After months or years of planning, you’ll want a surefire way to capture your wedding day memories. Naturally, you’ll hire a photographer. If you want video footage of the special day, you may consider hiring a videographer.
Budget is always a big factor in deciding whether you can have something at your wedding. Maybe you’re thinking you’ll just ask your photographer if they can take some video footage throughout the day. Don’t do that.
Wedding Photography and Videography are Not the Same
Photographers and Videographers cannot do the same job on your wedding day. Why? Well, for one, they cannot be in two places at once. More importantly, photography and videography are two different specialities with different equipment, skill sets, and deliverables. Photo editing and video editing are different!
There are times when one photographer or videographer wants to add the other service just to upsell you. If their motive is such, the second service is usually an afterthought. You want to work with experts who specialize in their field to make sure you get the best photographs and footage of your wedding.
Hire a Videographer if You Want a Quality Wedding Video
If you want videos of your wedding, hire a videographer. That way, your photographer can focus on their job. They’ll get their shots and the videographer will do their thing and focus solely on capturing footage of your big day. You don’t want someone who is getting pulled away from their main focus to address another element, nor do you want someone who is less comfortable or working with a new equipment style on your big day!
If you’re worried about how the two teams will work together, don’t stress. It’s ok to have two different teams working on a similar goal: taking beautiful pictures and video footage. They may work alongside each other but they will not interfere, as each team can whole-heartedly focus on their specific task at hand. By hiring a photographer and videographer each, you’ll ensure that you have the highest quality for both your wedding photos and wedding video.
Hire a Team Who Has the Know-how
If it is not in the budget to hire two separate teams, or if you’d really prefer to work with one company, make sure your photographer works with experts. Often photographers who offer video as part of their wedding packages will hire freelance videographers–which is fine, as long as the photographer is familiar with videography needs.
For example, a photographer may not have the in-depth knowledge of the frame rate to shoot video with, but their freelance videographer will need that information so that they can take quality footage that will be editable.
Ask the Right Questions
If you’re going to hire a only one company and want them to do both photography and videography, here are some questions to ask:
- What is your main focus? How familiar are you with the other?
- How does videography come into play? Do you hire a freelance videographer or do you have one on your team who you work with exclusively?
- Who does the editing for photos? Who does the editing for the video?
- How many weddings have you filmed? Can I see some samples?
- How is your photography style different or similar to your videography style? What about the editing styles?
If you do want to hire two different teams, these are the questions to ask:
- How do you feel about working alongside a videographer/photographer? Have you worked with a second team before?
- What are your scheduling needs?
- What are your communication styles and preferences?
- Will you use film or digital footage?
- Can you accommodate these specific shots? (This is especially important if you already have a specific vision for your photos and video!)
Make sure you introduce each team before the wedding, if you can. These people are now your “media team” and their main goal should and will be to capture your most special moments in their expert medium. The photographer and videographer will have two separate shooting schedules with a list of each of the shots they want to take, but you should make sure they also each understand the master schedule of the big day!
Conclusion
If you want both photography and videography at your wedding, you should have both! Each will provide unique memories to your day. Doing your due diligence to vet each team or the company fully will help you minimize stress or disappointment and ensure the success of your photographer and videographer too.
Marina Crouse is a freelance writer, editor, writing coach, and podcaster living in Los Angeles, CA. To learn more: marinacrousewrites.com
