What to look for in wedding photographer/videographer

[ringo747]

Thats what I thought. It seems like a very professional outfit who really take great pride in what they do.

If this guy uses them then it should definitely be a good bet to use him for wedding.

 

[Phate]

Glad you found a tog your happy with mate

 

[Paul11]

i saw a wedding book recently that blew me away

i think it was one of these

 

[ringo747]

Glad you found a tog your happy with mate

Yep he is a really sound guy and that means a lot. I think we will still go and see other people too though. I don't think picking the first guy is always a good idea!

i saw a wedding book recently that blew me away

i think it was one of these

Have to say it did look amazing. Quality was something else. As Paul said to us taking the photos is one thing - getting an album of that quality is something that 'uncle joe' couldn't produce for you.

 

[Raymond Lin]

I dunno about the guy but I can comment on the albums that are out there.

Graphi are decent, but there are notabily better products out there, Jorgenson (Australian, want a cover that is made out of solid oak?), Queensbury (their top end album could set you back thousands and thousands at costs), Finao (Awesome American bookmaker) to name a few, then there are VisonArt (American), Kiss (American), Loxley (Scottish). I would put Graphi below Jorgensen, Fino and Queensbury if I have to rank them.

 

[Russinating]

I'm a wedding videographer, so hopefully I can provide some advice/tips on that area. We recently wrote a blog on what to look for so this may help:

1. Do you get two videographers? Make sure you do. Having only one will seriously impact on the quality and creativity of your wedding video and it’s worth paying the extra.
2. Do they offer Blu-ray? DVDs are already being replaced and in 10 years time they’ll be redundant. Can the wedding videographers offer Blu-ray to future proof your wedding video, and how much extra does it cost?
3. What’s the audio quality like? Don’t just judge the quality of the wedding videographers on the music-dubbed showreel. Ask for a full sample wedding DVD to find out how good the audio for the ceremony and the speeches are.
4. Do you get to see a draft? Some wedding videographers allow you to see a first draft and make changes, some don’t. Ask if they do so you get the chance to add or remove things from the edit.
5. What do their past couples say? Read their testimonials. Remember – a testimonial will only be used if it’s good anyway, so look for ones that are extra special, not just “our wedding video was great”.
6. Do they hold any awards? Wedding videography awards should be unbiased unlike testimonials and give you a good reflection of the videographers. Check if it’s a national award and how many entrants there were.
7. What other film work do they do? Picking a wedding videography company that produces other film work is beneficial, as it’s likely their broader skills are kept sharper and their equipment is up-to-date and of broadcast quality.
8. Will they meet you before you book? It’s as important as with the photographer to meet with and make sure you get on with the wedding videographers. Make sure they’ll meet you first under no obligation.
9. Do you get to choose the music? Most wedding videographers will put music over your film at certain times, like the guests arriving. Make sure you’ll get this, and if so, that you can choose the songs used.
10. Will they film in a style that you like? Every wedding videographer will have their own style, so pick one that’s right for you and that you like. A good wedding videographer will also adapt their style to fit yours, whether it be how they film on the day, or how they edit it afterwards, so make sure their willing to listen and take on board your thoughts and preferences.

Source: http://www.idoweddingfilms.co.uk/wedding-video-blog/2010/02/wedding-videos-top-ten-tips/

If you've got any other questions then feel free to visit our website (www.idoweddingfilms.co.uk) or email me in trust .

 

[ringo747]

I'm a wedding videographer, so hopefully I can provide some advice/tips on that area. We recently wrote a blog on what to look for so this may help:

