Lights, camera, action!

Comment Written by jenny on July 2, 2010 – 5:00 am

Two weeks ago, we discussed the pros and cons of hiring a videographer.  If you have decided that a videographer is an important part of capturing your wedding memories, there’s a few things different when talking about videography versus photography.  Here are some important points:

Lights

One thing to discuss with your videographer is the lighting for both the ceremony and reception.  This is especially important if your ceremony will be outside during the day while your reception is indoor or at night.  The variance in lighting may mean that the videographer will require different equipment for each portion of your wedding.

The other element that may be tricky is if you will be creating a “romantic” candlelit atmosphere.  Dim lighting isn’t great for photography or videography, however photographers have the benefit of using flash.  To make the video look better, a videographer may want to use a supplemental light.  Depending on the type of camera and how bright it is, the supplemental light can be much more intrusive to your wedding than the microsecond flash of a camera.  However, without the additional light, your video may look grainy.  If lighting is going to be dim, you’ll want to decide with your videographer what is acceptable.

Camera

Or should I say cameras?  One of the major decisions with videography is the number of cameras and camera operators there will be.  Unlike a photographer who can move around the ceremony taking pictures from different angles, a videographer must stay in one place for stretches at a time.  If you wish to see parts of the same scene from afar and as close-ups, you will need multiple cameras.  Of course, videography packages utilizing multiple cameras and camera operators will be more expensive than using just one.

Action

Unlike photography, a videographer can capture the sounds of a wedding.  However, a high-end video camera still captures pretty lousy sound without the use of microphones.  Most videographers supplement the sound, especially during the wedding ceremony, with wireless microphones.  Let your videographer know if there will be any readings or instrumental music that may require separate microphones.

Overall, you’ll want a videographer whose style you like and who you can work with.   The other parts are generally negotiable.  Good luck with the search!

-Jenny