Guest Post: Slammin' Videography {Virginia Wedding Photographer}

Morin’, Lovelies!

Thinking about wedding videography?  I know I am.  Some can be super cheese, though, right?  I asked Ian with Toy Box Productions (Facebook) to post today about how to find a good videographer.  Pfew!  Have you seen his work?  Romantic, classic, and cheese-free.

As a photographer, I like to work with vendors like Toy Box Productions.  They are excited to shoot your wedding, super professional, and their product is top quality!  At your wedding, both your photographer and videographer need to shoot many of the same shots at the same time-- I highly recommend vendors who work well with other vendors.  Toy Box is one such vendor!

** Note: I was not compensated for this post.  I just want to bring you super cool vendors.  Which vendors are you interested in knowing about?

From Ian with Toy Box Productions:

Wedding Videography

What it is typically, what it can be, and why you should care.

If I had a nickel for every time someone told me they wished they had video of their wedding, I could probably retire. The problem is there just isn’t enough passion, respect, or creativity in wedding videography anymore. Maybe there never really was to begin with. The point is there SHOULD be!

What it is typically: Someone similar to your uncle Bob, with maybe an old Handycam, or broadcast shoulder camera. Maybe with a giant light mounted on top?

“Uncle Bob” will probably show up 30 min before the ceremony, set up in the back corner, or off to the side, with his camera on top of a rickety tripod that shakes every time he pans, zooms, or breathes… Capturing EVERYTHING. As much as he can from that one location anyway.
He will then follow you to the reception where he will start getting more inappropriate shots of drunken people dancing than you thought possible. Maybe even do some interviews with guest. Guests you barely know, but hey, they are drunk and talkative!
All of this will then be slowed down in post, put together with some cheesy music, maybe add some black and white, or sepia tone effects, and your finished video will be about an hour long.

Now for some of you that may sound exactly like what you want, and there’s nothing wrong with that. There are plenty of “Uncle Bobs” in the world, who are available at a good price. My parents hired one for their still photos. Too bad he forgot to put film in the camera… The old adage still is, and always will be true. You get what you pay for.

What it can be: I could tell you, but it’s SO much easier to show you.
Allow me to shamelessly plug myself, and show you one of our typical wedding videos. J

It’s a little different, right? Looks like a movie. Tells a story. Captures the emotion and feel of the day. I’m not saying we’re the only ones that shoot this way by any means. I’m saying this is how weddings can be captured!

Why you should care: A wedding video, or film, is an investment. It’s something your children will be able to watch. Your GRAND children will be able to relive you walking down the aisle! There are many tricks to finding a good wedding video/film company, but I’ll try to highlight some for you.

Trust.

Look, you’re going to be spending a lot of time with your photographers and videographers, on your wedding day. Make sure you are ok being around them! We always set up a client consultation with couples. It’s as much for us as it is for you! Develop a rapport with them, get to know them, and make sure you like them!

Different.

Is a companies wedding videos all the same, or is each one a little different? Obviously weddings tend to have a lot of the same parts. How well a company can make a wedding video specific to a couple is important. I’m sure you aren’t the same as every other couple, so why do you want your wedding video to look just like theirs?

Passion.

Are you going to get your wedding cake from someone that doesn’t love baking? How about your bouquet from someone that does flowers as a hobby? Probably not, so why would you not give the kind of detailed attention to your video, as you would say, your wedding dress? If you haven’t yet noticed, I’m pretty passionate about what I do, and I think that is key. When you have someone that takes pride in what they do, the end product is always going to be better!

If you take anything from this, please remember that not all wedding videographers are the same. I hope you take more from this though, that maybe your thoughts and feelings towards wedding videos have been changed.