Your Love Story — Told Cinematically

Hannah McGinty has always preferred storytelling through a more creative lens. After all, life is far from cookie-cutter — its charm and beauty are fueled by the unforgettable moments and memories that are as unique as the people who lived them and should be captured and shared for generations to come.

Weddings consistently end up at the top of that list of important life events, and Hannah was hooked from the get-go.

“I always wanted to do something creative, but I didn’t know what until I filmed my first wedding,” Hannah said. She is the proud owner of Hans Film & Photo in Denton. “I remember my college film colleagues not wanting anything to do with shooting weddings. They kept saying ‘Oh, that’s terrifying’ and ‘that’s super hard.’ They wanted to do movies and thought I was crazy, but I just kept thinking, ‘You know … I actually really like this, though.’”

She added, “We tell stories, and we tell them really well.”

A record 2.5 million weddings are expected to occur by the end of 2022, up from 1.9 million in 2021 and 1.3 million in 2020. Naturally, brides and grooms — including those right here in Castle Hills — want those precious memories captured. But while they may have been satisfied in the past with one good photographer, it’s so much more than that now. Couples want their love story documented in the most creative and comprehensive way possible by a team of media professionals capable of taking photos, shooting videos, live-streaming, and more.

And more often than not, they’re turning to Hans Film & Photo. In three short years, Hannah has built a team of award-winning artists and storytellers who specialize in creating a beautiful cinematic representation of your love. Their process includes two cinematographers so that every moment and angle of your special day is preserved — with anywhere from three to twelve hours of wedding video coverage. That last part is huge for any couple, as nearly everyone enjoys rewatching their highlight films and flipping through their professionally designed photo album for years.

But that’s just the wedding day. Hans Film & Photo sets a new bar for creativity when it comes to engagement sessions. They also take the time to get to know and build relationships with their couples, even going so far as to serve as their  unofficial wedding planner to help walk through timelines, expectations, and other important details.

“It’s not just about showing up on the wedding day,” Hannah said. “We take pride in getting to know our couples, many of whom book us up to a year in advance. It’s a journey we want to take with them so that when the wedding comes along, they feel like they have a friend or family member helping them. I was working with one couple, and they said, ‘I know we are going to be wedding friends, but can we be real-life friends, too?’ That’s my cup of tea, and there are others we continue to check in on long after their special day is over. Their happiness and friendship mean so much to us.”

Having a company she can be proud of is something Hannah didn’t think was possible three years ago when the pandemic forced many couples to postpone or rethink their wedding plans. She also lost her full-time job and legitimately didn’t know where her next paycheck or opportunity would come from.

But she stuck with it, studied everything her mentors taught her, and worked various weddings and events as a second shooter until she could save enough money to buy her own equipment.

The next thing she knew, she had clients lining up around the corner for her services.

“It’s humbling to see where we are because it really did go from zero to a hundred in the blink of an eye,” she said. “I’m grateful to everyone who helped me get here. It was on me to follow through, but if I didn’t have my friends, husband, and mentors encouraging me, supporting me, and providing me with the right resources, I couldn’t have done it. This is my passion. I love what I do, especially when I get to help couples enjoy their wedding day.”