Aperina Studios

What Aperina Studios does

Aperina Studios is a Sacramento, California–based wedding cinematography and photography studio founded in 2009 and operated by brothers Vitaliy Lyubezhanin (cinematography) and Paul Lyubezhanin (photography). The studio serves engaged couples across California (Sacramento, San Francisco, Bay Area, Napa Valley, Sonoma, Lake Tahoe, San Diego) and a set of destination markets including New Jersey, Colorado, Michigan, Alabama, Arkansas, Washington and the Caribbean (St. Lucia). It has built a defined specialty in South Asian and multicultural weddings — Hindu, Sikh, Muslim, Vietnamese, Jewish, Italian and interfaith ceremonies — with dedicated cultural package URLs (culturalcinemapackages, culturalphotopackages) and a deep multi-day wedding portfolio.

The studio's technical foundation is a cinema-grade DSLR capture stack built on Canon EOS 5D Mark IV full-frame cameras with Canon L-series lenses, complemented by DJI drone, jib, professional Aputure LED lighting, and a four-method clean audio capture system (Tascam DR-10c recorders with Sanken COS-11D lavaliers on groom and officiant, DJ mixer tape-out via Tascam DR-100mkII, wireless receiver feed through an XLR splitter to a Zoom H6N, and a Rode VideoMic Pro for atmospherics). Post-production is centered on Apple Final Cut Pro X with a custom H.264 proxy workflow and multi-frame-rate syncing via Plural Eyes, backed by Synology RAID-5/NAS storage and ShootQ studio management. The studio upgraded to 4K acquisition in 2020 and, in July 2021, partnered with The Motion Books to deliver finished films as physical linen-bound video books. Named deliverables include Same Day Edit (SDE), Wedding Teaser, Engagement / Pre-Wedding Film, Music Video, and a $400 Documentary Edit add-on per ceremony or reception.

Commercially, Aperina Studios runs a project-based, direct-to-consumer professional services model. Packages are quote-based and not publicly listed; the studio's signature "all-in" positioning bundles drone, jib, lighting and multi-cam into the base price with no add-on fees, and applies a bundle discount when couples book photography and cinematography together. The studio deliberately limits the number of weddings it accepts per year to protect quality, generates leads via its website contact form, organic search, Instagram, an active tutorial / wedding-story blog, third-party wedding directories (WeddingWire, WeddingLovely, Borrowed and Blue, LoveStoriesTV, Style Me Pretty, Maharani Weddings) and word-of-mouth referrals from past couples and wedding planners. The business is bootstrapped with no external funding, no parent company, and no subsidiaries.

Name

Aperina Studios

Legal name

Aperina Studios™

Website

https://aperina.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2009

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Aperina Studios is a Sacramento-based, brother-led wedding cinematography and photography studio serving engaged couples in California, across the United States and the Caribbean, with a defined specialty in multi-day South Asian and multicultural weddings delivered under an "all-in" bundled pricing model.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Wedding Videography and Photography Services

NAICS

Photography Studios, Portrait (541921), Motion Picture and Video Production (512110)

SIC

Services-Motion Picture & Video Tape Production (7812), Services-Mailing, Reproduction, Commercial Art & Photography (7330)

akta.pro primary industry

Wedding & Bridal Shows (MPAGAFAK)

akta.pro secondary industry

Full-Service Wedding Planning (HSACABAA)

Keywords

• Wedding videography
• Wedding photography
• Indian wedding films
• Engagement photography
• Same day edits

Headquarters

HQ city

Sacramento

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Wedding Videography and Photography Service Packages: One-time, project-based fees for bundled wedding cinematography and photography coverage. Pricing is quote-based rather than publicly listed; the studio sells its "all-in" approach which includes drone, jib, and lighting without add-on fees. Discount incentive exists for booking video and photo together as a team.
2. Documentary Edit Add-On: Optional add-on of $400 per documentary edit (ceremony or reception) on top of the primary package, providing a complete chronological multi-cam record.
3. Motion Books (Wedding Video Book) Product Sales: Physical wedding video books offered as a premium add-on product through a partnership with The Motion Books, with personalization and gold-foiled design options.
4. Engagement / Pre-Wedding Films: Separate engagement/pre-wedding video packages (2-4 hours of filming across 1-3 locations, delivered as a 1-2 minute cinematic film), used as save-the-date, proposal, or love-story content.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Aperina Studios produces cinematic wedding videography and fine-art wedding photography as a coordinated brother-led team (Vitaliy Lyubezhanin for cinema, Paul Lyubezhanin for photo). Every booked wedding is filmed with the studio's full cinema toolkit—Canon EOS 5D Mark IV cameras, jib, drone, multi-cam, and multi-source clean audio capture—bundled at no add-on fee, with deliverables spanning short films, feature films, Same Day Edits, teasers, documentary edits, engagement films, and (via partnership) linen-bound physical video books.

