Finding a Colorado Wedding Videographer



Where do I start?

First, I understand that the average person is gathering information to try and make an educated decision that is right
for them. I'm sure many people only know what they've read in numerous wedding magazine articles about wedding
videography and photography. I've read most of these articles and they range from generic to sheer nonsense-
especially those articles with the checklist of important questions to ask a videographer. What one has to understand
is that the person writing the article is not an expert on wedding videography. Until they were hired to write an article
about wedding videography or photography to fill the spaces between advertisers looking for business, they probably
knew little more than anyone else on the subject. So, in short, take what you read as a starting point and go from
there.

The first question many people ask - What is the cost for a wedding video?
The short answer is, most good videographers will start at around $2,000.00. Unfortunately the wedding industry is
full of people with the "get rich quick" attitude that brides are a captive audience. This ranges from the person who
went out and bought some video equipment along with some videos and books on how to make money shooting
wedding videos to those "wedding companies" who make a lot of money booking scores of budget conscious brides
with great prices, "one stop shopping" with photos, video, and a DJ! A significant portion of the wedding industry is
marketing to a predictable consumer mentality. They realize a significant number of people will shop only by price,
regardless of value, esthetic quality, and long-term enjoyment they would have gotten by choosing someone who's life
depends on the quality of their work.

For those who tend to be more discriminate and place a little more value on quality, you will have some decisions to
make an you'll be glad you did. The reality is, if you've looked carefully at finding the right Colorado photographer,
you probably won't be impressed with the plethora of people offering the cheap wedding videos.

Cost and Value:
Unfortunately, objectivity and art are not as easy as choosing between Wal-Mart and Kmart to buy a DVD player or
some other exact same item. In many cases, your investment to hire a really good videographer is almost intangible
when comparing the talent, expertise, and investment in time required to produce a video that's worth watching and in
some cases, the costs will be very comparable. One can't begin to compare the end result of the stereotypical
wedding video and photo companies cashing in on the "Wedding Industry" and those a truly talented videographers
and photographers who love their work and work hard to provide couples with something beyond the ordinary.

A full time Colorado videographer, who's life depends on the quality of their work will be able to provide much more
value in the finished video. The budget videographers who book scores of brides at "great prices" absolutely can't
afford to invest anywhere near the required amount of editing time and detail to create a video that compares with
what I, and other talented videographers will provide.

Shooting the video is only the beginning of the process
Creating a finished product that is cinemagraphic, emotional, romantic, and yet relaxed is an art and consideration
should be placed on its long term value. You wouldn't hire a band that can't play.

Style - the most important question

As you investigate the more talented Colorado videographers it will become evident the the individual personality of
the videographer, the quality of their work, and their editing style will be a major part in your decision process. The
more talented videographers will have a wider range of style.

When I create a video for a client, I consider the person, the venue, and their event as a whole as part of my editing
style. Each person is different. By working with a more limited number of weddings per year, I can afford to be
objective in setting the mode for the video

Generally, my work is more of a detailed cinematic documentary. Most of the events are "in real time".

To produce a video that tells a story in real life requires a full time job just in editing. The video must have life and it
must provide a full overview of the event. I like to shoot in a relaxed photojournalistic style.

This allows me ample footage to create a dramatic video with precise detail, and still keep the storyline moving. I also
offer "short form" contemporary style videos, that are focused on a more romantic style. Many clients like to have both
the documentary style along with the 15 minute romantic highlight video to share with friends. Unfortunately, I see just
about everyone now uses "documentary" and "photojournalism" buzz words in their advertising. Hopefully, they aren't
just throwing out words people want to hear and really understand the concept!


Spectacular audio quality

Audio quality is the most overlooked and often the most noticeable shortcoming in wedding video. Your videographer
should be able to provide at least four wireless microphones for any event. Concentrate on listening for more than the
vows. Demand to hear examples of readers, instrumentalists, vocalists, and string quartets. Your wedding will be a
beautiful experience. Don’t allow on-camera microphones to record your event. Make sure your videographer
understands the principles of acquiring good audio for your video.

Natural, Comfortable, Relaxed


I like to refer to myself as a photojournalist with a video camera. When you think about it, this is the key to how I get
great footage. When we think of the "Life Magazine Photos", we think of drama, good composition, and telling the
story as seen through the lens.

Molesting the Guests

This also means that I do not "molest guests" at weddings... Frankly, my clients certainly don't want me sticking a
bright light and a microphone in their guests' faces and asking them to "say something to the bride and groom",
having them to do interviews, or having the bride and groom pretend they are doing "this or that" for the video. Too
many people including myself and my wife have "been there, done that" with this type of videographer at a wedding.
Frankly there are much better things to do with a video camera and my talent would be wasted chasing people around
doing interviews.

People look their best when they are acting naturally. By staying in the background, yet always there, I tend to go
relatively unnoticed, but still get great footage. I am a minimalist when it comes to lighting and attracting attention.
Most of my work relies only on ambient room lighting. Many photographers I work with have even commented on my
ability to get great candid shots. These are the shots that really make a great video, people in real life, being who
they really are. Most people are not actors, everyone looks best when you let them be themselves.

Anyone who buys a camera and takes out an ad in a wedding magazine instantly considers themselves a wedding
videographer. The same holds true for some photographers and other companies in the wedding industry that buy
video equipment and hire weekend people to shoot video. Anyone can pick up a camera and point it and take a
video. Unfortunately, the end results often look like it too!. Don’t be fooled by dazzling special effects and computer
animation. Many people tout these capabilities in their advertising, but all of the effects usually seen in wedding video
are usually just a substitute for good editing and the ability to build a story line.

State of the art equipment
I come to a job prepared for just about anything. This includes multiple cameras, an extra broadcast lens and 8
professional wireless microphone systems for capturing audio from all sources at both the ceremony and reception. I
have the availability to record at least 6 channels of independent audio simultaneously.

By processing video signal data at three levels — brightness, hue, and saturation — the TruEye process assists in
the reproduction of natural skin tones and basically sees what the human eye sees at any given light level.

The highest majority of typical wedding videographers use the smaller, much less expensive "handycam" style of
video cameras. While these cameras do a nice job for their size and relatively low cost, they have very small 1/4" CCD
imaging devices, offering relatively poor low light performance and less image quality. Other serious limitations are the
lack of a professional lens, the ability to adjust exposures, and limited audio functions. These cameras do have their
place. For situations where there is plenty of light, like a garden wedding or daylight situations, the picture is pretty
good and their smaller size makes them easier to use over longer periods of time. I keep one in my collection to use
when ever I feel that the lighting conditions and shooting situation is just right.
All editing is done on professional Media-100 systems and over 500 gigabytes of disk storage. This system allows
editing at very high data rates for optimum picture quality. Don't let computer editing be confused with the idea of
special effects and animations. I do not do the stereotypical wedding video with pictures popping out of hearts and
tacky special effects. My work is clean and dramatic.

Video is mastered to DVD and backups are kept for a limited time on full sized DVCAM digital tape. We can still
provide VHS to those clients who require it, but the cost of DVD players today can be well under $100.00 so it makes
no sense to use tape.

Unless you choose wisely, your wedding video could be a haunting disappointment.
Remember, your videographer will be with you throughout your wedding day! Choose someone you feel confident will
interact well with both you and your guests. You will find that your photo album and video will compliment each other.
You should arrange to reserve your photographer and videographer as soon as you secure your reception site.
Some dates can be in reservation over a year in advance. Seek out the highest quality and hire the best
photographer and Colorado videographer that you can afford.  



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