Short answer: No.
Today, technically, any photographer’s camera is good enough to make good videos. But making a good wedding video and capturing good pictures are two different jobs. It is not the same way of working, and it is not the same equipment (all accessories required are different). In order to ensure a high-quality service, I can do only one thing, and I do it well.
Photographers could also make animations, play music, etc.
Table of Contents
Why wedding photography and wedding videography are two different things
The type of image: Still vs Movement
Wedding photographers try to capture little important moments in still images. Freezing those little moments into one still image provides the moment with a special dimension. The anecdotal dimension is suspended from time. It’s the same idea for posed images that should be perfect, like a painting. Here is the ability of the photographer (or the camera) to capture the right moment. One second sooner or later, and the shot is not perfect, not interesting anymore. There is something magical in this process.
On the other hand, those images might not be interesting to videographers, where you need the images to be interesting for a long time. Therefore, it’s a different type of moment that the videographer will need to record.
Let’s see what other dimensions bring the video.
Photography is a Succession of moments juxtaposed that tell a story in its globality. The video tells the story in one image in movement.
Quiet images vs. Images with sound
Sound, one of our five senses, plays a crucial role in conveying information. It can be as simple as ambient noise that adds depth to an image, or it can be speech that communicates much more than still portraits can convey. Additionally, music can provide a dramatic dimension to these images, enhancing the overall experience.
How post-production also differs from photo to video
When capturing your day, both professionals take into consideration the post-production to asses what is doable or not and what will provide a good final result.
Without entering the details of raw files and compressed video format, let’s simply say that the raw file from the camera gives the photographer more ease in retouching the images. That allows him/her to shoot in some situations that won’t work for videography. Let’s think, for instance, of:
- A situation without a lot of light would create a lot of noise. It’s “easy” to fix the issues on still images, it’s less on videography.
- Let’s think of a situation with a sudden changing of light. In photography, that’s not an issue; we quickly change the setting during the shoot or can compensate during the post-production phase. In videography, you can change the setting while you are filming without creating a weird effect.
- Let’s think of a sign to remove on the background. In photography, it is easier to erase that on images with movement.
Quality vs Quantity
All these reasons created technical challenges, way of creating a narration, and different types of equipment required; we believe it’s not possible to do both at a high-quality degree. That’s why we recommend you hire a good videographer if you want video.
You should not hire a photographer who offers videos
As explained earlier, due to the different nature of photography and videography, you should not hire a wedding photographer to do both at your wedding.
To summarize the reasons:
- Limited Time and Attention: it would be extremely difficult (if not impossible) to focus on two different mindsets at the same time. Some moments need to be photographed, and others need to be recorded in the video.
- You won’t have good candid shoots.
That requires the constant attention of the photographer. - You won’t have enough rush for good storytelling.
Building a good story in video request a lot of good rush that you can use. - Limited Equipment.
The camera can record video and take photos at the same time.
We strongly recommend avoiding professionals offering both services unless you are looking for cheap quality.
Tell us about your videographer.
If you plan to hire a cameraman for your wedding, I would be happy to meet him/her before the wedding. Indeed, it’s very important that the photographer and the cameraman understand each other’s needs. You don’t want to see the cameraman in all your pictures, and you don’t want me to be the third character in your wedding film!
If you need it, we have people that we can recommend.
With 20 years of experience, we have met several professionals that we would be happy to recommend! Just let us know!
