Today we’d like to introduce you to Summer LaBelle
Hi Summer, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
My story is one that would be titled “southern girl born and raised, with a really big heart to see the the world”.
I grew up in Greenville, SC and went to college at Clemson University. After college, I always thought I’d move away from home for a bit. When it came time, I didn’t know where I wanted to go, so I decided to stay in Greenville and take a job as a Video Producer at a local video production company. I worked there for 2 years and absolutely loved it. I’m a big people person, so managing projects internally with the team and externally with clients was so fun for me. Every so often over the 2 years working at this company, my childhood dream of living in Hawaii would creep back up in my mind. I finally decided that if I didn’t go then, I’d never go. I told my boss, we hired my replacement, and I moved to Maui in 2020. I spent my first year in Maui working odd jobs, getting to know people and my new home, and absolutely loving every part of the island life. After working a couple of different part time jobs, I got to a place where I wanted to figure out what I was truly passionate about. I was working at a coffee shop at the time, quit my job and went home for the holidays, came back to Maui and gave myself the time and space to figure out what I wanted to invest my time in. I had a friend who was a photographer on island and needed help assisting the planning of her elopements, so I agreed to help her for a bit. I worked with her every so often, and always loved watching her capture these beach and cliffside elopements – Maui is the most beautiful back drop! One day she mentioned that she had picked up a Super 8 film camera, because she wanted to start offering it with her elopements, but hadn’t had the time to fully invest in learning the camera, and that I was welcome to mess around with the camera the next time we had an elopement. Needless to say, this is what absolutely hooked me into shooting Super 8. I had never shot on a vintage camera before, and I loved the idea of only have a short amount of footage to capture what was in front of me, and not seeing it again until the footage was developed. I kept shooting my friend’s elopements, and then one day decided I wanted to fully jump into Super 8 film and start my own business. That’s how I got my start and I haven’t looked back since!
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Owning your own business definitely comes with its own set of road bumps. It’s unlike a salaried job in many ways – I think the biggest is that you’re having to create your work yourself, and you’re starting at zero income until you make things happen! I moved from Maui to Charleston, SC at the end of last year, and moving a business across the world was definitely tricky as well. It felt like I was starting all over from scratch with my clientele and connections. Thankfully, Charleston is a fairly easy place to make connections, and a beautiful wedding destination for people from all over. Super 8 film is slowly making it’s way over to the east coast, and people are starting to search for this type of video for their weddings, so it’s definitely a plus for me that not too many people on the east coast offer it!
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I shoot Super 8 film video! I mostly shooting weddings, and also work with some brands that love and appreciate the film vibe. Film gives you all kinds of nostalgic feels – It’s raw, unstaged, whimsical, emotion-filled, and truly feels like you’re watching your favorite memory replay in your mind.
Is there a quality that you most attribute to your success?
One quality that is important to my success in Super 8 film videography is authenticity. With Super 8, you’re working with a medium that inherently captures a nostalgic and raw aesthetic, which stands apart in today’s high-def digital world. The ability to embrace and convey that genuine, unpolished quality in my work makes it unique. By focusing on authenticity, I’m not just delivering a video—I’m offering clients a timeless piece that feels genuine, intimate and sentimental.
Pricing:
- 8 hours of coverage $4,400
- 10 hours of coverage $5,300
- 12 hours of coverage $6,200
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.summerlabelle.co
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/summ_shine/