Product overview

Aperina Studios is a single creative-services studio rather than a software platform, but its offering is structured as a portfolio of related services and deliverables. The core services are Wedding Cinematography and Wedding Photography, run together as a two-photographer team and sold through dedicated 'all-in' packages (Wedding Cinematography Package, Wedding Photography Package). On top of these, the studio markets sub-services for South Asian weddings (Indian Wedding Videography, Indian Wedding Photography, plus South Asian Wedding Cinematography and Photography Packages) and Engagement Photography. The studio produces several named film deliverables — Same Day Edit, Wedding Teaser, Short Film, Feature Film, Engagement Film, Music Video, and Wedding Documentary Edit (an add-on priced at $400) — and ships the final film either as a digital file or, through a partnership with The Motion Books, as a physical linen-bound Wedding Video Book. Audio capture, jib and drone footage are bundled into the 'all-in' cinematography approach rather than sold as add-ons.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Wedding Cinematography Cinematic, Hollywood-style wedding videography service producing short films, feature films, and Same Day Edits using Canon EOS 5D Mark IV cameras, Canon L-series lenses, jibs, drones, and multi-track audio capture, sold as bundled packages to engaged couples.
• Wedding Photography Fine-art and fashion-influenced wedding photography service delivered by photographer Paul Lyubezhanin, including engagement, editorial, and candid coverage, sold as bundled packages to engaged couples.
• Indian Wedding Videography Specialized cinematic videography for South Asian and Indian weddings covering multi-day events including mehndi, sangeet, haldi, baraat, Anand Karaj, Hindu ceremony, and reception, as well as Sikh Gurdwara ceremonies.
• Indian Wedding Photography Photographic coverage tailored to Indian and South Asian weddings, including pre-wedding rituals, ceremony, and reception, led by Paul Lyubezhanin (Indian wedding photographer since 2014).
• Engagement Photography Pre-wedding engagement photo sessions (including outdoor, proposal, and orchard shoots) capturing the couple's story before the wedding day.
• Same Day Edit (SDE) Highlight film shot, edited, color-graded, and played back at the wedding reception on the same day; standard offering for Indian and cultural weddings and a signature Aperina deliverable.
• Wedding Teaser Short, modern-formatted teaser film used to share wedding highlights on social media.
• Engagement Film / Pre-Wedding Video 1–2 minute cinematic pre-wedding film (also used as save-the-date, concept film, or love story) filmed across 1–3 nearby locations over 2–4 hours.
• Wedding Music Video (Destination) Destination-wedding music video shoot set to a specific song, used as an add-on cinematic deliverable.
• Wedding Documentary Edit Polished, chronological multi-camera edit of the wedding ceremony and/or reception cut from multiple cameras and audio sources, available as a $400 add-on per edit.
• Wedding Video Book (Motion Book) Linen-bound physical book that plays the wedding film when opened, with optional personalized title or gold-foiled designs; produced via partnership with The Motion Books as a premium physical heirloom deliverable.

