Wedding days are absolutely magical. After months (maybe years) of planning, couples have crafted their wedding dream team of vendors. Each vendor is picked for their craft, expertise, and perhaps their personality, so it is especially important that the vendors work together to serve the couple.
On a wedding day each vendor is on a specific mission, but it is imperative that the vendors work well together. Having now been on both sides of the spectrum (photographer and videographer) I have had my fair share of great collaborations, and ones that were a little more challenging. In light of that, I thought it would be super useful to share some tips for photographers on how to work with videographers, and what you should know about videographers.
1. You are both on the same team! This is by far the most important point. On a wedding day you are both there for the same purpose- to capture the best day of that couples lives. Instead of stepping on other another’s toes, have open communication. Don’t leave anything unsaid. Are you about to go take dress shots? Tell the videographer. Are you thinking of a certain location for the first look? Tell the videographer. By having open communication, it is easier to plan and to STAY ON SCHEDULE- which is important to BOTH of you!
Because of this Photographers should…
Work together! Communicate BEFORE the wedding. Send over your timeline and discuss if any extra time should be allotted for special moments, etc.
2. Audio is CRUCIAL for videographers Audio is the glue that holds the wedding video together. It helps tell the whole story of the day. Without great audio, it is difficult to tell the story of the day. A lot of our videos incorporate audio from the ceremony, speeches, vows, written loves notes, as well as sounds that naturally occur.
Because of this Photographers should…
Be aware when videographers are capturing audio. If possible, set your camera onto silent shutter mode to help make the shutter noise less noticeable on film. Videographers may also allot extra time before the ceremony to record audio of the vows/notes, etc., It may add 5-10 minutes onto the timeline, but it is crucial to the video. Communicate with your videographer ahead of time to see if they should need this extra time.
3. Manual Focus isn’t easy. A lot of videographers you work with (especially those using a DSLR, like myself) are using manual focus every time shot. Once a camera is recording, there is no way to change your focal point except by manually dialing the focus.
Because of this Photographers should… Give the videographer a few extra seconds before special events, like the first look, or any other moments only happening once, to dial in our focus and make sure it is absolutely perfect before we hit record. Just like photography, if the video is out of focus it is unusable.
4. I cannot use Photoshop in my Videos A lot of times in my photography, I choose locations knowing that I can always photoshop unattractive things out of the frame. Anytime I am shooting near distracting elements or people I know that I can just clone them out later. This is absolutely not the case with video. Removing anything from videos requires that you go frame by frame, and can take hours and hours of extra work while editing.
Because of this Photographers should… When choosing locations, keep in mind distracting elements. Even though they might not be a big deal to you, it could mean a lot of unnecessary extra work in post for the videographer. Some situations are unavoidable, but in most cases, making slight adjustments can go a long way and save a lot of headache for the videographers.
5. Videos are not shot in RAW Videos do not have the ability to be shot in a RAW video format. Since video files are so large, the files that the camera generates are extremely compressed to make the file sizes manageable. Slight adjustments in coloring and lighting can be made in post, but overall, what we see in camera is a close depiction to what the overall finished video will look like. Choosing locations that are well lit and clear are super important to the videographers.
Because of this Photographers should… When going into new lighting situations, allow a few extra seconds for the videographer to dial everything in and get their settings just right. When shooting photos I shoot auto white balance, but the moment I start shooting video I immediately switch to Kelvin because I have less wiggle room in post.
6. Movement is our best friend Videos are so much more entertaining when movement is involved. Without movement a video is a slideshow. One of the most fundamental differences between photography and videography is how things are captured. When shooting photos, I typically pose the couple and then have them interact in that pose. When I take charge in video I want couples to move. In photography you are looking for one moment (capture a reaction, an emotion, etc.), whereas in video you are looking to tell the whole story from start to finish and everything in between.
Because of this Photographers should… Be aware of any extra moments videographers would benefit from. Walking shots are a great example of this. When having the couple walk towards you, take a few shots and then let the videographer step in and shine. Another great example of this is zipping/ buttoning up the dress. You only really need 2, maybe 3 shots of that as a photographer; that is a moment that videographers benefit the most from. You can also help by having the couple move while in a pose (swaying is a great example of this). It all boils down to communicating together and setting scenes/moments of the days up together.
Photographers and Videographers do not have to battle on a wedding day. Work TOGETHER. Serve your couples TOGETHER. Chances are you will both grow and your creativity will be stretched in amazing ways.