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PHOTOGRAPHY & VIDEOGRAPHY
34 | FALL & WINTER 2018
CHICAGO WEDDING & PARTY RESOURCE
CHICAGOWEDDINGRESOURCE.COMCapturing the Experience
Why hiring a video pro will help you – and those you love – relive the big day
By Melissa Tussing, CTW Features
There are plenty of arguments
against hiring a wedding
videographer.
It’s a drain on a tight budget,
no one wants to watch the
whole ceremony over again,
and even if you wanted a
video, you could just set up
a tripod and have an uncle
or aunt baby-sit the family
camcorder to record the
ceremony. Right?
Not quite, says Dan Argenas,
director of communications
for Wedding & Event
Videographers Association
International, based in
Sarasota, Fla.
“Let’s say you get married,
and ten years after you’re
married, you’re sitting there
with your 5-year-old daughter, and
she says, ‘Mommy, can I see your and
daddy’s wedding?” Argenas says. “What
would you rather do? Pull out still pictures
of the day or… see your grandparents
dancing who might have passed away,
and feel the ambiance and the music?”
In a society transfixed by the newest viral
video, Argenas says people in the 18-to-
24 demographic just respond more to
video. “To view a life-changing event like
a wedding,” he says, “to sit down and
see the actual movements and sounds
that video can present, there’s just no
substitute.”
THE CINEMATIC DIFFERENCE
The vows, toasts, speeches, first dance,
father/daughter dance, the couple
exiting the ceremony, the reactions of
the audience that the bride and groom
can’t see – all are moments that video
can capture during a wedding that photo
can’t, Argenas says.
And that’s good news for the busy
couple. “You don’t have a chance to see
what’s going on that day because you’re
so wrapped up in what you’re doing,”
Argenas says.
A wedding video will help you catch those
moments you missed. Another perk?
Professional videographers use wireless
microphones, can tap into the sound
system of a church and use a shotgun
mic to pick up directional sounds.
That gives the pros a huge advantage
in capturing audio, since the ‘ole
camcorder relies on an internal mic that
focuses on sounds nearby. Speeches
from across the room can be lost and
rustling and the inevitable cough closer
to the mic can drown out the vows taken
further down the aisle.
And one last perk: you can request a
5-minute highlight reel featuring the best
moments of the wedding, set to music of
your choice and known to break people
down to tears.
The reel can also be posted on
Facebook or YouTube for friends and
family to check out.
JUGGLING VIDEO AND PHOTO
If you have a photographer and
a videographer both hired for the
wedding, encourage both individuals to
communicate and work with each other,
Achen says. You don’t want
any multimedia tussles when
they both try to capture your
first kiss as husband and
wife.
Also, if a wedding video is
one of your priorities, do
your homework to find a
videographer who fits what
you’re looking for, Argenas
says. Videographers
can charge hundreds or
thousands of dollars for their
work, based on the market
you’re getting married in.
Make sure you interview the
videographer, watch their
demo reels and contact
their references. You want to
make sure your videographer
is easy to work with and acts
like a pro on the big day.
GOING HD?
Argenas says it’s an up-and-coming
option, but not all videographers offer
high-def. High-definition recording
requires more light than standard
definition recording, Achen says, and
churches and reception halls are prone
to low light conditions. But Achen says
an outdoor wedding with a sunny or
overcast sky would provide enough light
for a high definition camera. If you’re
interested in HD, be sure to ask your
videographer about it.
© CTW Features
You want to make sure
your videographer
is easy to work with
and acts like a
pro on the big day.