One time I had a camera setup for video while I was shooting stills and I told my second that I would only be using clips so if she had to step in front of it for a second to cross or whatever that it was no big deal, but she stood in frame for lengths of time. I was just starting out with video and I never should have told her that.
@@queerfoto yeah I found that being more direct with what you need is a better practice. If you give just a inch of room for them to cross/stand or be in a certain position, you risk getting a compromised shot.
The transparency of this really is humbling. It's so easy to be in your feelings with situations like these, however it is also normal. We're human. Thank you for being open about it.
The hardest decision that often paralyzed me on a wedding is sacrificing shooting for coverage vs shooting creatively. I would have done exactly what you did to make sure I had a ‘usable angle’
Thanks for being transparent. The amount of energy and effort that is put into wedding videography is too often unseen, by our clients and even by other present vendors. We're constantly thinking about our other angles, constantly worrying about what is being recorded because for us its about capturing the continuous moments and not the small frames within. I think you made the right call positioning your roaming camera. It's not always easy, but that is the nature of the wedding day, we do our best to communicate our needs with the other vendors and try to create an environment where we all feel valued. Thanks for sharing your experience, happy to see that we aren't alone!
You did well to maintain your position and it worked. Sometimes it’s difficult to trust and follow instincts when these thing happen but it’s almost always the best thing to do. Great video and thank you for sharing!
Love this. This kind of stuff isn’t talked about enough. There’s always so many things that can go wrong on a wedding day and so many things that just make your skin crawl, but in the end, there’s always so much more positive things that happen that we always overlook. Just like you said, even when things go wrong, you will always deliver a film that exceeds the expectations from the couple and something they can still cherish forever.
It really is so true! No wedding will be perfect but we can always do everything in power to make the best it can be despite the obstacles we have to navigate through.
I actually think you did the right thing and stayed where you did, you didn't compromise the shot and served your clients by making sure the shot was secure. Creatively we all want more but security is better, so kudos for actually staying there. I shot a wedding on Sunday and the two static cameras saved me as the cam on the gimbal wouldn't stop recording and then froze, think it was because it was connected to the gimbal and that caused a crash which meant that footage didn't save. However I had one cam in the center up high above everyone and the second was off to the side up high using a 70-200, so I had a nice n tight shot. I was frustrated but I was OK since those safety camera had my back. This was my second wedding lol and I loved the shot on the gimbal, I thought yes this looks good. Lol then shit hit the fan!!!
Thanks so much! Yeah, it can be really tricky making those decisions in the moment. That is great to hear you still had your left and right angles to save you! Gosh, that makes my heart sink just thinking about it lol.
@@WaywardNorth my heart did sink, but had time to review the footage from the other cams and I knew I was OK. So mentally I had to switch off from that moment and focus on the next, which as you know is far from easy. You do fantastic work buddy, always a pleasure to watch your content. Sending kind regards from the UK
The big problem it’s only one , that creates more 2 our 3 and is : creating over expectation of the wedding day . No one can have a perfect wedding day , anything can happen! Just enjoy the flow and be happy
This speaks to me so much! I have a bad habit of constantly feeling imposter syndrome (we’ve been doing this about a year and half now) because sometimes things like this come up, and it feels like every wedding I’m leaving learning something, but ultimately that’s a blessing right? It’s so good to walk away and know how you can do better next time. These are great reminders!
Ugh I totally get that feeling of just letting the noise tell you that you're not good enough. It is a battle we all face as creatives but its so important to keep moving forward, keep learning, and when you look back you will be able to see how far you've come. Being able to understand what you could do differently next time is a level of self awareness that takes practice honestly. We can beat ourselves up (which does nothing) or we can learn from it!
your videos are so good and so relatable. I am so excited to watch them all lol! can't even describe the feeling I get when I make a mistake like not realizing i'm not recording during a really important moment 😅😭
good call on staying there though--honestly your only hope would've been a walkie talkie earpiece or something to tell that second shooter to move the sticks somehow... i dunno. that's what popped into my mind when i plugged myself into your spot. i think you did what you could and served the couple well. i'll echo the other comments--really appreciate the honesty man. makes me think and helps me so much. so thank you!
From my experience many photographers forget about videographer need's when it comes to money shoots (first kiss, first look) Most of them are so unprofessional. Probably because cameras are so Affordable and everyone wants to be a photographer.(compare to videography it's Easy money)
Feels like the right decision to stay put. Don’t know if you are working with 4K on a 1080p timeline. Some creative zooms and mix it up with other shots will probably work just fine. Thanks for sharing!
The most important thing is you got the safe shot down the middle and it still looks good. Honestly doesn't look bad at all. It's nice to have the other angles but sometimes simple is better in my opinion.
