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Fred was born in a suburb east of Pittsburgh, PA. In 2001 he started his adult education at Saint Vincent College, earning a bachelor of art in communication with a minor in philosophy. While at Saint Vincent, Mr. Findley focused his classes in media studies with a specific interest in video production and editing.

In the summer of 2003, Findley took a course in film making at the New York Film Academy in New York City. The following year he interned with PBS & WQED during the making of the documentary film “The War that Made America” which was shot in the mountains beyond Ligonier, PA.

In 2005, Findley began his academic pursuits of a masters degree in multimedia at the California University of PA. During this time he was a GA for the university’s cable television station in charge of overseeing news production and producing his own television shows which included a late night comedy sketch show and a reality television show.

While completing his masters degree, Findley launched his own side business, FineLine Multimedia, which became a full-time endeavor in 2009. FineLine Multimedia would eventually branch into FineLine Weddings and by 2007 Findley had began embracing both video production and professional photography.

Today, Fred Findley serves both business-to-business interests in promotional / commercial work and web marketing research and implementation, as well as business-to-consumer services involving wedding production, fashion & modeling, portraits, etc.  He is also adjunct faculty at Saint Vincent College teaching both video production and photography.

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Fred’s Non-Wedding Work

Fred Findley Photography

You can view my new and growing site at www.fredfindleyphotography.com

I love traveling and photography and these two passions go great together! Right now I’m looking for my end of 2011 wedding season trip to Ireland!

I’ll also be sharing my photography insights and lessons via the blog on that site as well.

FineLine Multimedia

This is my parent company under which we do all our commercial work. Examples of promo videos, magazine spreads, etc. can be found on this site by visiting www.finelinemultimedia.com

“Winter in Gettysburg” by Fred Findley  (learn more about this shoot)

“Runway Fashion Show” by Fred Findley (learn more about this shoot)

“Fred Findley Photography – Video 1″ by Fred Findley (view more)

Q&A With Fred Findley About Weddings

Why do you shoot weddings?

This question is pretty loaded with answers but I’ll share the reason I feel is the most important…

There are a LOT of hacks and amateurs out there calling themselves wedding photographers. I rarely turn a wedding down and in many cases I’ll do everything I can to see that our team is able to be a part of capturing a couple’s day.

In a way, I wish I could do EVERY couple’s wedding just so I know they were being done right.

A couple’s wedding is going to be the most important day of their lives with so many moments big and small… I know that as long as I’m doing a couple’s wedding their memories are getting taken care of properly.

What part of the wedding day is your favorite?

This actually depends on whether I’m shooting photography or video.

When I’m shooting photography, my favorite part of the day is working with the bride and her bridesmaids before the wedding. During this part of the day there’s basically an explosion of everything you look for in the day… anticipation, nerves, tender candid moments, and beautiful still life (dress, flowers, garter, shoes, jewelry, etc.)

When I’m doing videography I look forward to the open dance part of the reception. I always tell couples during the consultation that I hope they have a wild, exciting dance floor. I love getting out on the floor with the guests.

I can’t tell you how many time guests on the dance floor will actually turn up the intensity because they know they’re on camera. Sometimes I realize that the presence of the video camera is adding to the level of excitement on the dance floor.

I love looking for the DJ’s crazy lights and letting guests or bridal party members ham it up for the camera. Sometimes I get caught up in the excitement and I’ll start shouting at the groomsman break dancing for the camera and encourage him to, “GO! GO! Show me what you got!”

Which do you prefer, photography or video?

People always expect me to have an answer one way or the other. I always tell people that it’s because I do both that makes me excel at each. Much of my success in photography has come from my early background in video. With video you can’t tell the full story if you miss moments or do not capture them in their entirety. You can’t shoot point A and jump to point C without showing point B and stringing them together, it just won’t work. This early training in telling a story through video gives me an advantage over other photographers because I usually offer a much higher volume of photos and a larger variety to tell the complete story. Additionally I have worked with every wedding photographer in western PA. I’ve worked with the best and worked with the worst. My style comes from picking the best of everything I’ve seen and knowing to avoid what doesn’t work. No photographer can pull ideas from years of collective experiences like I can.

In some ways videography is much harder than photography. With video you can’t miss a second and you can’t change what you’re doing in the middle of an event. With photography, if your settings weren’t right, you can change them and take another photo. With video the moment is happening and you can’t stop to change anything because then you can’t replay the entire moment. Video also requires attention to sound all day long which is an entire element that doesn’t even exist with photography.  However, in some ways photography can be more demanding. The photographer is expected to direct much of the day and solve all the problems of the day as they come along.

In the end I am fortunate to do both and in doing so constantly become a better artist overall.

What types of weddings are your favorite?

There’s no one type of wedding that is my favorite, but there are certain key elements that make some weddings better than others.

I love weddings that are high energy. I love carefree bridal parties, wild dance floors, and excitement. I’m there to capture a great day and that kinetic energy often translates into my performance.

There’s a lot to be said for well planned weddings. When I do a wedding where a couple has put a lot of time and effort into planning details large and small things really do flow better and there is just simply more moments and details to capture.

And finally, the most important element of the day is a vibrant couple in love. You would assume that every bride and groom are excited on their wedding day, but like anything else in life there is a spectrum and on one end you have the couples that can’t stop laughing, smiling, and kissing and on the other end you have couples that look like they’re standing in line at the DMV. I can only personally be at one wedding on any given day and I obviously want to capture the one with love in the air!

Besides Weddings What Are Your Other Interests and Hobbies?

I love outdoor activities – my favorites being swimming, kayaking, camping, and skiing. I like to play guitar, visit wineries, and see plays, shows, and theater. If I lived in ancient Greece I would probably honor Dionysus daily!

I love road trips and the freedom of jumping in my car and traveling and I try to do that as often as I can.