As an elopement photographer, I’ve attended quite a few weddings here and there. If I were to give couples some wedding planning tips, I would include knowing how your wedding photo and video team are going to work together on your big day! Not only do I have lots of experience with photographing weddings and elopements, but I also work alongside videographers quite a bit. Even more so considering my husband, CEO of Ochoa Wedding Films, is the best videographer I know!
Nathan and I have been working together for almost every wedding for the past 10 years. Because of our familiarity with each other (and maybe the fact that we’re husband and wife), we work pretty fluidly on wedding days. We understand what the other person needs and are able to communicate without stepping on each other’s toes too often. However, this isn’t the case for most vendors!
Throughout the years, although we mainly work alongside each other, there have been quite a few instances where we’ve worked with other videographers and photographers for weddings. Or sometimes, we even assist each other if we don’t have a separate event booked. So I’m here to give you the inside scoop on how these two vendors work best together for your big day.
Communication is key
If possible, we typically try to reach out to the photographer/videographer prior to the wedding or elopement. This gives us a great opportunity to get to know each other, familiarize ourselves with each other’s work, and go over a few details of the day beforehand. But sometimes, this doesn’t always happen! Either way, we always meet up on the day of the wedding, usually when we all arrive at the venue. If we’ve never met before, we all introduce ourselves and reassure each other of our willingness to work together as a team and make sure your day runs as smoothly as possible.
We go over important moments together
Are you doing a first look (deciding on that would also be on the list of wedding planning tips!)? If so, your photographer and videographer will run through a game plan of how and where we’d like to set up. Because we want to make sure we’re not getting in each other’s way, this step is pretty important. We both want your photo and video to come out better than you imagined!
Right before the ceremony, we like to do another check in to make sure we know exactly who and what will be where. For example, for videographers, getting the right angles is super important! So as a photographer, I want to make sure I don’t park myself right in front of their tripod and be in the way the entire time. Vice versa, it’s extremely helpful when videographers extend the same courtesy and make sure they or their equipment isn’t in the way of where I need to be to get certain shots.
We make sure each other has what they need
For most events, it's pretty common for the photographer to mainly be the one posing the couple throughout the day. The videographer will shoot at the same time allowing the photographer to do their thing. When we’re working a wedding as videographers only, we make sure to speak up when there is a pose we would like to do for the film. And when we’re working a wedding as photographers only, we double check with the videographer if there is anything they’d like to do as well. Like I mentioned earlier, we’re all rooting for each other and making sure we’re cooperating to the fullest extent! Remember, we’re here to meet the needs of the couple, and will do anything to make that happen.
Need some more wedding planning tips?
I would love to give you some! Remember how I asked earlier if you were doing a first look or not? I have an entire blog post dedicated to helping you decide. Trust me, I have a ton of wedding planning tips throughout my blog! How to Write Your Own Wedding Vows, Unique Guest Book Ideas, and How Many Hours of Photo Coverage Do I Need for My Wedding Day? are a few of my favorites. If you're in search of an elopement or wedding photographer, you can fill out my contact form! And of course, if you're also in need of a videographer, here's how to get inquire with Ochoa Wedding Films.
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