In my many years of doing videography, It seems that the job of a videographer is not as important than a photographer. But how I see it is that a videographer is no less important than a photographer. We deal with different things. A videographer is someone who records your special day in a way that is beautiful and timeless. Yes, we bring a lot of equipment. But it takes a lot of equipment to memorialize your wedding day. So here are some reasons to look for if you are on the edge of deciding on a videographer and why they are important:
1. Movement & Emotion
Videographers taking moving pictures, which is how I like to refer to what we do. Photographers take a snapshot of particular moments in time that is frozen. Yes, photos are important and can be put in albums or wall frames. But what we capture are the moments that you just can’t get from a frozen moment in time. Imagine the moment you give your dad a handkerchief with words you wrote to him. And he gets really emotional with those words. Can this be captured with a frozen frame or put on a wall? More than likely no. Sure, it can be captured in a photo for you to remember, but are you going to remember what his exact reaction to the note was? Take a moment and watch Sara giving her dad a note, and decide if a photo could capture this moment with all the raw emotions?
2. Words Spoken
Another topic that Photos cannot capture is audio. A professional videographer is able to capture the words spoken throughout the day. And many times it is the voices that we hear that sets videographers apart from the photographer. Imagine that one day, you will have a loved one who passes away and you desperately want to hear their voice again. You look at home videos, videos on facebook if they spoken in them. Or if they did a speech on your special day. Wouldn’t it be comforting to know that you have their voice captured from your wedding? Voices are a priority for many videographers. If they don’t have the equipment to capture audio, then you may want to find someone else. Below is a video created using some great speeches that captures their vocals and what it means to have that.
3. Video is NOT for you
So why am I saying video is not for you. Video and photos are not really for you. Sure, you want it for looking back on your wedding day, especially your first anniversary. But I hear so many times that “I don’t need video, because I will watch it at our anniversary, and won’t watch it again“. This is the statement that gets to me. Video is really not for “You”. It is for your kids, grandkids, and generations beyond. Think about how awesome it would be to sit down and watch your parents, or grandparents on their wedding day? Many couples today, don’t have the luxury of having that option of seeing their parents or grandparents. Don’t you want to give the opportunity for your kids and grandkids to see your special day?
So think about when you decide that video is not for you, look back at these reasons and think about it again. Videographers take on the same tasks as a photographer, but capture audio and movement. And this blog post is not meant to belittle photographers. Photographers are just as important for the wedding day and can do things that a Videographer cannot do. So when it comes to deciding on whether to do photo or video, you would be hardpressed to just decide on one. You would be missing out on so much.