Wedding videography refers to the documenting of a wedding on video. Its final product which is commonly called a wedding video is also referred to as wedding movie or film. There are amateur and professional wedding videography levels that we need to distinguish from. Regardless of the nature of the event to be filmed, keep in mind the fact that videography is an art form and not just a technical skill application that has certain basic requirements. Some of the conditions to be met are human while others are technical. Besides, technical skills and appropriate equipment are a must in this profession in order to get to a good final product in the form of a smooth video.

to professional wedding videography

Professional wedding videography has its origins in the invention of the modern video devices. At the beginning, the only way of capturing movies and pictures was on film, and lots of people turned this filming activity into a hobby. The film cameras of the past were limited by a number of elements like their short film load times, the high price of processing and the impossibility of recording the sound together with the images. Professional wedding videography was rather primitive in its first first stages, and so was the technical quality of the equipment used. Bright lights were necessary for the cameras; they had fuzzy pictures, the color saturation and the mono audio rendered pretty poor quality results.

guide to professional wedding videography

Presently, professional wedding videography has reached an incredible level of development thanks to the variety of gear items. The final result is a combination of exquisite sound and image quality with some additional special effects for a unique touch.

professional wedding videography

In the field of professional wedding videography we can now talk about different styles. And their diversity ranges from cinematic to journalistic. Thus we can count traditional and short form wedding videos, video journalism or cinematic storytelling. Wedding videographers do not refrain themselves from using just one of these styles but, they mainly rely on variations and combinations. Professional wedding videography has come to develop and include numerous video production offerings. Thus there are: simple photo montages, love stories, engagement videos, bridal elegance, highlights and same day edits.

Most couples making wedding day plans have a lot of things that they do take into consideration. They think about vacation times when trying to coordinate. Or they plan the day according to the best time for family to come into town. Or they make plans according to the availability of the church or restaurant.

But one of the biggest things they fail to plan for on the wedding day is the photographer. This is no small issue.  And I am not just saying it because I am a wedding photographer. 

No planning the wedding day with the wedding photographer in mind could mean all the difference in the world. Especially when you realize that the photos are what are going to last a lifetime.

What are the things to think about when making plans with the photographer in mind. The date and time.

First let’s start thinking about the time.  How many people do you think would want their photographer to rush taking the photos? I am pretty confident most couples will not agree to that. 

Not even thinking about your photographer, most of the times the bride and groom will do just that.  They will force the photographer to rush his shots. 

How so you ask? A good amount of times, for instance, a couple will have a time let’s say 1-2 pm.  With the reception starting at 2:30. How many photos can the photographer really take with only half an hour to work with? Not that many.

Even worse, let’s say he does take all the shots?  Do you think they will be of the best quality when the shots are rushed?  Of course not.

So plan the times for the wedding and the reception with enough space in between to take all the photos.

Second thing to consider when planning with the photographer in mind is your photographer’s availability.

Most probably don’t realize this, but most good photographers will be booked months in advance. Let’s say you are dealing with a large photography company, they probably have a few photographers.

Well making wedding plans without thinking about the availability of the photographer could be a nightmare. Because when you reserve that special day, without making sure your photographer is available, come wedding day you might get a shock when you find somebody totally different.

This happens more than you can imagine when dealing with a big photography company.  You might not realize they have plenty of photographers on staff, and if the photographer you fell in love with is booked, unless you specifically ask, the company might not tell you.  When your wedding day comes, they might just outsource their work or a second rate photographer might show up.

Be prepared that you don’t let something like this happen.  Planning your wedding day is wonderful. Be sure that you also plan it thinking about your wedding photographer.