Meet Danielle Kensington | Destination Wedding & Elopement Videographer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Danielle Kensington and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Danielle, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
I’ve always loved creating videos for me and my friends! Throughout college I would make year end review videos, videos of trips we would take, and music videos for my friends’ band. When COVID shut everything down in early 2020, my job went fully remote (luckily I didn’t lose my job because of COVID). Between being remote and not being able to get out as much, I decided to find an online videography course to learn more about my long time hobby. In the beginning, I just wanted to improve my skills for myself. However, throughout the course, my passion for videography continued to grow and I started to think this could be something I could do as a career. The course had a wedding videography section and this is where the idea for my business started to form. The possibility of filming weddings for a living sounded like such an amazing experience! Being able to capture and preserve the most intimate moments of a couple’s most important day is something I found I had a true passion for! I loved the thought of being able to provide something they can remember for a lifetime. Not a cheesy wedding video we are so accustomed to seeing, but one that is a true reflection of their love story. So, I started my business in late 2020 after spending the summer educating myself on the ins and outs of how to film weddings and shadowing another professional. It’s so funny to me now, but the first wedding I ever attended was one that I filmed! Now, several years later, I find my passion for my business and for creating wedding videos has only grown and I feel so blessed to be able to call this my job!

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
Within my work, I focus on intentional storytelling of my couple’s day, whether it’s a wedding or elopement. I love showcasing their love in an artful way! This can be represented by the music I choose, visuals shown, and words chosen to feature in their film. There are so many little moments and emotions throughout every wedding day. I want to bring the viewer back to those moments and the emotions felt by telling a story. I want each of my couples’ videos to be an honest reflection of their day and for them to see their love for one another in my work. This is what sets me apart from other creators as well as traditional wedding videographers.

Getting to where I am today was not easy! I really wanted to travel and film all across the U.S. when I started, but that can be hard to do if you don’t have the portfolio or ability to market yourself for destination work. The best thing I could do was to take it one day at a time and find, or create, opportunities for myself. I found second shooting for other professionals helped me get the experience needed when I started and helped me to build a portfolio to start marketing myself as a wedding videographer. Once my partner and I built out our van (we are full time van lifers!) it became easier to film in other states other than just Colorado, so I could do more destination work. I have also paid to go to a few content retreats, so I could have the portfolio to market to where I wanted to go!

If I’ve learned anything throughout this process, it would be to be patient, stay true to yourself, and to continue to work smart at finding opportunities that help you grow. You will get what you put into it, so you have to be determined to push through hard times to reap the rewards. I would just want everyone to know that if you ever want to start your own business, the time is now! There are people, courses, and connections that can help you along the way. I was able to do it having no idea how to even start a business and took it one day at a time!

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I’m from Fort Collins, CO so I’d take them to get coffee at the Bean Cycle downtown. There are some great shops and bookstores around there that are so fun to check out! I’d love to ride bikes along Poudre trail and find a spot at one of the parks to catch up. If I had to choose a place to go out and eat, I’d take them to Star of India because they have some amazing Indian food and I’m obsessed with everything they serve. We could see some live music at The Aggie or a comedy show at The Comedy Fort. There are tons of outdoor opportunities around Fort Collins. We’d spend some time on the trails around Horsetooth Reservoir or, interestingly enough, around the Harmony Transfer Center where there are some great walking trails and places to go read.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Yes, Definitely! There are a lot of people that I can thank for helping me get to where I am today.

Firstly, my boyfriend, Dan, has been the most supportive person for me starting my business and has been with me since the beginning. Whenever you start your own business, there is a huge learning curve and, of course, ups and downs along the way. I’m so grateful that I was able to have someone as supportive as him by my side cheering me on. In addition, the support I’ve received from my mentors – Amanda from Amanda Films & Karli from Karli Anne Films. They have truly helped me to navigate through this industry. Then lastly, the Fulltime Filmmaker Course community! Parker Walbeck has an amazing videography course and community of creatives to connect with which has been so helpful for me along my journey.

Website: https://www.visionaryfilmhouse.com

Instagram: @visionaryfilmhouse

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@dananddanielle

Image Credits
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