Agreed! Sometimes it’s easy to get so flustered in the moment in the end, simplicity is often better service to the story. As a documentary filmmaker, those extra angles are nice to have lol
Never have I ever: Saw a camera set up and proceeded to stand in front of it for the entirety of the time. I LOVE my photographer friends, and I love even more having an open dialogue with whoever I am working with on that day. But, this has happened way too many times to us. Literally 2 weekends in a row and it's so disheartening because even open dialogue and communication falls by the wayside. I've gotten to a point of having to remind myself that my couple is who I am serving and it's up to us to deliver what is not only expected of us, but what they DESERVE. I feel as though in giving my couple an amazing stress-free experience on the wedding day, there are moments (such as this one) where I'd put my needs above others because they clearly don't care about yours. You struck a nerve, my friend LOL. Major PTSD.
If it happens to you, then I can't feel bad when it happens to me lol I recently did a wedding where the photographers said we were all there to do a job and we were both important but in action took over everything with posing the couple. Their "experience" intimidated me to speaking up and get what I needed. NEVER AGAIN will I allow that to happen!
Speaking up and being assertive can be really intimidating. You don’t want to feel aggressive or erratic, I think over time it will get easier to jump in and let the photographer know even during certain poses that you are gonna jump in before she moves them to another pose or spot.
@@WaywardNorth yes, I’ve filmed two more weddings since that one and have really made it a priority to speak up and get what I need and even offer up ideas like you suggested in your working with photographers video!
Oof, yeah idk. I would have done exactly what you did and froze and been very frustrated at the photographers. I am grateful my fiancé and I are a photo/film duo!
I like your honesty and tips. Very genuine attitude. Great tutorials. Thank you. I am doing my first wedding video next week as a favor for the family. Very nervous.
I believe in the idea of either finding out or paying attention to the focal lengths that the photographer is shooting at. When possible I would encourage shooting certain shots at the same focal length or going for a wider shot. I once had the bridal party literally stand in front of both side cameras. Even after I move them. Communication is important before The wedding day for the bridal party And the same with the photographers.
Great thoughts! I always recommend getting in touch with the photographer before the wedding day. Sometimes you can do everything right but its ultimately up to the photographer/videographer to respect your needs and sometimes you just run into some bad eggs that don't know how to play well with others.
I do both photography and Videography for weddings. Not at the same time. However, the photographer should've been more aware of your camera position and not in the way.. I can say for a brief second is okay and the remove out of the way. Working with different vendors is not easy. However, everything you talked about it is so true. The moments where I do not ask for what I want are usually the moments I think about the most and wish I did.
Man, this kind of stuff happens all the time to me, especially because I haven't been able to train a second shooter, it's always been someone who I know that just helps, and I have to be the one that thinks about everything, so when something goes wrong my mind just freezes.
I really feel this! There is so much going on in our heads at weddings, so much to think about throughout and whenever these situations happen it can just cause you to lose your train of thought and let this weigh you down for the rest of the day. It all gets better the more you deal with these situations though. It has been so long since I have experienced anything like this because generally me and the photographer are in-sync throughout the day.
Definitely comes down to experience working with a videographer 😬😬 I would never stand in front of a camera that long… this hurt me seeing the raw footage.
It hurt my heart for sure but I totally agree! Experience, self-awareness, and communication are huge. I think sometimes even with experience you have people who are just difficult to collaborate with. Call it ego or whatnot but we ended up making this film beautiful for the couple and they were happy so that’s all that matter! Hope your season went well last year!
I find this behavior from the photographers super selfish. Very thoughtless of them. I'm definitely not coming from a photographer-hating perspective. This one is just obvious. yikes.
I totally agree. I am with you, I have no negative feelings towards photographers at all. I love fostering a collaborative spirit with them because we all are a team. Situations like this are important to recognize so we can all adapt and make the best out of it for the sake of our couples film. It was super unfortunate..
There will always be someone blocking those cameras, regardless if it’s a vendor or guest. Almost, always. Hence the need for an assistant or second shooter to look over those cams.
Honestly, I've been there... I have had weddings where the timeline was just so fast paced that we didn't have time for a lot of things. Ultimately, you just have to do what you can, at the end of the day you can only do your best with what you are given.
I just recorded my first wedding and had a similar experience. Most of the footage was perfect except the vows. Was use a bmpcc 4k for zoom shot and that part has dropped frames now🤦🏾♂️ but hearing this helps to know I'm not the only one who experience this. Just have to figure out a creative way to work around this 😮💨
Thank you so much! My luts were designed for Standard Rec 709 so you would want to convert log footage to Rec 709 first but other than that they work beautifully with GH5 and LUMIX cameras
great video!! This has happened to me before.. i froze before also and just captured them with the ronin in front as well. the next time it happened, i had a 4th cam at the back on a wide to at least break it up some, i put the ronin on the ground recording while i went over to the closet side cam i had and adjusted it quickly...