1. Do you get two videographers? Make sure you do. Having only one will seriously impact on the quality and creativity of your wedding video and it’s worth paying the extra.
2. Do they offer Blu-ray? DVDs are already being replaced and in 10 years time they’ll be redundant. Can the wedding videographers offer Blu-ray to future proof your wedding video, and how much extra does it cost?
3. What’s the audio quality like? Don’t just judge the quality of the wedding videographers on the music-dubbed showreel. Ask for a full sample wedding DVD to find out how good the audio for the ceremony and the speeches are.
4. Do you get to see a draft? Some wedding videographers allow you to see a first draft and make changes, some don’t. Ask if they do so you get the chance to add or remove things from the edit.
5. What do their past couples say? Read their testimonials. Remember – a testimonial will only be used if it’s good anyway, so look for ones that are extra special, not just “our wedding video was great”.
6. Do they hold any awards? Wedding videography awards should be unbiased unlike testimonials and give you a good reflection of the videographers. Check if it’s a national award and how many entrants there were.
7. What other film work do they do? Picking a wedding videography company that produces other film work is beneficial, as it’s likely their broader skills are kept sharper and their equipment is up-to-date and of broadcast quality.
8. Will they meet you before you book? It’s as important as with the photographer to meet with and make sure you get on with the wedding videographers. Make sure they’ll meet you first under no obligation.
9. Do you get to choose the music? Most wedding videographers will put music over your film at certain times, like the guests arriving. Make sure you’ll get this, and if so, that you can choose the songs used.
10. Will they film in a style that you like? Every wedding videographer will have their own style, so pick one that’s right for you and that you like. A good wedding videographer will also adapt their style to fit yours, whether it be how they film on the day, or how they edit it afterwards, so make sure their willing to listen and take on board your thoughts and preferences.

Source: http://www.idoweddingfilms.co.uk/wedding-video-blog/2010/02/wedding-videos-top-ten-tips/

If you've got any other questions then feel free to visit our website (www.idoweddingfilms.co.uk) or email me in trust .

Thanks for the tips - very useful list that. We seem to be very limited for choice here in NI. Not many do blu-ray and even fewer do a two man setup. Some do a 2 camera, one operator setup but I don't know how they manage that! Prices all seem to be around £900 for blu-ray. Is that reasonable?

Thanks

 

[this_is_gav]

There are 2 main benefits to using more than 1 camera. You can use different lenses for different shots within a short time period (eg have a low-light lens for inside the church and a longer zoom lens to get candids the next minute), and you get a spare body in case one fails... doesn't happen often, but you really don't want it to happen when on a job, and certainly never on job in which you only get 1 go at shooting, such as a wedding.

At most wedding most pro togs would have at least 3 camera bodies - 2 for the job and a spare left in the car or bag.

//edit: Reading the post below by Russinating, it never dawned on me you might have been talking about video rather than still.

 

[Russinating]

Thanks for the tips - very useful list that. We seem to be very limited for choice here in NI. Not many do blu-ray and even fewer do a two man setup. Some do a 2 camera, one operator setup but I don't know how they manage that!

A two-camera one-operator setup will just work by having either the operator next to both cameras (one close, one wide) or the operator leaving a camera elsewhere in the room (like the back of the church). Neither are ideal as you can't control both at the same time and he'll need to move about during the ceremony. If the cameras are next to each other than he'll just be jump-cutting back and forth from the same angle, and if one's at the back of the church/wherever then he'll probably have to go to it halfway to change tapes and will have no control over what it's doing in the interim.

Both are rubbish which is why we refuse to do it. You'll get a much more creative, safe and worthwhile film with two operators (so long as they both know what they're doing).

Prices all seem to be around £900 for blu-ray. Is that reasonable?

Thanks

How do you mean prices for Blu-ray? For example, we shoot all our films in high-definition regardless - they look better from the outset, are more flexible and allow us to offer things like stills - and then simply charge £20 for a Blu-ray disc if and when they want this. We also keep all the films for a year so even if the couple don't have a player yet they can always buy one off us further down the line.

Based on this, I assume you mean it's £900 for a package that includes a Blu-ray disc? Then the price is fairly reasonable, but again it comes back to the original points, ie is that for two operators, radio microphones, etc.

Remember, the photos and the video are the *only* thing that are usable for more than one day. For some reason people don't mind spending £5,000 to feed 100 people but shudder at the thought of spending less than half that on a video. How many married couples can remember what they ate on the day?

My point is it's worth spending £1,500 on something that you're going to be proud to show people and get out time and time again than spend £900 on something that's embarrassing, a bit shoddy and will stay at the back of the drawer after showing your parents that one time.

 

[Pooh]

Having shot a couple of weddings I can tell you these guys earn their money.

it's bloody hard work to do it properly.

Taking professional competency as a given one of the most important things is whether you get on with the guy or not.

 

[FreeStream]

Read the first 10 posts, skipped to post.

Get Raymond there. End of thread.

[Reads the rest]

That video looks impressive... and I have to agree with Pooh, I've never done weddings but the responsibility to go along with it must be huge!

Good luck picking someone tho!!