Notes on filming Newport Beach
Newport is two waters. The harbor side sits behind the Balboa Peninsula, so the sun sets off to the side rather than out across the view, and the water is flat enough to act as a mirror rather than a light source. The ocean side, up on the Newport Coast, faces open Pacific with nothing in the way, and the last hour arrives low and level.
Which side you are on changes where a camera has to stand. On the harbor the good frames are rarely the obvious ones, because the light is coming across you instead of at you. Up on the coast the frames are exactly where you expect them, and the job is protecting the time rather than hunting the angle.
The venues we know here
Pelican Hill. Our films there: Rahul & Prianka, Randy & Denise, Jerry & Mia.
Marina Park Community & Sailing Center. Marina Park sits on the harbor side of the Balboa Peninsula, and that single fact decides everything about the light here. The water in front of you is Newport Harbor, not the open ocean, so the sun sets off to the side rather than out across the view. You do Our film there: Alex & Anna.
Timing a Newport Beach wedding
On the coast side, a ceremony roughly ninety minutes before sunset puts the vows in falling light and leaves golden hour free. On the harbor side the sun leaves the water earlier than the sky suggests, so the same ninety minutes is closer to two hours. Ask which way your ceremony site actually faces before the timeline is set.
How booking works
Three collections, stated plainly: The Moment at $6,000, The Portrait at $8,000, and The Legacy at $10,000. Every collection is a complete cinematic wedding film and includes a custom wedding website. The details live on the collections page.
We take on a limited number of weddings each year. If your date is set, check it with us early. Our wider notes on the region live on the Orange County page.