This is a good option! It can be such a nerve wracking situation when something unexpected like this happens. I tried to stay minimal for this wedding with a 3 cam setup and didn't have my usual 4th camera in the back on a wide angle but hey lesson learned! Always go with the backup!
@@WaywardNorth yes...because even sometimes when you communicate well with the photographers it still can happen.. Most of the photographers i've worked with say that 50% of their weddings have a videographer.. So that tells me that they could shoot a few weddings in a row without the worry of extra cameras around and might totally forget that our cameras are in their comfortable spots they like to take pics at...i also ask what focal length they will be shooting at during ceremony..just in case they stick to a prime 35 is when i know to be prepared to move cameras
Have 2 weddings in the coming weeks and alll my second shooters canceld for both.. Will be a lot harder to pull off, but i will manage that.. i have no room for error.. My experience is that within every wedding their goes something wrong, mostly small thngs.. u never get a perfect shooting wedding. Biggest fail one time was no card in my lav audio recorder
You got this! Just go in with the mindset that you are going to do your best and serve the couple in the best way possible. Mistakes will always happen but learning from them and being prepared with a gameplan can certainly help mitigate any future mistakes
Yeah thats biblical lol we can only control ourselves in the heat of the moment. But you still did good! You still got what you Needed even though it wasnt exactly what you wanted. But man do i got an experience for you lol. Not that bad but mostly because it was my first wedding and first event like that. Anyways how about my first wedding ever (I started out doing car videos for car meets and promos for vendors and small businesses) Anyways it's a quick one but I had my camera set up on manual everything using a M43 little G100 and when the bride was coming out they cut the lights out! I had to change all my settings quickly while running around the right side to try to catch the end of her coming up to the pulpit lol. Had to improvise and use the photographers photo of her coming down the aisle in the video as well lol. Caught ne completely off guard. I was a one man show with one camera
I'm still upset about a wedding I filmed a few weeks ago. Every reception event was changing all night. My 2nd cameraman & I, and the photographers sat down to eat our meals, that the bride and venue graciously provided. Before the salad came the venue coordinator said we are doing Dad's welcome and the toasts. They were supposed to happen until after dinner. We had to jump up and put 3 Rode Go 2's on the speakers / toasters. Turn on 2 lights and pickup our cameras & monopods. Before I could put on a single Rode or turned on my lights the coordinator yells at and says "why aren't you ready?!!!" I regret I gave her a very pissed look for about 5 seconds. I asked her for 30 seconds, she said no and the toasts started. I ran on the dance floor with a handheld a74 and a wide angle lens. I filmed the 3 toasts that took over 30 minutes with NO lights and no audio backups. The rest of the night was just the same. I asked several times if we can be notified before anything happens.
I hate that you had to experience this. Planners and coordinators should be held to the same standard and be team players. Sometimes you have a few bad eggs that you just have to roll with the punches.
Don't know how many times photographers done this to me during weddings even after I communicate to them that I'll be having unmanned cameras on each side of the isle. They will nod their heads, but as soon as the ceremony starts, they just completely ignore about all of that and stood right infront of the cameras almost the entire time. It's common sense, you see the videographers cameras set up, you try and avoid standing right in front of them. That's why you have zoomed lens like the 70-200mm to compensate in situations where you wanted close up shots but don't want to block the videographer's cameras. Just saying photographers can use some common sense, and as well as videographers. And you don't need to go behind the couple and the officiant, seriously, you can get close up shots of them from the front and not have to be in the videographers frames.
Yeah I think it really just boils down to maturity and experience. While these photographers had beautiful work and tons of weddings under their belt, it seemed their experience with videographers were very few and they just didn’t understand why we needed certain things. Most of the day they were just talking about themselves and their work. You’ll just unfortunately cross paths with people like this and the only thing you can do is keep your head up, do your best, and keep it moving. We can try to gently educate them on our process but you don’t know what you don’t know and they have a million things going through their mind as well. Either way it sucks and you would think in 2022 these situations would become a thing of the past.
Really just start getting experience within each niche and seeing what excites you most! I didn’t enjoy corporate work because it felt too artificial, the real moments, and stories that matter in other peoples lives was an outlet I wanted to explore and weddings certainly provide that canvas to create within.
I always communicate all shots that I need with the photographer, as well as where I am placing stationary cameras. Good photographers are nice and helpful and make sure both parties get the shots needed, and shitty ones will ALWAYS stand in front of your cameras 😡 Luckily, most of the photographers I have worked with understand that both of us need to work together to get the shots that capture the couple's big day perfectly.
Honestly same! It is very rare that I ever experience this type of behavior and situation. Unfortunate but good to recognize and know how to positively maneuver around.
