How to Film a Wedding as a Solo Videographer?

A videographer’s worst nightmare is capturing a wedding without any help. Others, however, wear it as a symbol of honour. While it’s up to the discretion of each filmmaker how many people they bring along.

Of course, there are instances when the help of an intern or assistant is really appreciated.

You may confidently record a wedding without any additional crew members.

You’re going it alone and filming the wedding? If you want to get the best images, you need to be prepared to be in the best spots at the correct times.

Wedding photography can be challenging. Indeed, it’s a tough one. Unlike on a film production, you can’t just ask the bride and groom to perform a second take on the kiss because your ISO was adjusted incorrectly. This is especially true if you’re working alone. There is a lot of work, dedication, and coordination that goes into arranging a wedding. Let’s talk about what you can do to get ready for the chaos of a wedding and still remain composed throughout the ceremony and reception.

Make Use of Several Cameras

If you’re working alone, you won’t be able to get the variety of shots that professional filmmakers get without a second camera. Depending on the conditions,  go between the Sony A7 III and the A7S II. (The Sony A7 III’s touch screen is fantastic for adjusting focus in advance, and the Sony A7S II’s low-light performance is unparalleled, for instance, while photographing a sparkler sendoff.)

Buy a Sturdy Tripod

carry one camera (mounted on a monopod) and set up a second, wider-angle camera on a tripod for the most of the wedding day. A second camera allows  to record crucial events in their entirety (first look, ceremony, speeches and dances). Still, We need a sturdy tripod to set it up on.

Perform a Pre-Event Speed Test on Your Equipment

When shooting a wedding all by yourself, efficiency and quickness are your best friends. Learn how to use all of the gear ahead of time if this is your first (or even second or third!) experience filming a wedding. When gimbals stopped working and microphones stopped picking up sound,  prepared and don’t waste a single second.

The leash camera strap from Peak Design. This inexpensive and practical accessory allows you to swiftly connect and unhook the camera strap, allowing you to carry your secondary camera hands-free when necessary or to set it up on a tripod with ease. Because it is so high-quality and indispensable.

Communicate With The Camera Crew

It’s important to remember that the photographer at the wedding is not in direct competition with you. Whether or not your companies are affiliated, you’re still a team because you’re working towards the same end result (a happy marriage). When working alone, the photographer is even more crucial because of the positive (or negative) impact they might have on the shoot.

Before the wedding,  contact the other photographers there to introduce yourself and let them know that,  working alone, you`ll be doing a lot of running and gunning (but will be happy to work alongside them for a cohesive day). As a solo wedding videographer, learned that being upfront and honest from the beginning earns the trust of the clients and makes them more inclined to provide a hand on the big day.

Get There Ahead Of Time for the Event

Knowing that time will be tight, a single wedding photographer may want to arrive to the venue 30 minutes to an hour early in order to relax and take some establishing shots before the big events begin.

Utilize Your Free Time

Or, if you’d rather not arrive early, maximise your time waiting. Get some establishing photos of the flowers or a timelapse of the clouds if you know you won’t be using any specific frames from the photo sessions. Don’t waste the remainder of cocktail hour filming when you can just capture the first five or ten minutes of the event and then refuel with food and drink. Staying alive for the remainder of the night will require it!

Buy Quality Luggage

Items must be well-designed in order to be useful as a second photographer at weddings. T  tripod backpack, for instance, did not have wheels, and by the end of the wedding day, You could scarcely feel both shoulders. A  roller bag would be essential. The Vanguard Havana Backpack is a great multipurpose bag that can bring with you on every day of filming.

Wedding videography is a large job, especially for one person. You have to always be in “go mode,” with your attention split between several cameras and the next crucial moment. Enjoy the freedom and excitement of shooting independently, but . If you’d want your shoots to be less frenetic, you can always make it a major objective and landmark achievement for your company to bring on a second shooter. In that case, you can enjoy the wedding day frenzy.

