The beginning of one of Ron's wedding videos is a favorite of mine. In a voice-over, a Chinese mother is talking about the five important things that make for a successful marriage. As she speaks, the camera moves leisurely to a water lily patch, then follows a stream to the shimmering drops of a waterfall, past flowers swaying in the breeze to the couple kissing under the cantilevered branches of a large tree. The Zen-like introduction brings to mind what a wedding is all about.

Ron Dawson's first encounter with film-making dates back to 1992. He took film and video courses at De Anza College in order to shoot a movie about an amusing experience he had while at UC Berkeley. "I never made the film but fell in love with film-making," he told me. As much as his busy schedule allowed him, he made short, fun documentaries on the side. The scare of 9/11 made him re-think his goals in life, which led to his love: movie-making. "When I delivered my first wedding video, the couple's laughing and crying were like a spiritual experience," he reminisced.

Ron's videos are tailored to the personality of the couple. His goal is to create a movie that speaks to the clients as if the script were created just for them. It is balanced between an artistic set of montages and the actual audio from the day to help to tell the story. In his sample video clips you find the tasteful melange of images, subjects with reflections, and split screens.

"In order to produce the best work, I believe in extensive communication before the wedding," Ron informed me. "All clients are different. They have different expectations and wishes. If I don't get to know them, how can I do a good job?" His hard work and diligence has paid off as he was voted "2004-2005 Videographer of the Year" by the Bay Area Professional Videographers Association.

Event professionals and clients alike love to work with Ron and praise his personality and professionalism. "He gets really involved, but at the same time he is very discreet and very careful to remain in the background as much as possible," were comments of a wedding coordinator friend. "He is one of my top choices. I love to work with him and I know my clients do, too. Each of his videos is different, reflecting the taste and personality of each couple."