@wayward north, thanks for the great video. I include a "ceremony edit" in some of my packages and often run into the same issues, even with communication with the other vendors. For the "ceremony edits I always set expectations that people will bump cameras, get in the way of shots etc and they are NOT going to be perfect. I have not run into a couple that was disappointed that most of the ceremony was only caught from one angle. I think the comment about NOT over-communicating issues that they won't see is spot on! On another note, what F-stop do you typically film all of your B-roll with? I am rethinking how I film. I currently use 1.4 sigma 35mm and 1.4 85mm and I find myself struggling to nail focus much of the day. What are your thoughts? If this is covered in another video you have already done, a link would be fine. Thanks again!
Great thoughts! As long as you are focusing on client satisfaction you will be good. For b-roll it just depends on the moment. I generally switch between 1.6 and 2.8. It’s rare that I go above this! Great video idea though!
@@WaywardNorth would be a great video most of the wedding people I talk to struggle with this...while some say 2.8 full-frame is the best balance for clean focus and cinematic, some say wide open all day every day!
@@ForeverFilmsWedding Oh yeah it certainly is a subjective topic and will vary but I do believe there are situations where having wide open or more closed can benefit the scene/moment. Great topic idea!
All good points… it’s completely unnecessary for a photographer to just simply stand right in front of the bride or groom it’s very distracting with the guest and you could be in their way which is very rude and not very creative of them …like move around get different shots… I had one photographer that only had two lenses which were pretty wide so no joke she stood right in front of the bride and groom the entire time during the vows and no matter what angle I shot on you would see her that’s how close she was to them.. it’s funny because you could see people looking around commenting quietly about how rude that was
I agree it was very intrusive and while I would have chose to shoot differently if I were in their shoes, ultimately we can't force anyone to do what we want. We just have to show respect and kindness, communicate our needs, and hope the same respect is shown in return.
I’ve been heavily contemplating adding photography into my business it’s not my passion but if I hire the right person to implement the vision maybe it could help me avoid being put in predicaments like this 🤔
I tried this for a few years and it’s a great way to scale your business and build a team operates under the same process and style which is great. I switched back to just film as it was more than I can manage at the time. Not a bad thing to consider at all!
Oh and it sucks when the photographer using the prime lenses instead of 70-200. You will have the photographer up close to couple all of the time. And one more thing that’s killing me is the photographer feeling the urge to show pictures to the couple while we are filming…
Haha yeah I have to say the showing pictures to the couple feels a bit cringe. Like on one end I get the mindset of "dang look how awesome you guys are looking" but on the other side it feels very narcissistic.
Man, I had a situation too this past Saturday! I thought it was gonna be the exact same scenario as I was watching your video but it was a bit different. The same end result… my two tripod cameras were perfectly framed and focused on each participant- and then the priest did something I never have seen/heard in any church wedding. He said, will the congregation please rise for the vows” I just about lost it. I had a very wide balcony shot, but there was no option for me to shoot directly down the center of the aisle the way you did either. The priest was standing there, about 15 feet away from the couple. So, I made the touch decision in the heat of the moment to go up near the altar where I know you’re not supposed to be. (Off to the left/right respectively) Photographers followed suit and we got everything we needed. As you said, you can definitely cover things up with B roll, and the best thing is that there is a good minute or two of footage that you can see both of their faces perfectly… so I can definitely use those angles to replicate what I was going for. Always something!
Man, I have experienced this same thing and it is gut wrenching but you did the right thing! It's almost beneficial to start including a consultation with the officiants/church/etc lol just so we can stop having these heart attacks day of. Well done though!
@@WaywardNorth thanks! And I totally agree- I was just so thrown off since I’ve never seen that in any church wedding in hundreds of weddings! Also, I am normally running solo. Having a second shooter in this scenario would’ve made it a much smaller issue
What are some negative experiences you have run into where you turned it into a positive one? Drop em' below!
One time I had a camera setup for video while I was shooting stills and I told my second that I would only be using clips so if she had to step in front of it for a second to cross or whatever that it was no big deal, but she stood in frame for lengths of time. I was just starting out with video and I never should have told her that.
@@queerfoto yeah I found that being more direct with what you need is a better practice. If you give just a inch of room for them to cross/stand or be in a certain position, you risk getting a compromised shot.
@@WaywardNorth my positivity is how to create a storyline and what to begin with while editing a wedding short movie and how to end
The transparency of this really is humbling. It's so easy to be in your feelings with situations like these, however it is also normal. We're human.
Thank you for being open about it.
The hardest decision that often paralyzed me on a wedding is sacrificing shooting for coverage vs shooting creatively. I would have done exactly what you did to make sure I had a ‘usable angle’
This is helpful to watch as a photographer! I don't want to be that person that ruins a videographer's mission! It definitely should be a team effort.
Thanks for being transparent. The amount of energy and effort that is put into wedding videography is too often unseen, by our clients and even by other present vendors. We're constantly thinking about our other angles, constantly worrying about what is being recorded because for us its about capturing the continuous moments and not the small frames within. I think you made the right call positioning your roaming camera. It's not always easy, but that is the nature of the wedding day, we do our best to communicate our needs with the other vendors and try to create an environment where we all feel valued. Thanks for sharing your experience, happy to see that we aren't alone!