How a Single Camera Operator Can Capture Beautiful Wedding Images

The Necessary Equipment

Making ensuring you have the proper instruments and other equipment for the performance is a crucial component of the planning process. When it’s showtime, it’s a big relief to know you have everything you need to pull off a shot you’ve been planning for.

• One primary and one backup DSLR camera. When there isn’t enough time or room to put up lighting, the Sony A7s is my go-to because of its excellent low-light performance. You don’t need a top-of-the-line spare, but having one is helpful if you plan on using a tripod and also taking some images with your hands.
• Mounts for the GoPro.
• Additional power source; battery backups. They are all under arrest. There’s never enough of anything.
• Memory Sticks (SD) Not having enough is a recurring theme. Do not let your storage space for recordings become full.
• Tripod.
• Portable, hand-held gimbal.
• Slider.
• Tape recorder.
• Focusing optics for cameras (my recommendation: a 35mm, a 50 mm, and a 70-200 mm).
  LEDs mounted directly onto the camera.

Performing a Preliminary Search of the Area

Understanding the shooting venue well is essential for a wedding shoot. Venues for the ceremony, cocktails, and the reception are all set. There is a wide range of lighting, space, and background noise at your disposal. If all venues are open, you should plan ahead, get there early, and see them all. Explore the venue and find the best viewing locations for each of the key events you plan to attend. Talk to the wedding planner and have them explain the schedule for the day and show you where everything is.

Create a shooting strategy while you’re there. Make a shot list for each setting and plan out how to move between them. Keep in mind that the best thing a wedding videographer can do is not get in the way.

B-Roll / Before the Wedding

In the first minutes of your wedding video, pre-wedding B-roll can help set the tone and atmosphere. Look around the wedding site early on for floral arrangements, scenic elements, and mementoes with the bride and groom’s names that would make for beautiful shots in a short video. You’ll have plenty of time to rack your zoom, so use your 50mm lens for these images. You’ll find that your slider is especially helpful at this time. Since you are primarily photographing still subjects, using sliders to change the position of those subjects can greatly enhance the quality of your shots.

Initiation Ceremonies

This processional, with its many participants and moving pieces, presents a unique challenge. As you can see in the GIF above, it is important to capture the bride’s entrance down the aisle, but it is also important to capture the groom’s reaction. If you can get the groom to cry, that’s your best chance for a viral photo. A teary-eyed groom is always well received.

Take out your backup camera with the 50mm lens and set it up on a tripod before you see the bride and groom getting ready to go down the aisle. Place it on the left side of the room, focused on the groom, with a handful of his best men on the right. Since they won’t be there when you’re setting up, you’ll need to find something in the background to use as a focus point.

Get your stabiliser ready, because we’re about to move! Insert your 35 mm lens into your camera and set up your stabiliser. Focus on the door and establish your base of operations where the green dot appears in the image above. Now you can get great images of the entire wedding party entering, but when the bride arrives, you need a steady shot of her coming through the door. A rack focus, if you can do it, will impress everyone with your refined taste.

If you follow the green line up above once she passes you, you can get a great tracking shot of her making her way up onto the stage. The groom’s reaction will be recorded by your second camera. Once the bride is in place, the stabiliser can be removed and the ceremony can begin.

Ceremony of the Kiss

You should attach your 70-200mm lens to your primary camera and use it for the ceremony. A zoom lens is essential for this period of the wedding because you will be constantly on the move and the resulting shallow depth of focus will be fantastic. You can keep your backup camera rolling, but you should check in on it every so often to make sure it is still recording. To ensure the bride and groom’s safety, a wide-angle GoPro can be mounted to the back of the floral arch or arrangement. In case you flub a shot with your primary or secondary camera, you’ll still have a backup to use in post-production.

You should bring your main camera and a zoom lens to the ceremony and start snapping pictures right away. Capture some touching close-ups of the happy couple, a medium shot down the aisle, and candid moments from the audience with the parents and loved ones. Get all the photos the bride and groom requested by consulting their shot list.

