Videographers

People often ask whether they should hire a videographer in addition to their stills photographer. Obviously this is a hugely personal decision but it’s worth bearing in mind the following points:

The old proverb ‘Too many cooks spoil the broth’ is never more true than for wedding photography. There is only ever one perfect spot to stand, one perfect angle from which to view an event. If you hire two videographers plus two photographers then there will be inevitable frictions. Each wants to do the best job possible – and that means getting in the right spot before the next person! Sometimes the presence of one has a hugely detrimental effect on the work the other is able to produce.

Perhaps these images of videographers at work will clarify what we mean. In each case the videographer would have obtained superb footage, but at the expense of the stills photography.

It is vital that before the wedding the roles of each are carefully delineated, so that each knows who has priority at any given stage of the wedding. If possible get both videographer and stills photographer to sign a contract saying who has priority at each of the key points of the day. At Aurora Studio we always ask that this be done. We would hate that there be any misunderstanding which could cause the bride and groom not to get the photography or the video they wish.

Just as there are different styles of stills photography, so too there are of videography. DO check both out carefully and ensure that each is giving you exactly the type of coverage you require – and that each is compatible with the other. Let me give an example.

At Aurora Studio we don’t do stress – we work incredibly quickly and with huge passion and enthusiasm for what we do. Our formal group photographs rarely take longer than five minutes and our romantic photography looks such fun because it is. The couple feed off our enthusiasm, become very relaxed and act completely naturally with each other. It is their emotion towards each other which we capture.

That’s great. It’s what our style is all about and it’s what our clients book us to do. But very occasionally we encounter  some videographers  who simply can not work with this more modern and creative approach. They insist that the photographer’s role is to create tableau after tableau of group poses. After each is set up they demand that the photographer step aside so that they can video what he has just photographed. So too, with the romantic shots.

Can you see how this creates problems? If we have priority then the videographer can not do his job, because videoing set tableau is what he believes his job to be. If the videographer has priority then ‘our’ photography is destroyed. Instead of the movement, life and captured emotion that epitomises our work, our images becomes on a par with that of much more traditional photographers and are guaranteed to disappoint the bride and groom.

So, if you do decide to have both media covering your wedding then for your own happiness DO check that there is no clash in their styles of working. If there is then decide which media has priority and ask them to advise on companies they can work with easily. I’m afraid I can’t recommend videographers to support traditional photography but if your style of photography is more relaxed and contemporary then I can definitely recommend  two good guys on the Lincolnshire videography scene – Dreamscene of  Grimsby and Raw Liquid Media of Lincoln. These companies are both thoroughly professional and reliable with operators who believe in putting the bride first and carrying out her wishes exactly.

Timings for a Stress-Free Wedding

At Aurora Studio we don’t do stress. One of the things that sets our photography apart from others is just how relaxed and natural-looking everyone is. Yet psychologists tell us that weddings are one of life’s most stressful events. The long build-up, the huge range of details to sort out, the inevitable disputes with parents and the tensions between partners all take their toll in the weeks and months preceding the wedding. So how, after all this stress, can you ensure that you remain chilled-out and radiant on your day?

No doubt about it – TIME is the key factor in avoiding stress. It’s a simple fact of life at weddings that you can’t get enough of it and what you have you must to use wisely. And this means planning ahead.

Work on the basis that no matter how long you think anything will take on the day, it will be AT LEAST double that. Usually more. It’s not just obvious things like going to the loo can take an eternity in a wedding dress, it’s that EVERYTHING takes longer.

Hair and make-up can be a major cause of delays. We’ve attended wedding which started up to an hour late because the hairdresser and/or make-up artist were so slow. It’s not really their fault ( or so we try to tell ourselves) – it’s because they want to do thier best for you. So everything is done that little bit more carefully than at the rehearsal. So the timings you noted at the rehearsal are usually about 50% of the time it will take on the day. Seriously!!! If you don’t get the last shots you wanted with your Mum before you got married, if you don’t get some shots of yourself looking perfect before the wind has got to you, if you don’t get chance to sit down and relax with a glass of something to calm the nerves, if you don’t get to the church at roughly the right time – then you WILL be stressed.

