EP 369: Connection Beats Advertising When Choosing A Wedding Team

What makes Sil Azevedo with Film Stills and Co a good neighbor?

Looking for wedding photos and video that feel like you, not a template? We sit down with boutique photographer and filmmaker Sil Azevedo to unpack how real stories get captured and why the best work starts long before the ceremony. With twenty-five years in the field and roughly six hundred weddings behind him, Sil opens up about the hidden layers of pre-production, the calm of a well-run shoot, and the thoughtful post-production that turns moments into a cohesive visual narrative.

Sil shares how Film Stills and Co brings photography and videography together under one roof, aligning timelines, audio, and creative vision so couples don’t have to play traffic cop on their wedding day. We talk through common myths about the industry, the difference between snapshots and storytelling, and the specific steps that make a wedding gallery and highlight film feel personal. Sil’s approach is grounded in listening: he meets couples to learn their values, family dynamics, and the small details that matter, then builds a plan that honors those priorities while leaving room for spontaneity.

The conversation also explores how life beyond the studio shapes the work. Travel with his wife, art-house films at local theaters, and even tennis practice all feed Sil’s eye for timing, color, and human moments. Instead of paid ads, his business grows through word of mouth, a sign that connection and trust still matter most in creative services. If you’re choosing a wedding photographer or considering adding video, you’ll hear practical tips on evaluating portfolios, asking the right process questions, and setting expectations that lead to images worthy of your story.

If this conversation helped you think about your wedding visuals in a new way, follow the show, share it with a friend who is planning, and leave a quick review to tell us what resonated most.

 To learn more about Film Stills and Co, go to:
 🔗 https://silazevedoweddings.com/

Film Stills and Co

972 754-3258

Episode Transcript

SPEAKER_01 (00:00):
This is the Good Neighbor Podcast, the place
where local businesses andneighbors come together.
Here's your host, Sophia Yvette.

SPEAKER_00 (00:10):
Welcome to the Good Neighbor Podcast.
Are you in need of a weddingphotographer and videographer?
Well, one may be closer than youthink.
Today, I have the pleasure ofintroducing your good neighbor,
Sil Azevedo, with Sill with FilmStills and Co.
Weddings by Sil Azevedo.
Sill, how are you today?

SPEAKER_02 (00:31):
I'm doing great.
Thanks for having me.

SPEAKER_00 (00:34):
Yes, we are excited to learn all about you and your
business.
Can you start off by telling usjust a little bit about your
company and how you got intothis industry?

SPEAKER_02 (00:45):
Absolutely.
Film Stills in Company is aboutique film and photography
production company.
I have been shooting weddingsfor since 2000, so that's 25
years now.
I've shot probably 600 weddings.
We have a very nice team withus.
And uh two years ago we addedvideography to our services, so

(01:09):
we can do both photography andvideo.

SPEAKER_00 (01:14):
Now, what is the most common myth or
misconception you come across inyour industry?

SPEAKER_02 (01:20):
You know, I've been really fortunate to have
wonderful clients.
Uh, they've become friends andall that, so I've been extremely
fortunate.
Um, one thing that people don'trealize who are not in the
industry is how much effort goesinto pre-production and
post-production.

(01:40):
So before the wedding, beforethe event, and afterwards,
there's a lot of um effort thatgoes into it.
And I think people who don't doit don't realize that.
And uh to get the to get itright, you need to do all three
pre-production on the day of andpost.

SPEAKER_00 (02:02):
Now we know marketing is the heart of every
business.
Who are your target customers orclients?
And in terms of marketing today,how do you attract them?

SPEAKER_02 (02:14):
It's all word of mouth for me.
Um, in the beginning, I spent alot of uh time and money paying
for advertisement and so on.
And soon I realized that reallythere's nothing more powerful
than connecting with people,getting to know them, and then
uh having them tell theirfriends.

(02:35):
So it's all word of mouth.

SPEAKER_00 (02:39):
Now, have you ever thought about having your own
podcast before?
Oh, you are muted.
Still, have you ever thoughtabout having your own podcast

(02:59):
before?

SPEAKER_02 (03:03):
I have.
I mean, the podcasts areawesome.
I love listening to them.
I guess I just never got aroundto it.

SPEAKER_00 (03:11):
And outside of work, what do you and your family like
to do for fun?

SPEAKER_02 (03:17):
So I really love what I do, so it doesn't even
feel like work.
So I'm always the guy with thecamera.
Uh, you know, so that's a partof me.
I love traveling.
My wife and I have traveledaround the world and
photographed and filmed.
So uh photography and film arealways a part of it.

(03:37):
Outside of that, I'm an avidtennis player, and
unsurprisingly, I love to watchmovies.
I'm always at the Angelica, atthe Texas Theater, watching art
films and so on.

SPEAKER_00 (03:50):
Amazing.
So, Sil, since you and your wifehave traveled so much, where is
the best food?

SPEAKER_02 (03:57):
Oh my god, the best meal I've ever eaten was in New
Delhi, India.
I I've eaten some great food inmany places.
I mean in Kyoto, Japan, we weate very well as well, but uh
the flavors of India it wasspectacular.

SPEAKER_00 (04:18):
Now, please tell our listeners one thing they should
remember about film stills andco weddings by Sil Azevedo.

SPEAKER_02 (04:28):
I love connecting with people, so for me it's very
personal.
Um, I like to listen.
My meetings with clients,they're often surprised that I
don't try to talk a lot.
I like to listen to get to knowthem, and then to do something
that reflects who they reallyare.

(04:50):
That's what we're good at.

SPEAKER_00 (04:53):
Now, where can our listeners go to learn more about
film, stills, and co weddings bySil Azevedo?

SPEAKER_02 (05:02):
So the best place to see uh my uh wedding photography
and videographer videographywork is to go directly to
SilAzevedoWeddings.com.
Um, and um that's uh a mouthful,people have a hard time spelling

(05:24):
my name, so that's S-I-LA-Z-E-V-E-D-O weddings.com.
They can also see uh weddingwork at the main site, uh
filmstills.co, and that willlead them to the weddings as
well.
But if they go to the silasevedweddings.com, that will go

(05:46):
directly to uh that.

SPEAKER_00 (05:50):
Well, Sil, I really appreciate you being on the
show.
We wish you and your businessthe best moving forward.

SPEAKER_01 (05:57):
Thank you.
My pleasure.
Thank you for listening to theGood Neighbor Podcast.
To nominate your favorite localbusinesses to be featured on the
show, go to gnpfrisco.com.
That's gmpfrisco.com or callfour six nine two two one nine
three four five.