Today we’re talking about how many videographers you need on your wedding day! There’s a lot that goes on during the wedding day, as you probably already know. The bride& groom preparation, first look (depend on your wedding tradition), photo session, ceremony, reception- and we all know that there are plenty of big events and moments that happen at the ceremony and reception. There’s a lot that goes on, and it’s a long day. It’s a very long day. So having proper coverage of your day is kind of must-have, because you can’t redo the wedding day. So it certainly depends on what all is going on during your wedding day, but having two videographers is much more preferable than one. Some people aren’t sure if they need two video shooters, so here are my top 3 reasons why you should have two videographers on your wedding day!

Reason No. 1
First, and perhaps most critical is coverage, to be in two places at once. Let me give you an example: It’s ceremony time and the bride is starting her walk down the aisle. If I am shooting by myself on that day, my usual set up will be two stationary cameras and one roving camera. My main camera will likely be set up at the front of the aisle closer to the groom, capturing everyone as they walk down the aisle. The second stationary camera will usually be pointing in the general direction of where I think the groom’s face will be, in order to capture his reaction to the bride walking down the aisle. The third stationary camera will be a very wide safety shot of the whole ceremony.

Reason No. 2
Having two videographers allows for different angles of the same subject, the ability to focus on different events that are occurring, and capturing the smaller, more easily missed moments. These are moments the couple themselves are likely not to notice on the day but will love that they have been captured forever. Also Having more cameras is definitely the safer option. Why? Because a camera battery could die, a memory card could corrupt, or a guest could stand up and unintentionally block my camera shot. Let’s just say the kiss is about to happen, and I have a great angle from the side. A guest stands up (to take an iPhone picture), and my angle is blocked. It certainly could happen, because I’ve seen it happen. But luckily my other shooter had a clean shot, and the moment was saved!

Reason No. 3
The second reason is also obvious in its benefits. It is more tempting to play it a little bit safer when you are by yourself shooting a wedding out of fear of missing important moments. However, when you have the second wedding videographer, it’s possible to be open to a little bit more experimentation and risk-taking which can lead to more dynamic and unique shots. Typically, when there are two videographers involved, there will be a wide-angle lens on my camera for those beautiful cinematic shots and the second videographer will have a tighter lens on their camera to capture all the subtle facial expressions and the more intimate moments between a couple. Combining these two allows for the best of both worlds – you can have those beautiful, sweeping, cinematic shots (usually on a gimbal stabilizer) and those smaller, intimate moments. When adding these together they make for a more visually striking wedding film.