DuChateauFilm is a collective of professional photographers and videographers in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico led by Corie DuChateau.
The company was founded in 2018 to serve the needs of American and Canadian residents, expats and visitors in Puerto Vallarta.
We are passionate about creating images that move you! We specialize in photography and videography for weddings, real estate, marketing, families, and vacation!
Corie is originally from Phoenix, Arizona. She earned her Bachelor of Fine Arts in film and television production from University of Colorado and worked in television production for 10 years in Denver, Colorado. She worked on numerous series for HGTV, Food Network, Discovery Channel, TLC, DIY Network, The Weather Channel, and the National Parks Service.
Between 2012 and 2016, Corie worked on emerging video technology projects in Silicon Valley. She was one of the first to personally film, produce and direct live streaming broadcasts for television and radio stations, education, weddings and events, and she and her team published a live video streaming app to the app stores before Facebook Live even existed!
Corie moved to Puerto Vallarta in 2016 and started her business as a freelance photographer and videographer. You may have seen her numerous promotional videos for Act II Entertainment and other local businesses. In 2017 she produced a short film in Puerto Vallarta entitled Banality of Evil, which has been accepted into three international film festivals. Now she is expanding into photography and video for real estate and weddings, and she is building and growing the team at DuChateau Film!
Ernesto Gallardo
Ernesto is from Guadalajara where he studied journalism and communications, and worked for the Guadalajara Film Festival for many years. In 2015 Ernesto moved to Puerto Vallarta to continue dedicating himself to photography here in paradise. View Ernesto’s portfolio on GuruShots where he has reached Champion level to see his street photography, and view his portfolio on MyWed to see his recent wedding photography.
What’s your favorite kind of photography?
Street photography. Journalism, architecture, landscape, moments. Street photography doesn’t necessarily mean an empty street. It’s a street with something. People, something happening, or sometimes an empty street that tells a story on its own.
I love behind the scenes, documentary style photography, even in weddings. I love to catch the real moments. I don’t like photos to be too staged.
What is your secret to capturing amazing photos?
I don’t have a secret, I just look for nice images and try to find the right angle.
Do you use natural light or artificial light in your photography?
I use mostly natural light or one flash. But lighting is very important in photography. Photography means light; “photo” means light. You don’t have a photograph without light.
What would you say to an aspiring photographer?
Love your camera. Use your camera. Love the light. Love the shadows. Take lots of pictures. Feel the pictures in your mind and in your heart. Learn from other photographers every day. Find inspiration in the city, in the neighborhood, in your lover, in your own camera.
Also, always find the right music for your pictures.
What do you mean by that?
I mean music, rhythm for your pictures. You need to listen to music when you are editing. Because you are not the best photographer in the world, you need inspiration, and the inspiration comes from another artist. Music, cinema, painting, science.
How do you describe your photography?
I don’t see photography like a business. I don’t define photography like my business, I define photography as my work, and the way I can say many things without words.
Where do you get your inspiration from?
I get a lot of inspiration from the website GuruShots, because they have a lot of different categories and lots of photos in each category. I am always refreshing my mind and looking at stories when I see photos on GuruShots.
I also get a lot of inspiration from my girlfriend. She is a photographer too, and we share that common interest. We have a lot of discussions about photography at home, and we practice together in our work and on our days off.
