How Photographers Can Work Better With Videographers

It seems like an age-old feud, the videographer and photographer pitted against each other.

If you ask me, it's pretty ridiculous to get caught trying to one-up each other when the true goal of both a photographer and videographer is to skillfully capture a couple's big day, and make their clients happy. Still, I get asked by my couples all the time, "How do you work with my photographer?" It's a valid question. But I also think that if you're asking this question to a videographer, you should certainly be asking it to your photographer, too.

The occasional trouble I run into is working with photographers who have been burned in the past by a videographer. Even though I make every effort to introduce myself and communicate both before and during the wedding day, sometimes it's not enough to make things run smoothly. I know every photographer and every videographer are different, so I'm speaking only from personal experience.

Vendors not being on the same page is miserable for literally everybody. Have you ever left a wedding and thought, "Ugh, they ruined the whole day?" Today I wanted to take a moment to talk about some easy ways that photographers can aid in working better together with a videographer on a wedding day.

1) We are a team.

We have the same goal, and we must work together to achieve it. By simply communicating your timeline and your position throughout a wedding day, this allows both of us to make a plan and work together. Even better, reach out beforehand (or respond to me when I do!) so that we can know what the day looks like before we arrive.

2) Check in.

Just taking a moment to check in with us after you get your shot is incredibly helpful. That means a) making sure the couple or bridal party know they should stay in their positions even after your camera is down, and b) asking us if we got the shot, or if we need to get anything else before you move on. About 90% of our shooting is done in tandem with yours, but there are some additional things we may need. All we need is a quick check in from you to make sure we get what we need, and that we can stay on the same page.

3) Don't run into our shots.

The process to crop or mask someone out of a moving video is incredibly difficult, and a much different process than it would be for a photo. Because our camera is continually rolling, we need a clean, smooth shot. Sometimes we can do things over if something does get in our way, but being conscious of our presence makes it so much easier to focus on our job and not have to spend time repeating shots. This includes when a photographer finishes their shot, then runs up to the couple to show them the back of their camera. In this instance, there's little we can do to salvage the frame, and there's a good chance we weren't finished with our shot. If you're checking in with us, this is less likely to be a problem!

4) Ceremony & toasts.

As a videographer, audio is crucial to our process. The two best times for audio are during the ceremony and reception toasts. Every videographer and photographer has a different ceremony setup, and we should be communicating with each other to make sure our setups are complementary to each other. The ceremony is equally important to a photographer. However, speeches are far more important to videographer than a photographer. With a few pictures, you've got the whole scene. Videographers must be recording the entire duration of a toast, often with more than one camera, plus audio equipment. These moments of a wedding day are vital to our finished product. Please understand that while our setup may be a little annoying, this is our bread and butter.

No matter what, photographers and videographers will run into issues with each other until the end of time. But by understanding each other's workflows and consistently communicating throughout a wedding day, it is possible to eliminate potential problems. At the end of the day, a solid photo/video team makes for a happy couple!

Curious what a videographer can do to work better with a photographer? Check out the guest blog from Christa Rae Photography!