An Interview with Kent Chastain, owner of Coconut Coast Weddings & Photography
Q: Why is a "photographer-coordinator" (such as yourself) the best choice for planning a Kauai Wedding?
A: I may not always be! I've worked with coordinators that are extremely gifted in managing large weddings. So, if you're coming to Kauai for a wedding with 50 or more guests, you might want to choose a Coordinating-Coordinator. (I shine as a photographer in this setting, as it is my true background, and would still love to do your photos. Please see my work at: www.ChastainStudio.com)
But, if you're getting away to Kauai for a Romantic and Intimate Wedding Celebration, I believe I'm your Best choice! Here's why:
- I have photographed over two thousand weddings in the past 18 years. I spend a lot of time setting things up "just right", so when we all meet up, everything comes together. The pressure is on for me to capture your day, and I take it seriously. There is not a wedding that goes by where I don't still get butterflies in my stomach, determined to capture that perfect shot.
As a wedding coordinator I have a huge advantage over the competition because of my many years as a wedding photographer. Most Kauai destination-weddings are not that complicated – their beauty is in the location and their simplicity! When you live here, especially when you've been coordinating weddings for some time, it's almost second nature to bring a beautiful wedding together. Although excellent coordination is essential and a fitting officiate a very important choice, the photos are the variable that demand the highest care. Who but a Photographer-Coordinator will know you two enough, and care enough about your day, to capture it perfectly with all its beautiful nuances?
Q: Where do you excel as a Wedding Photographer?
A: With all variables of a wedding, were I to pick my strongest talent, I think it would be capturing the Romantic Image. I feel so passionate about it – maybe it's because I'm French. After photographing thousands of people, I just "see things" before they happen. I anticipate them. I love watching a bride and capturing her natural beauty: fixing her hair, the way she leans her body to pick up her gown, or how she touches a pendant around her neck in a reflective pose. It's the photo between the photos where I excel. They sing of romance, and are unique to each couple.
Q: Can you give me more reason why we should trust you with our wedding day and photos?
A: I'm strongly drawn to weddings as a photographer because I've always been a people person and a romantic. Some photographers are not that "into" people, yet they do portraits and weddings anyway. I think I was born to do weddings. Coordinating them is just more of the same fun!
After being part of two thousand or more weddings, capturing as many as a thousand images per wedding, I've developed a natural design flow in my head. Today I've got wedding ideas and images just running through my head, and I'm so excited to share them with you. Weddings are a matter of trust. I pray the images you see, and our communication over time, will convey to you what I see in a wedding and desire to bring about for yours: love and romance, happiness and beauty!