You did well to maintain your position and it worked. Sometimes it’s difficult to trust and follow instincts when these thing happen but it’s almost always the best thing to do. Great video and thank you for sharing!
Love this. This kind of stuff isn’t talked about enough. There’s always so many things that can go wrong on a wedding day and so many things that just make your skin crawl, but in the end, there’s always so much more positive things that happen that we always overlook. Just like you said, even when things go wrong, you will always deliver a film that exceeds the expectations from the couple and something they can still cherish forever.
It really is so true! No wedding will be perfect but we can always do everything in power to make the best it can be despite the obstacles we have to navigate through.
I actually think you did the right thing and stayed where you did, you didn't compromise the shot and served your clients by making sure the shot was secure.
Creatively we all want more but security is better, so kudos for actually staying there.
I shot a wedding on Sunday and the two static cameras saved me as the cam on the gimbal wouldn't stop recording and then froze, think it was because it was connected to the gimbal and that caused a crash which meant that footage didn't save.
However I had one cam in the center up high above everyone and the second was off to the side up high using a 70-200, so I had a nice n tight shot.
I was frustrated but I was OK since those safety camera had my back.
This was my second wedding lol and I loved the shot on the gimbal, I thought yes this looks good.
Lol then shit hit the fan!!!
Thanks so much! Yeah, it can be really tricky making those decisions in the moment. That is great to hear you still had your left and right angles to save you! Gosh, that makes my heart sink just thinking about it lol.
@@WaywardNorth my heart did sink, but had time to review the footage from the other cams and I knew I was OK.
So mentally I had to switch off from that moment and focus on the next, which as you know is far from easy.
You do fantastic work buddy, always a pleasure to watch your content.
Sending kind regards from the UK
The big problem it’s only one , that creates more 2 our 3 and is : creating over expectation of the wedding day . No one can have a perfect wedding day , anything can happen! Just enjoy the flow and be happy
From personal experience I can say this is a really honest take. Good takeaways and a great perspective.
Also love this new set🔥
Thanks so much! I really appreciate the love!
Preach man. This is so good.
Man, thank you so much! Means a ton!
This speaks to me so much! I have a bad habit of constantly feeling imposter syndrome (we’ve been doing this about a year and half now) because sometimes things like this come up, and it feels like every wedding I’m leaving learning something, but ultimately that’s a blessing right? It’s so good to walk away and know how you can do better next time. These are great reminders!
Ugh I totally get that feeling of just letting the noise tell you that you're not good enough. It is a battle we all face as creatives but its so important to keep moving forward, keep learning, and when you look back you will be able to see how far you've come. Being able to understand what you could do differently next time is a level of self awareness that takes practice honestly. We can beat ourselves up (which does nothing) or we can learn from it!
@@WaywardNorth exactly!!
your videos are so good and so relatable. I am so excited to watch them all lol! can't even describe the feeling I get when I make a mistake like not realizing i'm not recording during a really important moment 😅😭
Thank you so much! That means the world seriously. Oh that is literally the worst feeling lol. Def been there multiple times
good call on staying there though--honestly your only hope would've been a walkie talkie earpiece or something to tell that second shooter to move the sticks somehow... i dunno. that's what popped into my mind when i plugged myself into your spot. i think you did what you could and served the couple well. i'll echo the other comments--really appreciate the honesty man. makes me think and helps me so much. so thank you!
From my experience many photographers forget about videographer need's when it comes to money shoots (first kiss, first look)
Most of them are so unprofessional.
Probably because cameras are so Affordable and everyone wants to be a photographer.(compare to videography it's Easy money)
Feels like the right decision to stay put. Don’t know if you are working with 4K on a 1080p timeline. Some creative zooms and mix it up with other shots will probably work just fine. Thanks for sharing!
You are the best! Thank you for making these videos
Good call to stay put. I think. You could of missed the moment.
Thanks! Yeah, the more I reflect the more I think you are right and having stayed put was the right call.
Definitely a reminder for me to communicate EMPHATICALLY to photographers about where my tripods will be
Great video. So glad you made this. Thank you.
The most important thing is you got the safe shot down the middle and it still looks good. Honestly doesn't look bad at all. It's nice to have the other angles but sometimes simple is better in my opinion.
Agreed! Sometimes it’s easy to get so flustered in the moment in the end, simplicity is often better service to the story. As a documentary filmmaker, those extra angles are nice to have lol
Never have I ever: Saw a camera set up and proceeded to stand in front of it for the entirety of the time. I LOVE my photographer friends, and I love even more having an open dialogue with whoever I am working with on that day. But, this has happened way too many times to us. Literally 2 weekends in a row and it's so disheartening because even open dialogue and communication falls by the wayside. I've gotten to a point of having to remind myself that my couple is who I am serving and it's up to us to deliver what is not only expected of us, but what they DESERVE.
