Videography Background

More recently, I’ve had a bunch of couples who weren’t having a videographer for one reason or another but were keen on a record of what was said during the speeches and ceremony.

I’d often suggest that having a guest with a phone mounted on a tripod was a pretty good ‘videographer alternative.’ But if you’d like the next step up in quality…

I’m now offering video recording of the ceremony and speeches.

$450 for the ceremony.

$350 for speeches.

Nothing cinematic – it’s a stationary camera on a tripod. The video and audio quality is excellent.

For those who want more detail; it’s a full-frame mirrorless camera recording in 4k (very high resolution) and a couple of wireless mics; usually one on the groom, and one on the celebrant/celebrants’ microphone.

I’ve included a recent wedding I’ve shot video for so you can see what you’ll end up with. Couples can stream video directly from a private page, or download the video files for offline viewing.

Details

It’ll be $450 for the ceremony with an addon of $350 for the speeches if you are keen on them as well. (or $450 if  you only want the speeches recorded)

If I’m doing speeches, like in the below example, I’ll capture other formalities of the reception if it’s possible to do so, (while still prioritising still photography) including the first dance.

Fine print and disclaimers

If I’m not shooting video, I often leave the girls as they jump in the cars so I can get shots of the girls getting into the cars, but if I’m capturing video of the ceremony, I need 15 minutes to get set up at the ceremony location, so there won’t be any photos of you getting into the car at your place (unless you want to do a fake ‘getting in the car’!)

While I deliver still images about 2 weeks after a wedding, I find I need an extra few weeks for the video – even for simple videos like this, its not an insubstantial job.

I’ve decided not to charge for a first dance video because the dance is a part of the day I need to be 100% concentrating on shooting stills, and there’s a more substantial risk that we won’t be left with usable footage.  A first dance often covers a large amount of ground, with fast-moving subjects, in low light, in a tight space, so I can’t guarantee that part of the video will be successful with my ‘set and forget’ method that allows me to shoot both stills and video. So if it works, that’s great (it usually does) and if not, I apologise. If footage of your first dance is super important, you should probably get a separate videographer to do it justice.

When I’m shooting stills, I’ve got plenty of backup gear to allow for all sorts of contingencies, but it’s not viable for me to bring a whole separate kit for video. An overheating camera for example (especially on a hot day) is something that’s not out of the question. I feel like I’m charging appropriately for the non-zero chance something goes wrong. Full disclosure – I’ve not had this happen in the bunch of times I’ve shot videos for couples, but if videos of the ceremony and speeches are super important to you, I’d pay for an actual videographer with all the backup gear, and so you can have someone monitoring the recording the whole time.

Lastly, this isn’t a service I can do if you’ve already got a professional videographer, I don’t want to be stepping on anyone’s toes.