Today we’d like to introduce you to Pule Togagae.
Hi Pule, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstories with our readers.
I was born and raised on the island of Samoa until I was 19 years old when I went on a mission for the Church Of Jesus Christ Of Latter-day Saints in Brisbane Australia. My father died when I was 13 years old and I have no pictures or videos of him to remember him by. That kind of sparked my interest in taking videos and taking pictures to keep memories alive. I fell in love with filming things when I first held a camera while on my mission in Australia from 2007-2009, but my interest in filming weddings didn’t come until years later.
In 2018 I filmed my Sister in law’s wedding and instantly fell in love with capturing a couple’s love story on their wedding day. Although I did that wedding then, I didn’t really pursue wedding videography until 2020. I started to see that I could help a lot of couples keep those memories alive for them by capturing those precious moments for them. I registered as a business under PT Films and then later change it to Tropical Film (something more generic).
From then until now, I have not looked back. I love filming weddings, being part of a couple’s love stories, and helping them relive those moments in years to come.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
It has not been easy. In the beginning, it kind of took off, because I was charging pretty much nothing, like $500 or less per wedding (for 8 hours of coverage). A lot of couples were looking for the cheap options as possible to save money.
But as time goes on, learned a lot, up my skills, upgrade a lot of my gears, and charged more, then I find it hard to find people who are willing to invest in something that has more valued in 10 or 20 years, not just in the moment of their wedding day. I’m grateful for the couples who trusted me with their weddings when I started and the ones who are willing to invest in videography services and see the value in that for years to come.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I’m a wedding filmmaker. I tell couples’ love stories in a documentary way using film. I specialize in filming weddings, telling stories, and creating timeless films that keep the couple’s memories alive for years to come. I focus primarily on documenting the entire wedding day as it is.
Capturing those precious moments between the Bride and Groom, grandparents, parents, and other families and friends celebrating their love together. My films may not be trending in others (the social media world) but definitely tells the couples’ love story and wedding day as it happened.
Are there any books, apps, podcasts, or blogs that help you do your best?
Not really a fan of reading books, if I do it’ll be scriptures, lol. But, I do watch and listen to a lot of other wedding videographers who have been in the business longer than I do.
Pricing:
- My packages start at $950.oo
- My most popular is $1,795.00
- Storytelling & Documentary starting at $2,295.00
Contact Info:
- Website: tropicalfilm.org
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tropical.film_/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UClIqV3ckkA9ceNKcP40taKQ
Image Credits
Jenna Julianne Photography