I feel as though in giving my couple an amazing stress-free experience on the wedding day, there are moments (such as this one) where I'd put my needs above others because they clearly don't care about yours. You struck a nerve, my friend LOL. Major PTSD.
If it happens to you, then I can't feel bad when it happens to me lol I recently did a wedding where the photographers said we were all there to do a job and we were both important but in action took over everything with posing the couple. Their "experience" intimidated me to speaking up and get what I needed. NEVER AGAIN will I allow that to happen!
Speaking up and being assertive can be really intimidating. You don’t want to feel aggressive or erratic, I think over time it will get easier to jump in and let the photographer know even during certain poses that you are gonna jump in before she moves them to another pose or spot.
@@WaywardNorth yes, I’ve filmed two more weddings since that one and have really made it a priority to speak up and get what I need and even offer up ideas like you suggested in your working with photographers video!
@@ChrisFlores22 Dude that’s awesome to hear!
Oof, yeah idk. I would have done exactly what you did and froze and been very frustrated at the photographers. I am grateful my fiancé and I are a photo/film duo!
I appreciate the transparency... we are always learning.
Amen to that!
I like your honesty and tips. Very genuine attitude. Great tutorials. Thank you. I am doing my first wedding video next week as a favor for the family. Very nervous.
Thanks so much! You got this, just have fun with it! All you can do is your best
It’s really nice that you share these experiences and thoughts thank you !
Of course! I was a bit nervous because its never an easy topic but I appreciate you!
I felt this SO HARD.
I believe in the idea of either finding out or paying attention to the focal lengths that the photographer is shooting at. When possible I would encourage shooting certain shots at the same focal length or going for a wider shot. I once had the bridal party literally stand in front of both side cameras. Even after I move them. Communication is important before The wedding day for the bridal party And the same with the photographers.
Great thoughts! I always recommend getting in touch with the photographer before the wedding day. Sometimes you can do everything right but its ultimately up to the photographer/videographer to respect your needs and sometimes you just run into some bad eggs that don't know how to play well with others.
I do both photography and Videography for weddings. Not at the same time. However, the photographer should've been more aware of your camera position and not in the way.. I can say for a brief second is okay and the remove out of the way. Working with different vendors is not easy. However, everything you talked about it is so true. The moments where I do not ask for what I want are usually the moments I think about the most and wish I did.
Man, this kind of stuff happens all the time to me, especially because I haven't been able to train a second shooter, it's always been someone who I know that just helps, and I have to be the one that thinks about everything, so when something goes wrong my mind just freezes.
I really feel this! There is so much going on in our heads at weddings, so much to think about throughout and whenever these situations happen it can just cause you to lose your train of thought and let this weigh you down for the rest of the day. It all gets better the more you deal with these situations though. It has been so long since I have experienced anything like this because generally me and the photographer are in-sync throughout the day.
Definitely comes down to experience working with a videographer 😬😬 I would never stand in front of a camera that long… this hurt me seeing the raw footage.
It hurt my heart for sure but I totally agree! Experience, self-awareness, and communication are huge. I think sometimes even with experience you have people who are just difficult to collaborate with. Call it ego or whatnot but we ended up making this film beautiful for the couple and they were happy so that’s all that matter! Hope your season went well last year!
I find this behavior from the photographers super selfish. Very thoughtless of them. I'm definitely not coming from a photographer-hating perspective. This one is just obvious. yikes.
I totally agree. I am with you, I have no negative feelings towards photographers at all. I love fostering a collaborative spirit with them because we all are a team. Situations like this are important to recognize so we can all adapt and make the best out of it for the sake of our couples film. It was super unfortunate..
There will always be someone blocking those cameras, regardless if it’s a vendor or guest. Almost, always. Hence the need for an assistant or second shooter to look over those cams.
Having a photog that only shoots with a 35mm lens doesn't help! they end up in all your shots!
I neglected to get any exterior shots of the venue once... Didn't realize it until the next week.
Honestly, I've been there... I have had weddings where the timeline was just so fast paced that we didn't have time for a lot of things. Ultimately, you just have to do what you can, at the end of the day you can only do your best with what you are given.
I just recorded my first wedding and had a similar experience. Most of the footage was perfect except the vows. Was use a bmpcc 4k for zoom shot and that part has dropped frames now🤦🏾♂️ but hearing this helps to know I'm not the only one who experience this. Just have to figure out a creative way to work around this 😮💨
I am sorry you are in a similar situation. I am sure you can work your creative magic to make something awesome!
your b-roll is breathtaking. I can only hope mine turns out that quality someday!! Would your LUT pack be useful to the lumix
v-LOG profile?
