Embarking on a career as a wedding videographer can be immensely rewarding. It combines the art of visual storytelling with the joy of capturing one of life’s most significant milestones. This article explores the path to becoming a professional wedding videographer, detailing the skills, training, and strategic steps required to succeed in this vibrant industry.
First things first, I want to congratulate you for wanting to join the wedding creative community! The wedding videographer world can always use great new ideas to freshen up the old tradition. If you are new to wedding & event videography, or even just new to creating videos, then you’ve come to the right place!
What Does a Wedding Videographer Do?
A wedding videographer is more than just a person behind a camera at weddings. This role involves capturing a comprehensive narrative of the couple’s special day, from groom and bride preparation all the way through to the end of the reception. Videographers are tasked with not only shooting important moments but also framing them in a way that tells a cohesive and emotional story. This requires a keen artistic eye, people skills, a foundation in posing skills, technical prowess, and the ability to anticipate and react swiftly to live events.
After the event, it’s the videographer’s job to edit the raw footage into the final product. The number of videos and the length of the videos will depend on what deliverables were promised in the contract, but in general, a wedding videographer will deliver a shorter, creative video, often called a highlight, and a longer video, often called a documentary edit.
What Are the Skills and Qualifications
The three most important skills for being a good wedding videographer are technical, artistic, and Interpersonal skills.
Technical Skills
Mastery of video and audio equipment is fundamental. A videographer must understand various cameras, lenses, stabilizers, and drones, as well as the nuances of lighting and sound recording. Proficiency in video editing software such as Adobe Premiere Pro or Final Cut Pro is also crucial to turn raw footage into polished final products.
Artistic Skills (aka Creativity)
Artistic flair is vital for creating compelling and memorable videos. This includes a good sense of timing, pacing, and composition, all of which contribute to the narrative structure of the wedding video. Creativity in using different angles and frames can significantly enhance the storytelling aspect.
Interpersonal Skills (aka Soft Skills)
Since videographers work closely with couples and often coordinate with photographers, planners, and other vendors, strong communication and people skills are essential. They must also manage client expectations and remain calm and problem-solving under pressure.
Skill+Vision > Fancy Equipment
“No tricks, gimmicks, special pills, special potions, special equipment. All it takes is desire and will.” -Richard Simmons
When starting out as a wedding videographer the most important thing you can do is hone in on your vision and skill. Without those your work will not stand out in the competitive environment. This doesn’t mean taking your parents old camcorder and shooting an entire wedding with that, (unless that’s your vision). You’ll want to start out with good quality gear (if possible), so you can start learning on the proper camera and actually use it for weddings in the future.
Here are examples of simple affordable, yet great quality equipment that you may need to start out with;
- Sony A6500 OR Sony A7 II
- A Good MonoPod
- LED light that can be stuck on top of your rig or nearby on a light stand.
Education and Learning
Youtube
Youtube is the perpetual home of most creatives. It’s a great place to look up tutorials on pretty much anything you can think of, and it’s also a wonderful place to find sources of inspiration for your videos. Plenty of wedding videographers put their work online, not only for clients but also to put their portfolio and videos out there for the world to see and give feedback on. So be sure to learn as much as possible and then get out there and shoot some content!
Practice and Experience
All of the free knowledge is useless until it’s honed and put into practice. To start, try reaching out to local wedding videographers to see if you can tag along as an assistant. Working under someone who has been in the wedding industry for sometime can help you sharpen your skills and can teach you a couple of lessons about the industry itself. Think of this as a mentorship/internship. What you lack in income, you make up in the knowledge that is being gained!
After a few gigs under your belt, apply for second and third wedding videographer positions. When you get to the point when you feel comfortable leading your own wedding, look for lead shooter positions in existing studios or start your own business!
Remember, in weddings reliability is a huge factor, if you can’t be trusted, wedding professionals like fellow videographers and vendors will probably go with a lesser known, or entirely different shooter. We only suggest this step if you’re completely serious about learning and joining the wedding videography business. Don’t waste anybody’s time!
Marketing and Building Your Brand
Developing a strong personal brand and marketing strategy is essential for success. A professional website, active social media presence, and engaging online portfolio are critical. These platforms should reflect the videographer’s unique style and personality, attract potential clients, and showcase the best work. Networking with other wedding professionals can also lead to referrals and collaborations. For more tips, follow the same tips that we recommend for marketing a photography studio.
Conclusion
After dedicating enough time and mastering the skill to be able to do a solo wedding shoot, you can either work for a wedding videography company, or open your own wedding videography company.
At this point, you’re no longer a rookie and your ready to make the last and final step. As a creative it’s not the easiest to manage your own business since you are so focussed on your craft. Joining a wedding videography company could be a really amazing thing! You’re constantly surrounded by creatives like you and most likely will have a stable amount of weddings to work. Maybe you’ll love the team you work with and never want to leave, or maybe you’ll eventually learn enough with this team to branch out on your own.
If you do end up venturing out on your own, remember to be open to all the opportunities that come your way, and to always keep a good network of vendors and fellow creatives around you! We hope this post will help you on your journey on becoming a wedding videographer!
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