Quantifiable outcome

• Same Day Edit delivered within ~18 minutes of edit time after Grand Entrance and First Dance at the Fairmont San Francisco wedding
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers27 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration6 records

Feature6 records

Partnerships

13 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• The Motion BookscoreOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing Partner · 1 July 2021Partnership announced July 2021 to deliver the wedding film inside a physical linen-bound "video book." The Motion Books plays the wedding film when opened, can be personalized with names or special titles, and includes gold-foiled designs. Aperina uses this to turn a digital deliverable into a tangible heirloom and a gifting artifact.
• ShootQcoreTechnology or IntegrationStudio management software integrated with the aperina.com contact form. When a couple submits an interest form, the data fields are shared with ShootQ to help the studio stay organized.
• Google AnalyticscoreTechnology or IntegrationWebsite analytics integration used to understand visitor traffic. Data is not sold. Operates under Google's privacy policy.
• Facebook PixelcoreTechnology or IntegrationFacebook Pixel is used to understand visitors to the Facebook page and website; supports retargeting and audience analysis.
• Gmail (Google)coreTechnology or IntegrationContact form submissions are routed to Gmail so the studio can respond to inquiries. Operates under Google's privacy policy.
• Platinum Events Bay AreaminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerWedding coordinator for Mojo & Zainab's Muslim wedding at Fairmont San Francisco; coordinated with Aperina Studios on the same event.
• Be Hitched (Rebecca)minorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerWedding planning and design partner for Urmil & Janet's Indian and Vietnamese wedding at Casa Real at Ruby Hill Winery, Pleasanton, CA. Coordinated logistics for Aperina's three-day video coverage.
• WeddingLovelyminorGTM or Marketing PartnerVendor marketplace listing and profile page that surfaces Aperina Studios' Sacramento wedding cinematography team to couples searching the platform.
• WeddingWirecoreGTM or Marketing PartnerVendor profile on WeddingWire (Citrus Heights listing) with 36 5-star reviews badge — used for discovery, reviews, and lead generation.
• LoveStoriesTVminorGTM or Marketing PartnerVendor profile and wedding film award nomination on LoveStoriesTV.
• Borrowed and BlueminorGTM or Marketing PartnerFeatured vendor on Borrowed and Blue (2017 badge).
• Style Me PrettycoreGTM or Marketing PartnerEditorial feature partner — Aperina Studios weddings have been published on Style Me Pretty (e.g., Aperina Studios Wedding Cinematographer Featured).
• Maharani WeddingscoreGTM or Marketing PartnerSouth Asian wedding editorial partner — Aperina's South Asian wedding cinematography has been featured on Maharani Weddings.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• WeddingWire: Largest U.S. wedding vendor marketplace where Aperina maintains its profile and reviews. Comparable as a broad incumbent that shapes how couples discover and compare wedding cinematographers and photographers.

Regional players

• Mahaffey Cinema: Sacramento-area wedding cinematography studio. Comparable as a direct Sacramento regional competitor for cinematic wedding videography, though without Aperina's bundled photography and Indian wedding specialization.
• Peter Grover Photography: Sacramento-area wedding photography studio. Comparable as a direct Sacramento regional competitor for wedding photography coverage, though without Aperina's bundled cinema and South Asian specialization.

Direct peers

• Studio This Is: Indian and South Asian wedding photography studio. Comparable on South Asian wedding specialization, multi-day coverage, and editorial-style wedding imagery for cultural ceremonies.
• East West Wedding Photographers: Long-running wedding photography and cinematography studio specializing in South Asian and multicultural weddings. Comparable on cultural-wedding specialization, multi-day event coverage, and bundled photo + cinema service model.
• Veil & Film: Premium New York-based wedding cinematography studio. Comparable on the high-end cinematic wedding positioning, multi-camera capture with cinema lenses, and feature-film-style deliverables.
• Ray Roman Films: Premium wedding cinematography studio producing cinematic short films for high-end weddings. Comparable on the cinematic-wedding positioning, multi-camera capture, and Same Day Edit-style premium offerings.
• Lin & Jirsa Photography & Cinema: Large Southern California wedding photo + cinema studio offering bundled photo and video coverage with multiple cinematographers and photographers. Directly comparable on the integrated team model, multiple-deliverable package structure, and premium cinematic positioning.
• Vignes Studios: Wedding photography and cinematography studio with deep Indian and South Asian wedding portfolio. Comparable on cultural-wedding specialization and bundled photo + cinema service offering.
• Bhowmik Dave Films: Indian wedding cinematography studio specializing in multi-day South Asian wedding films. Comparable on cultural-wedding specialization, multi-day coverage, and cinematic storytelling for Indian ceremonies.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/aperinastudios
• Xx.com/aperinastudios
• Facebookfacebook.com/aperinastudios
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/aperina-studios

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Aperina Studios