Thank you so much! My luts were designed for Standard Rec 709 so you would want to convert log footage to Rec 709 first but other than that they work beautifully with GH5 and LUMIX cameras
🔥🔥🔥 always great content, thanks bro!
Thanks so much friend!!
great video!! This has happened to me before.. i froze before also and just captured them with the ronin in front as well. the next time it happened, i had a 4th cam at the back on a wide to at least break it up some, i put the ronin on the ground recording while i went over to the closet side cam i had and adjusted it quickly...
This is a good option! It can be such a nerve wracking situation when something unexpected like this happens. I tried to stay minimal for this wedding with a 3 cam setup and didn't have my usual 4th camera in the back on a wide angle but hey lesson learned! Always go with the backup!
@@WaywardNorth yes...because even sometimes when you communicate well with the photographers it still can happen.. Most of the photographers i've worked with say that 50% of their weddings have a videographer.. So that tells me that they could shoot a few weddings in a row without the worry of extra cameras around and might totally forget that our cameras are in their comfortable spots they like to take pics at...i also ask what focal length they will be shooting at during ceremony..just in case they stick to a prime 35 is when i know to be prepared to move cameras
Have 2 weddings in the coming weeks and alll my second shooters canceld for both.. Will be a lot harder to pull off, but i will manage that.. i have no room for error.. My experience is that within every wedding their goes something wrong, mostly small thngs.. u never get a perfect shooting wedding. Biggest fail one time was no card in my lav audio recorder
You got this! Just go in with the mindset that you are going to do your best and serve the couple in the best way possible. Mistakes will always happen but learning from them and being prepared with a gameplan can certainly help mitigate any future mistakes
That’s a rough one. Weddings are trying to manage chaos.
Yeah thats biblical lol we can only control ourselves in the heat of the moment. But you still did good! You still got what you Needed even though it wasnt exactly what you wanted.
But man do i got an experience for you lol. Not that bad but mostly because it was my first wedding and first event like that. Anyways how about my first wedding ever (I started out doing car videos for car meets and promos for vendors and small businesses) Anyways it's a quick one but I had my camera set up on manual everything using a M43 little G100 and when the bride was coming out they cut the lights out! I had to change all my settings quickly while running around the right side to try to catch the end of her coming up to the pulpit lol. Had to improvise and use the photographers photo of her coming down the aisle in the video as well lol. Caught ne completely off guard. I was a one man show with one camera
I'm still upset about a wedding I filmed a few weeks ago. Every reception event was changing all night. My 2nd cameraman & I, and the photographers sat down to eat our meals, that the bride and venue graciously provided. Before the salad came the venue coordinator said we are doing Dad's welcome and the toasts. They were supposed to happen until after dinner. We had to jump up and put 3 Rode Go 2's on the speakers / toasters. Turn on 2 lights and pickup our cameras & monopods. Before I could put on a single Rode or turned on my lights the coordinator yells at and says "why aren't you ready?!!!" I regret I gave her a very pissed look for about 5 seconds. I asked her for 30 seconds, she said no and the toasts started. I ran on the dance floor with a handheld a74 and a wide angle lens. I filmed the 3 toasts that took over 30 minutes with NO lights and no audio backups. The rest of the night was just the same. I asked several times if we can be notified before anything happens.
I hate that you had to experience this. Planners and coordinators should be held to the same standard and be team players. Sometimes you have a few bad eggs that you just have to roll with the punches.
A lotttt of thanks. Keep UP ;)
Muy bueno tu video
Great video, Sir! Question: "where did you get that hat" Lol I need one bad :) Thank you in advance!
You can get these at Brixton hats!
@@WaywardNorth much appreciated 🙏
Don't know how many times photographers done this to me during weddings even after I communicate to them that I'll be having unmanned cameras on each side of the isle. They will nod their heads, but as soon as the ceremony starts, they just completely ignore about all of that and stood right infront of the cameras almost the entire time. It's common sense, you see the videographers cameras set up, you try and avoid standing right in front of them. That's why you have zoomed lens like the 70-200mm to compensate in situations where you wanted close up shots but don't want to block the videographer's cameras. Just saying photographers can use some common sense, and as well as videographers. And you don't need to go behind the couple and the officiant, seriously, you can get close up shots of them from the front and not have to be in the videographers frames.
Yeah I think it really just boils down to maturity and experience. While these photographers had beautiful work and tons of weddings under their belt, it seemed their experience with videographers were very few and they just didn’t understand why we needed certain things. Most of the day they were just talking about themselves and their work. You’ll just unfortunately cross paths with people like this and the only thing you can do is keep your head up, do your best, and keep it moving. We can try to gently educate them on our process but you don’t know what you don’t know and they have a million things going through their mind as well.
Either way it sucks and you would think in 2022 these situations would become a thing of the past.
