A bride-to-be recently sent me an email wondering what to look for in a videographer and photographer. Well, what DO you look for when booking the two most important parts of your wedding?
When looking into any vendor for a wedding, the first thing to do is a lot of research! This is especially true when booking a photographer and videographer. Who is this company that I am looking into buying for the most important day of my life?
How do I know how this company is to work with after I’ve already paid?
Reviews are a great way of looking at a company from a standpoint outside of their control. This is important because some companies can seem very great during meetings, when on the wedding day after you’ve paid can be disastrous. Wedding Wire, The Knot, etc. have message boards that you can post up on and ask about certain vendors. Some companies have sites on such sites such as The Knot. These sites usually make it so that the photography or videography company cannot touch. It shows both the good and bad of each company without any bias of the company.
What kind of photography or videography are you getting?
Watch a couple samples of video, look at some picture samples of your photographer before booking. When shopping around for a photographer or videographer it’s vital to look for something different than normal.
If your photographer shoots general photos and formals, there’s nothing special about their work and probably not worth the price.
The same goes with videography; do they get good details of the wedding you take hours on hours to plan? How do they edit your footage together?
What am I paying for when booking a photographer and videographer?
I always answer this question first with, “You get what you pay for!” I cannot stress enough about this point! For photography, make sure the shots are unique and edited well. Photos that are over edited can look very grainy, and sometimes unpleasant to the eye. The price of this vendor will be more if you are booking for 8 hours (recommended) than if you are booking for 6.
Videography is a whole different world when it comes to pricing. The more expensive companies should be offering you HD footage, Blu-ray, Raw Footage, and an edited version of your whole wedding. Each company does this differently, so find the best fit for you. If you would rather watch your video in portions, find a company that breaks the day into chapters that you can skip through. A one-camera 8-hour wedding can equal up to 3 and a half to 4 hours. With a multi-cam you will be paying more, but you will receive an even better final product. For example: think of your favorite TV. show, imagine watching that show from only one angle for the whole time. A multi-cam wedding gives variation, so that in the edit you can see different things that are going on at the same time that will keep your attention.