When the time comes for the couple to share a passionate kiss, be sure your backup camera is ready and set up in a prime location. Just be sure to hold the camera steady and focus precisely. Anticipate some action following the kiss, such as the couple chuckling (which is quite cute) or the groom executing a fancy dip with the bride.

A Toast at the Reception

You’ve made it through the day’s most trying period; congratulations! It’s time to celebrate now. Keep in mind that there are five key moments to document during this portion of the reception: the introductions and speeches, the first dance, the cutting of the cake, the tossing of the bouquet, and the exit. Mount your camera on the stabiliser and snap on either a 35mm or 50mm lens (the choice will depend on the size of the reception hall). Since the beginning of a reception is typically quiet, it’s a good idea to walk around with the main camera and take some pictures of people conversing or waving, as well as some B-roll of the reception location.

Now is the time to mount your camera’s built-in LED. There’s no telling when you might need it the rest of the night, so it’s preferable to have it handy than to have to scramble to get it from your bag.

The bride and groom could arrive at any time, so please be prepared. When they do show up, it’s usually because they’re late or the timetable has changed. Snap a photo of them entering the building as the DJ makes the happy announcement (which you should pick up with your audio recorder). If you are able to sneak up behind the couple before they enter, a tracking shot from behind as they open the doors is a great opportunity to capture the crowd’s applause and cheers.

Speeches

It’s not hard to figure out how to do these. Place your main camera and tripod towards the stage where the remarks will be held with a 70-200mm lens ready to roll. The audio is the most important aspect of this shot, so position your recorder next to a speaker, check the volume, and start recording. Now that you’ve set up your primary camera on a tripod, you can grab your backup camera equipped with a 50mm lens and capture some candid moments of the newlyweds’ reactions. You can use these as effective transitions in your final video away from the main speech.

Initial Tangos

When it comes time to put the stabiliser back in your tool belt, the first dances are the place to do it. Grab your 35mm lens and your main camera, because this is where the action will be. Once the newlyweds start dancing, try taking wide angles around them to give the footage more energy. It’s fine if you want to take a short break and stand somewhere bright. While the couple is still, try to capture their close gazes for a sweet effect.

(Ask the bride and groom if the mother-son or father-daughter dances have any special meaning.

Formal Cake-Cutting

This is a very simple shot to take. Get out your 50mm lens and shoot this one hand-held. Don’t forget to sneak in a few images of the cake before the happy couple starts cutting into it.

Aesthetics are important, so after the pair begins cutting, take some close-ups of the knife cutting through the cake. Once they’ve finished their pizza, pick a shoulder and fire away. You can learn more about the bride’s feelings by looking at her husband’s face (like the one in the GIF above). They’ll share the cake, and if you’re lucky, they’ll throw pieces at each other’s faces. Wow, that’s an awesome custom. If the bride and groom decide to smash the cake, be sure to quickly slide back to capture their expressions.

Tossing the Bouquet

It’s best to break out the 35mm lens to capture the entire bouquet toss, as there will likely be a lot of people in the frame. Get some images of the guests setting up to grab the bouquet while they are setting up the toss. Afterward, focus on the bride. As soon as she throws the flowers, follow them as they float over the crowd. You never know where that thing is going, so keep your hand on the focus ring. Once someone notices it, keep the camera on them for a full minute. Everything necessary for a fantastic wedding video will be present: laughter, bouncing, cheering.

A Way Out

At the end of the night, the couple will leave the venue by passing through a line of people holding sparklers. You can see their fantastic night light in action in the GIF up above; it emits a pleasant glow. For those who forgot to bring sparklers, you can always use the LED light that sits atop your kit as a substitute. Steady your primary camera and 35mm lens in front of the exit they’ll be using. When they leave, you can start following in their footsteps by walking backwards. Look behind you every few seconds to make sure you’re not going to trip, and use the line of people to your sides to help you find your way. If you’re smart, you won’t put yourself in that position. Observe them getting into the car and leaving.