How do you know If you should do weddings? I'm just starting out videography as a business and having trouble deciding a niche
Really just start getting experience within each niche and seeing what excites you most! I didn’t enjoy corporate work because it felt too artificial, the real moments, and stories that matter in other peoples lives was an outlet I wanted to explore and weddings certainly provide that canvas to create within.
@@WaywardNorth okay great thank you for your advice I truly appreciate it 👌🏼
I always communicate all shots that I need with the photographer, as well as where I am placing stationary cameras. Good photographers are nice and helpful and make sure both parties get the shots needed, and shitty ones will ALWAYS stand in front of your cameras 😡 Luckily, most of the photographers I have worked with understand that both of us need to work together to get the shots that capture the couple's big day perfectly.
Honestly same! It is very rare that I ever experience this type of behavior and situation. Unfortunate but good to recognize and know how to positively maneuver around.
@wayward north, thanks for the great video. I include a "ceremony edit" in some of my packages and often run into the same issues, even with communication with the other vendors. For the "ceremony edits I always set expectations that people will bump cameras, get in the way of shots etc and they are NOT going to be perfect. I have not run into a couple that was disappointed that most of the ceremony was only caught from one angle. I think the comment about NOT over-communicating issues that they won't see is spot on! On another note, what F-stop do you typically film all of your B-roll with? I am rethinking how I film. I currently use 1.4 sigma 35mm and 1.4 85mm and I find myself struggling to nail focus much of the day. What are your thoughts? If this is covered in another video you have already done, a link would be fine. Thanks again!
Great thoughts! As long as you are focusing on client satisfaction you will be good. For b-roll it just depends on the moment. I generally switch between 1.6 and 2.8. It’s rare that I go above this! Great video idea though!
@@WaywardNorth would be a great video most of the wedding people I talk to struggle with this...while some say 2.8 full-frame is the best balance for clean focus and cinematic, some say wide open all day every day!
@@ForeverFilmsWedding Oh yeah it certainly is a subjective topic and will vary but I do believe there are situations where having wide open or more closed can benefit the scene/moment. Great topic idea!
All good points… it’s completely unnecessary for a photographer to just simply stand right in front of the bride or groom it’s very distracting with the guest and you could be in their way which is very rude and not very creative of them …like move around get different shots… I had one photographer that only had two lenses which were pretty wide so no joke she stood right in front of the bride and groom the entire time during the vows and no matter what angle I shot on you would see her that’s how close she was to them.. it’s funny because you could see people looking around commenting quietly about how rude that was
I agree it was very intrusive and while I would have chose to shoot differently if I were in their shoes, ultimately we can't force anyone to do what we want. We just have to show respect and kindness, communicate our needs, and hope the same respect is shown in return.
What do you wish you would’ve communicated?
I’ve been heavily contemplating adding photography into my business it’s not my passion but if I hire the right person to implement the vision maybe it could help me avoid being put in predicaments like this 🤔
I tried this for a few years and it’s a great way to scale your business and build a team operates under the same process and style which is great. I switched back to just film as it was more than I can manage at the time. Not a bad thing to consider at all!
Oh and it sucks when the photographer using the prime lenses instead of 70-200. You will have the photographer up close to couple all of the time. And one more thing that’s killing me is the photographer feeling the urge to show pictures to the couple while we are filming…
Haha yeah I have to say the showing pictures to the couple feels a bit cringe. Like on one end I get the mindset of "dang look how awesome you guys are looking" but on the other side it feels very narcissistic.
@@WaywardNorth Agreed haha! Love all my clips with the photographers back blocking my art!
Eric floberg ?
Which lut did you use on the wedding in this video?
I used one of my luts from my Unveiled Lut pack. They will be releasing very soon :)
Great! Can’t wait!
Man, I had a situation too this past Saturday! I thought it was gonna be the exact same scenario as I was watching your video but it was a bit different. The same end result… my two tripod cameras were perfectly framed and focused on each participant- and then the priest did something I never have seen/heard in any church wedding. He said, will the congregation please rise for the vows”
I just about lost it. I had a very wide balcony shot, but there was no option for me to shoot directly down the center of the aisle the way you did either. The priest was standing there, about 15 feet away from the couple. So, I made the touch decision in the heat of the moment to go up near the altar where I know you’re not supposed to be. (Off to the left/right respectively) Photographers followed suit and we got everything we needed. As you said, you can definitely cover things up with B roll, and the best thing is that there is a good minute or two of footage that you can see both of their faces perfectly… so I can definitely use those angles to replicate what I was going for. Always something!
Man, I have experienced this same thing and it is gut wrenching but you did the right thing! It's almost beneficial to start including a consultation with the officiants/church/etc lol just so we can stop having these heart attacks day of. Well done though!
@@WaywardNorth thanks! And I totally agree- I was just so thrown off since I’ve never seen that in any church wedding in hundreds of weddings! Also, I am normally running solo. Having a second shooter in this scenario would’ve made it a much smaller issue