2024. Dreamer from the Dream.
The best wedding photography of 2024 150 of my favourite wedding photos taken at this year's weddings...
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Wedding Photo and Video – Do you need both? The short version!
Ok if you’re tight on time and can’t be bothered reading, here’s the lowdown. No you don’t need both photography and videography at your wedding. But you might want both! There are things photos can capture that video can’t, and vice versa. Of course the most vivid way to remember your wedding is to have both.
If you’re going to have both there are considerations – you should try where possible to pick people whose styles and approaches complement each other. A cheap videographer can compromise your wedding photography and again, vice versa.
Clearly there are also budget considerations. A really good photographer or videographer will cost more than an average or poor one. Putting all your ‘visual’ budget into one brilliant photographer or videographer may be a better idea than splitting your budget to get average of both for instance.
The people I always recommend and work really well with are Reel Weddings (Cheshire), We Were Here (North East), Tom Harrington (Manchester) and Ray McShane (South West).
Wedding Photo and Video – Do you need both?
WHAT CAN WEDDING VIDEOS CAPTURE THAT WEDDING PHOTOS CAN’T?
Simply put, photography can’t capture sound or movement in anything like the same way video can. Well photography can’t capture sound at all but you get my drift!
Audio is the thing that sets wedding videography apart for me. I always think back to my own wedding and wish I could hear my late Grandad doing his reading in church. I have the photo of him doing it, but I’d love to hear his voice.
If I was looking now for a wedding videographer I’d look for someone with a clear attention to detail on the audio capture side of things and is able to combine that with a beautiful cinematic documentary film.
Movement is another big one – the way someone walks or moves their face is something almost impossible to capture with photography.
Wedding Photo and Video – Do you need both?
WHAT CAN WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHY DO THAT WEDDING VIDEO CAN’T?
Bear in mind that I’m biased here but I think the answer is a heck of a lot. Photographers can be here there and everywhere to make sure that almost no moment is missed. Video has to take a more considered approach.
Photos can be printed in books or put in frames on your walls. This makes it easier to make them part of your every day life after your wedding, as you’ll walk past them many times a day. It also makes them much easier to share with friends and family as you pass the book around.
Photography – in my very biased opinion as a photography-obsessed photographer – is more romantic. It’s a frozen moment and when you look at that photo, you’re taken back there with your own nostalgically romantic view of that moment. You can also look at that one split second moment for a long time or, even better, frame it.
Wedding Photo and Video – Do you need both?
PICKING A WEDDING PHOTO AND VIDEO DREAM TEAM
Right so if you’ve decided you want both wedding photo and video, it’s important to pick two that complement each other. Why? Because if the styles clash it can compromise the quality of one, the other, or both.
Sadly many photographers and videographers see each other as competition on the day and this can result in tense relationships and worse results for you.
So ask your photographer who they recommend, or ask your videographer who they recommend – whichever you’ve prioritised and booked first.
My favourites are Reel Weddings (Cheshire), We Were Here (North East), Tom Harrington (Manchester) and Ray McShane (South West).
Wedding Photo and Video – Do you need both?
CONTROVERSIAL – CAN WE JUST HAVE A VIDEO AND TAKE SCREENSHOTS TO REPLACE THE PHOTOS?
Technically speaking yes. And with more videographers filming in 4K or even 8K those screen grabs will be high resolution, high enough to print. However as I’ve said before wedding photography and wedding videography are two completely different art forms.
A videographer simply can’t capture as many separate moments as I’m able to capture at your wedding. They can’t squeeze into small areas.
The art of light and composition is also very different, and a screen grab will never be as compelling as a well crafted wedding photo. So the answer is yes, but don’t do this.
Wedding Photo and Video – Do you need both?
WE DON’T HAVE THE BUDGET FOR WEDDING PHOTO AND VIDEO?
If you’ve got a fixed budget for your wedding ‘visual memories’ of photography and video, it’s far better to go for an amazing photographer than compromise and spend your budget on an average photographer, and an average videographer just to have both.
My goal as a wedding photographer is to tell the story of your wedding in a uniquely beautiful way, working tirelessly to make sure almost no moment is missed and your memories are as complete, vibrant and high quality as possible.
I will work with and around almost any videographer you choose but often an inexperienced videographer can need guidance from me, or can force me to compromise my approach because of their working style. There are also a handful of videographers I won’t work with because they make my job unenjoyable and difficult.
I love to work with Reel Weddings (Cheshire), We Were Here (North East), Tom Harrington (Manchester) and Ray McShane (South West).
Wedding Photo and Video – Do you need both?
SUMMARY AND FINAL THOUGHTS
In an ideal world you’d have both wedding photography and wedding videography, because different elements of the day are captured by both. Audio and movement being the things that a wedding video will capture that photography can’t. Great photography will capture more of your day with an incredibly nostalgic and romantic element that brings those split second moments back to life every time you look at them – whether it’s electronically or ideally printed in books or framed around your home.
If you choose to have both, make sure you find people who work well together by asking whichever is your priority for their recommendations.
Check out the work of my recommended videographers: Reel Weddings (Cheshire), We Were Here (North East), Tom Harrington (Manchester) and Ray McShane (South West).