Wedding Photography Tips for One Lens

Emphasis on Individuals

A 35mm prime lens is ideal for portraiture because of its narrow depth of field. In many ways, the wedding ceremony is all about the happy couple. The greater the quantity of photos you take of the couple, the more impressive your final book displays will be.

Separate Into More Manageable Pieces

Guests will appreciate you capturing their pictures. Still, it’s challenging to get good shots of huge gatherings with a 35mm prime or even a zoom lens. It’s not always possible to get everyone in a photo with your equipment, but the guests always expect it.

How you choose to pair them up into smaller groups will be fascinating to see. You also have to take care of the groomsmen and bridesmaids. Instead of taking a picture of the whole gang together, take pictures of them in pairs.

Adapt Your Thinking to Your Circumstances

Was wondering how you managed to pull that out with just one lens. You, as a photographer, are aware that these restrictions could prove problematic. For a wedding photography assignment, you did not bring your best lenses with you today.

Keep a cheerful attitude and shoot the show like you’re capable of handling it with just one lens. Keeping an optimistic outlook is useful in trying times.

Do Not Put Too Much Stock in Your Camera Equipment

As a photographer, you obviously have some knowledge. Technical equipment is necessary to record the ceremony, but if you believe in yourself, you can master any challenge. Your confidence in your abilities will allow you to get by with just one lens and camera during the wedding.

Reduce Your Equipment And The Drama in Your Life Will Decrease

The greater the quantity of equipment you carry, the more likely it is that you will make mistakes and be tempted to use the same set of lenses for each photo. More thought needs to go into choosing the right lens and equipment for that one perfect wedding photo.

The finest results, however, will be achieved if you utilise only one lens and one camera and devote your complete attention to photographing the pair.

Learn more about why you should edit your wedding video by reading our blog post.

It’s Just One Photo Filter

Photos need to be edited before being sent to the customer. It is recommended that professionals edit all images using the same filter or preset.

Check out these resources for free Lightroom presets and the best photo editing tools for photographers. You’ll be able to achieve fantastic results when editing the images, giving them a uniform colour palette while still allowing for a variety of stances.

Most importantly, you should never lose the awe and wonder you feel at your first few weddings. Maintain enthusiasm for the event’s minute particulars, take pleasure in the day’s thrills and chills, and remain dedicated to doing your very best for the bride and groom.

The ability to take in your surroundings as if for the first time will let you capture the precious moments that the bride and groom will cherish forever.

Even though you’ll likely be the only person present for the entirety of a wedding, from preparations to the final celebration, photographing a wedding is a lot of fun despite the lengthy day it requires. You have been invited to share in one of the most special and personal days of a couple’s life together. You get the honour of documenting a time when loved ones are together again, celebrations are in full swing, and the future is full of promise. Make the most of it the next time you go out by remembering these ideas and making life a bit simpler for yourself.

Conclusion

You can safely film the ceremony without inviting any guests or bringing along any extra crew. You’ll need a second camera if you want to match the variety of shots that Hollywood directors use. The use of a second camera makes it possible to capture crucial moments in their entirety (first look, ceremony, speeches and dances). The photographer’s influence, both good and bad, is magnified when they are on their own. As a one-person wedding video crew, I found that being open and honest from the get-go engendered trust among my clients and made them more willing to lend a hand on the big day.

Producing a wedding video is a huge undertaking, especially for a single person. Get all of the necessary gear together before the show. Find your way around the venue and settle on a good vantage point from which to watch the main events. Make a plan for how to use each environment by compiling a shot list. The mood and vibe of your wedding video can be greatly enhanced by using B-roll footage shot before the big day.

To capture the bride’s walk down the aisle, use a 50mm lens. The best shot at a viral photo is one in which the groom is visibly moved to tears. Both your primary camera and a zoom lens should accompany you to the wedding. You will be on the move quite a bit during the ceremony, so a zoom lens is a must. Your backup camera can remain active, but you should still check on it periodically.

