travels on her blog, www.soltamargo.com/blog. Do check it out, our adventures have been nothing short of national geographic style nature and wildlife touring! I am shooting a documentary video of our entire experience and plan on updating this forum with our entire experience in Costa Rica.... we will give hotel info, tour info, and of course, excellent documentary visuals of our trip, aiding in your planning of the most killer honeymoon planning... this place rocks! We will be back in full operation around Sept 5. Thanks for your patience Cheers! matt

Quote: Originally Posted by pepper55 Claudia up-charges for Karisma brides, and unfortunately its more than the $500 fee. Her 5 hr. package is $900 more.. i guess folks are starting to see the bottom line here when dealing with Karimsa Hotels.. RE: BAN... anyone can call it what they want... we like to think of it as a political indifference...

Just an FYI folks.. These cenotes are on private land and their land owners have awaken to the commercialization to their property and are charging photographers $200 per hour, specifically this cenote Morgan mentions. cheers! matt

I think that the newer Canon Powershot cameras from 8-12 mega pixels and containing an IS or Image Stabilization option for the built in lens is important. Most any of these housings allow for additional fun with imagery and when on vacation, the smaller housings or self contained camera/housing hybrids are an excellent way to play Thanks for the nice comments, we want to do another cenote session very soon! Our mission statement with the Trash the Dress sessions: The positive feedback within the online bridal world and also the perpetual promotion of the concept / phenomenon of Trash the Dress must live on. Thanks to every bride who openly supports the bridal session that is way way more fun. We literally live life vicariously through our brides and love life doing it Cheers & smile on your way to buy your new underwater housing mateo

Just on the tails of our swimming with Whale Sharks, we have recently purchased an HD video camera and an underwater housing.... ok, so now I'm a videographer! HA... .not really.... but I enjoy documenting life and use my eye to put together our experiences. Sol & I have purchased underwater housings for our pro digital camera because it is so much fun swimming in the pool, cenote, ocean...wherever... and recording footage of the fun. I actually would like to motivate all the folks on the forum to investigate purchasing an underwater housing for your own Point and shoot digital camera. They are cheap and the payoff will come instantly. First, I'd like to give you advice based on the P&S camera that we have... I think its a Canon Powershot 850. Regardless of our model, there are lots of small P&S cameras out there with underwater housings available and for super cheap. Here is a combo set for one that seems very affordable under $400 for both camera and housing in a kit. Most camera manufacturers make an underwater housing for all models of their P&S cameras... if you already own a camera, search out to see if there is a housing to fit around your current model. You may be surprised they are all priced in the $150-200 range... well affordable for the fun imagery. That said, we spent a few thousand on our housing and accessories for our camera and used them for the first time. Here is a shot Sol took of me in action in & out of the water... This was our first TTD in a cenote with the camera housing plus the housing made for our video camera... so I shot some documentary footage and had some fun.... Here is my underwater video documentary of the session... a really cool perspective : del Sol Underwater Trash the dress | Underwater Photography on Vimeo there are many images from the session in the end of the video...check it out i think its some of the most creative footage I've ever shot. me in action with our housing for the pro camera one of the shots I got from the underworld Let me know your thoughts Cheers! matt

Quote: Originally Posted by Kat81 How much is it to go out? Sol is telling me that it may be $150-$200 Per person, either way its a once in a lifetime experience and a boatload of fun..... i made a pun ok, cheers & thanks for looking. PS, thanks for looking at the UW video... i'll write up a post about that too. cheers! matt

Quote: Originally Posted by lauren that's awesome!! so cool that you were able to touch and swim w/ them in their natural environment. no touching actually.... They grow 70 feet or more, these ones were in the 50 foot range... just as long as a tractor trailer truck, can u believe that? If you are in the RM during June 1 - Sept 15, you should plan a tour with them, for sure! thanks for commenting mateo

Yesterday, Sol & I went on a tour with the event director at Hotel Esencia to swim with whale sharks in the Caribbean ocean... I dont have the exact info for the tour as I didnt set it up, but wanted to share the experience so everybody can visualize exactly what is in store for this amazing day of adventure. Boats leave from Punta Sam (north of cancun a tad), Isla Mujeres, or Isla Holbox (the longest amount of traveling). This is the 2nd time we have done this tour. The first trip a few years ago departed from Ilsa Mujeres. our 8/1/08 trip departed from Punta Sam. Boats depart early as it takes 30 or 45 min trip to get to where the fish are swimming so be prepared for an early rise. The sharks are on the surface early in the day and go deeper at night. The season is June 1- Sept 15. Average cost per person: $100-150. Tours include travel to port site, 3 swims with the sharks (usually in pairs of 2 so everybody gets a unobstructed swim/view of the animals) Then boats go to a reef off of Isla Contoy to a beautiful reef, swim 1 hour or so on the reef. Refreshments and Drinks (cerveza's) available. Sandwiches also provided. Our boat caption made ceveche as well! LOADS of fun and here is what an actual jump into the water feels like (be sure to watch the end for a few photos from our underwater housing!: del Sol swimming with Whale Sharks on Vimeo Incredible! cheers! matt

Quote: Originally Posted by Kits55 Matt and Elizabeth, thank you for the gorgeous pictures. That's my number one thing for my wedding, amazing photos and an amazing resort! I'll have to check into the room rates thing too. de nada That hotel ROCKS! Sol is shooting her first Maroma gig this Saturday, can't wait to see those. Hopefully, she will find some time to add a few images here. Cheers! matt

Quote: Originally Posted by zorlack76 Thats true about the editing. He is very particular about everything. What would you suggest for a dollar amount to give him as a gift...assuming he chooses to be the photographer and not part of the wedding party? our wedding photog covered our wedding for free... we spent 2500 on tickets and all inclusive hotel for them.. That said, shooting a wedding and being a guest at a wedding are 2 different things. It can be done, but it can also be a tough business relationship and there are some possibilities about doing business with friends that may turn good relationships into bad ones... if you do decide to hire this guy, dont just say "ok, cool...i'll see you there for the photos"... make him write a contract and discuss the terms and expenses and such... you will not regret this! good luck!

word! thats a super fun trip eh?

Quote: Originally Posted by mexico09bride Also Donaji told me when we met with her that you are required to buy their wedding package which includes 11 K for a photographer, florist, site, coordinator music etc. They DO NOT let you bring your own photographer or florist anymore. This is an important change! So, in addition to the food and beverage (87 per person for food and above prices for beverage) you are paying for a wedding package. we are absolutely baffled by this as I think it was Sol that recommended you to Al Cielo? What are these people thinking?

Quote: Originally Posted by nylalany Thanks for the photos Matt - it is neat to see another style wedding at the same place - there haven't been many posted here besides mine and itsme7396, but so far, all 3 feel somewhat unique! I like what you did with the palapa lighting - there isn't much lighting at Al Cielo and for a wedding that goes late into the night, that is an important consideration! We rented extra lighting and I still felt like we could have used a little more! Thanks for the nice comments. We put quite a bit of effort to think about these ideas to try and change it up from the ordinary and I would totally agree, Al Cielo needs LOTS of ambient lighting. lots and lots and lots and lots more needed. We shot this wedding there a few years ago, if you are in the mood to dig through more photos of the location: Sol Tamargo Photography Wedding Photojournalism but this is all we have done there so far. The client that whose wedding we listed in the above post, Tobie & Tim, actually found our photos of Al Cielo online and made the decision to book the venue based on our images... a pretty kewl gesture! I'm hoping that we can get more folks hooked on the location! Mateo