And poor timing at the start of the day will increase your stress as the day progresses. Let’s say that the 30 minutes you allowed for photography at home didn’t materialise. In fact, you aren’t anywhere near ready for getting your dress on by the time the photographer has to leave for church. And by the time you arrive at church you’re 30 minutes late……

What will have happened to the bride looking radiant as she steps gracefully out of the car and smiles serenely at her proud father? (O.K. it’s a cliche but when time allows and tempers aren’t frayed then we see it often and capture some beautiful images). Your pictures are much more likely to show a red-faced, fuming woman in a white dress go cantering less than elegantly up the church path to be bustled into church by a furious vicar who then proceeds to gabble through the ceremony because he has either a) another wedding to see to or b) to rush to the vicarage to watch the football match he’s missing.

And so the day continues. You normally have about 90 minutes at the reception venue to allow you to mingle with your guests, to have some romantic photographs of the two of you and perhaps some more informal ones of you and the guests. It’s a wonderful, stress-free and joyous time. But now, because of thatmissing 30 minutes, you only have an hour. But things are getting worse because you can’t get on. And your Mother is still insisting that the last family shots which should have been taken at the house are taken now. But if you do that then you can’t mingle. or if you do mingle then you won’t have time for the Romantics. But they’re IMPORTANT to you and you WILL do them. But then when you do you’re not feeling at all romantic or de-stressed because you know you have to get back soon for the line-up……….!

You get the point? We’re NOT exaggerating. At all. Not in the slightest. There is a make-up artist whom we consider to be the best in Lincolnshire. She is brilliant at making a bride look her very best and, as part of her service, she comes along to the reception to ‘touch up’ the make-up if it’s needed. She’s fantastic. And she’s a nightmare! For she is such a perfectionist that we have never yet done a wedding in her presence where the bride has got to church on time. Or where we’ve had the opportunity to photograph the bride looking beautiful. They’re usually so late and so stressed by it that they look like they’re about to commit murder. And one wedding she attended was one and a half hours late sitting down for the meal because she had repeated 15 minutes ‘touch up’ sessions with the bride. So even the guests all got stressed!

Irrespective of make-up/hairdressing delays, you’ll find that your wedding day needs at least 25 hours in it for everything to be done. Parents will drive you mad. And/or other relatives. They’ll be in your way and interfering when you don’t need them. And when you do they’ll be nowhere to be found. The commonest time for parents to disappear is when they’re needed for the formal photographs ( you know, the ones you didn’t want but THEY insisted you had to have). The five minutes you’d allowed for this turns into 30 minutes as various other people get bored waiting around for your Mother to be found and so wander off for a smoke.

So here are the Aurora tips for avoiding hassle:

1. If your photographer asks you to be ready for 12.00, tell your hairdresser and make-up artist that you must be ready for 11.20 at the latest.
2. Allow at least 30 minutes for getting your dress on and make sure that your bridesmaid or Mother has seen how your dress is fastened at your final fitting. Remember that on the day of your wedding your bridesmaids will probably be wearing false nails and your Mother – even the most competent and accomplished of Mothers – will be an emotional wreck, incapable of lacing up your dress without bursting into tears. So allow AGES for all of this.
3. If it’s a civil ceremony then expect it to start later than it should. For some reason the registrars are never ready. 15 minutes late is about normal. Build in the time for this.
4. Churches usually only have one exit. If you stand by it after the ceremony you will create a slow-moving line-up, greeting everyone as they leave. If you want to do this then allow 30 seconds per guest. If you don’t want this then move well away. It will still take an eternity for everyone to leave church. Allow at least 10 -20 minutes for this, depending on the number of guests.
5. If you’re the sort of bride who likes lots of traditional group photographs then work out how many you want and allow 3 minutes per group. Thankfully, Aurora Studio’s brides never want a lot of traditional groups and we get it all over with in 5 minutes. But I have attended weddings where the photographer took well over an hour to plough his way through the group shots.
6. It usually takes at least 15 minutes for the couple to have confetti thrown over them, walk down the church path, have a sip of champagne and then drive away.
7. Good reception venues always allow either 90 minutes or 2 hours between the bride’s arrival and the start of the line-up or meal. There are good reasons for this and we advise you to follow their lead.
8. If you’re having a line-up before the meal then allow 30 seconds per guest. Remember -120 guests means an hour standing shaking hands! We find that social etiquette is changing rapidly. Even at some very prestigious weddings it’s considered more courteous now to allow all the guests to start the wedding breakfast without this formality. But if you are having a line-up you really do need to build time for it and make sure that the caterers know.
9. Allow at least two and a half hours for the wedding breakfast.
10. ABOVE ALL – look at the timings you now have and build in contingency time. Unexpected things always happen at weddings and, besides, you need time to stand aside from proceedings, to look around you and really savour the fact that ‘This is MY wedding!’