Get a picture of them walking in while the DJ is making the joyful announcement. There’s nothing like a tracking shot from behind to catch the roar of the crowd. Try taking some wide shots around the newlyweds once they break out into dance to liven up the footage. Due to its shallow depth of field, a 35mm prime lens excels at portraiture. Hold your 35mm lens and main camera steady in front of the door they’ll be leaving through.

Your photo book will look better and more complete if you take more pictures. Even if it’s not technically feasible to include all of the guests in a photo with your gear, your guests will still expect you to try. Try taking pictures of individuals or small groups instead of a big group shot. The more gear you have to lug around, the more likely you are to forget something. Images must be polished before being delivered to the client.

It’s advised that when working with multiple images, professionals apply the same filter or preset to each one. Enjoy the day’s thrills and chills, stay committed to doing your best for the bride and groom, and don’t lose your enthusiasm for the event’s minute details.

Content Summary

• The leash camera strap from Peak Design.
• It’s important to remember that the photographer at the wedding is not in direct competition with you.
• Making ensuring you have the proper instruments and other equipment for the performance is a crucial component of the planning process.
• Performing a Preliminary Search of the AreaUnderstanding the shooting venue well is essential for a wedding shoot.
• In the first minutes of your wedding video, pre-wedding B-roll can help set the tone and atmosphere.
• You should attach your 70-200mm lens to your primary camera and use it for the ceremony.
• You should bring your main camera and a zoom lens to the ceremony and start snapping pictures right away.
• The bride and groom could arrive at any time, so please be prepared.
• Snap a photo of them entering the building as the DJ makes the happy announcement (which you should pick up with your audio recorder).
• You can use these as effective transitions in your final video away from the main speech.
• Initial TangosWhen it comes time to put the stabiliser back in your tool belt, the first dances are the place to do it.
• Get some images of the guests setting up to grab the bouquet while they are setting up the toss.
• Afterward, focus on the bride.
• At the end of the night, the couple will leave the venue by passing through a line of people holding sparklers.
• It’s not always possible to get everyone in a photo with your equipment, but the guests always expect it.
• Instead of taking a picture of the whole gang together, take pictures of them in pairs.
• Your confidence in your abilities will allow you to get by with just one lens and camera during the wedding.
• More thought needs to go into choosing the right lens and equipment for that one perfect wedding photo.
• Learn more about why you should edit your wedding video by reading our blog post.
• Check out these resources for free Lightroom presets and the best photo editing tools for photographers.
• Even though you’ll likely be the only person present for the entirety of a wedding, from preparations to the final celebration, photographing a wedding is a lot of fun despite the lengthy day it requires.

FAQ’s About As a Solo Videographer

What qualifications does a videographer need?

Most videographers that will be in direct competition with you will have bachelors’ degrees in video production, videography, or something relevant to this field. You may want to attend a film school or at least take up some vocational programs to ensure a successful career in videography.

How much does wedding video cost Australia?

The average cost of videography for a wedding depends on many factors. The average cost of a videographer in Australia is around $2,000 to $4,000, but many factors can affect the price. The price for a videographer can vary by location. Things such as travel time and competition can affect the average price.

Is one videographer enough for a wedding?

It’s not impossible to film a wedding with one camera, but if you want a video you’ll be proud to show to friends and family I would strongly suggest having a second manned camera.

How to shoot Alone?

1. Divide Your Tasks. You should manage your time with tasks to get the work done on schedule. …
2. Ask For a Coordinator. …
3. Check the Venue. …
4. Be Confident. …
5. Camera Settings and Light.

What mode should I shoot in for a wedding?

Fully Manual Mode
Both Shutter Priority Mode and Aperture Priority Mode have their downfalls, which is why it’s best to shoot your wedding photography on Manual Mode. Manual Mode allows you to set each camera value, which leaves nothing up to chance.