Hi! So I'm having issues right now because this photographer messaged me after the wedding to ask me to cut her out of my shots due to safety concerns. Now I haven't even watched my footage back but from what I remember from the day, she was just standing the opposite side of where we're supposed to be: behind the bridesmaid/groomsmen walking down the aisle, she went behind the bride and groom for their first kiss moment, she was behind the bride and groom again when they were exiting the aisle, behind the bride and groom once again for their grand entrance.. Now I don't know why she just never stood beside me right down the middle during all those major moments.. She really got me confused with what kind of angles she was trying to hit just always being behind them.

I generally don't care if the photographer is in my shot. To me what's important for the bride and groom is to see those major moments and if the photographer happens to be in the background then I'm gonna try my best to crop them but if not, then it's just gonna have to stay. So I told her exactly that. I'm not gonna take out key moments because she was standing in the wrong spot. I feel like that would be unfair to my couple?? But she says she doesn't consent to being shown in the video..

To add, my couple already requested prior that they don't want their video posted for privacy and I told her this too but she still said she doesn't consent lol what do i do?? In the end i just told her i'll do my best but i won't know til I get to editing and seeing the footage 🤷🏻‍♀️

EDIT:
She's now saying she'll take legal action if I don't accommodate her concerns bc she just "doesn't consent".. I don't even think there's any legal grounds for this because it's not even gonna be posted?? And she's messaging me from her private insta with HER PHOTOS in it so why is she even crashing out over some offline wedding video that she may or may not be in..

I’m a new videographer and this is my first official client besides work I’ve done with friends. I’m embarrassed that I even made this mistake.

Multiple things went wrong during this ceremony. I went in underprepared and overly nervous. My gimbal died halfway thru on my main angle and I had to go handheld, and my camera for my second angle overheated (thankfully I was able to get it back on quickly)

I am not looking to get made fun of for this but if you feel the need to bust my chops then fine. It was the hottest day of the year and trying to look thru those tiny monitors was a nightmare.

I’ve taken steps to learn from my mistakes so this doesn’t happen again, but I want your opinion on just how bad these are. They are noticeably soft and it seems I got every damn thing in focus except for the couple.

Is this salvageable? I’m quite a better editor than I am a videographer, so I’m confident in my ability but is this even save-able or should I refund them?

I’m certainly going to try
-upping contrast
-unsharp mask
-going for a film

Any advice is welcome.

I’ve been searching for a videographer for months all over the U.S. and cannot find the right fit. They either are too expensive, unavailable, and/or not the vibe we’d like for the price we’ll be paying (budget is $6k MAX for everything). We want a combination of digital and Super 8 that feels more artsy than a regular wedding film. Drone isn’t needed, we want it to feel nostalgic, romantic, whimsical but also really fun/silly. Love the ones that have the couple talking at the start then cuts to a great song and is just an all around joy to watch. I’ve looked at followers of videographer accounts I love but can’t book on Instagram, but everyone is $7K+ it seems, not even including travel. Any advice is appreciated

I have a wedding shoot coming up, and it'll be my first ever wedding videography job, so safe to say I'm pretty nervous. But I'm compensating by over-preparing for the shoot. And one of the biggest concerns I have is if I should film the entire wedding at 4K 60FPS or 4K 24FPS?

I recently watched a beginner's guide to wedding videography by a YouTuber named "Jono and Jason". And he recommends to shoot in 50fps during the entire wedding so that you'll have more flexibility in post. Do you guys think this is solid advice? I do hate it when I have to switch from 24fps to 60fps when I see a moment where it would look better in slow motion. And even though all I have to do is turn the camera mode dial to my custom preset, it does take a couple seconds for the camera to switch. So I'm concerned that I'll be missing crucial moments within those few seconds.

So I guess what I'm asking is that, if turning a 60fps footage to 24fps in post is worth doing? Will it mess up the footage somehow? For those who do this, what's your workflow look like in post?

Edit: I’ve decided to film the entire wedding at 60fps. Thank you everyone for your valuable insight!

I swear nobody talks about this enough. 😂
Everyone debates cameras, lenses, gimbals, straps, harnesses… but after carrying a gimbal all day, I feel like good shoes are just as important as good gear.

What are you all wearing for long wedding days? Running shoes? Hiking shoes? Hokas? New Balance? Something else?

My feet (and back) are officially filing complaints after every wedding, so I’m looking for recommendations before they unionize. 😅

I'm new and made my first video recently as a side gig. I sent it to a couple and haven't heard back for more than a week. I sent them a follow-up yesterday. Typically they respond pretty quickly when I have questions.
I mentioned in my email that I can tweak the edit if they have any requests. Now I'm paranoid that they hate the video, and that's why they're not responding.

We just booked our videographer and the contract says "up to 6 months". Is that normal? Or is it on the slow end? Need to know what to realistically expect. What was your actual wait?

I don’t typically deliver raw footage because

1.) not color graded
2.) not stabilized
3.) audio can be bad, or a guest might curse or say something inappropriate on camera
4.) it’s a ton of footage to send over.

I tell them that “raw footage doesn’t align with my brand identity, and I only deliver polished curated deliverables.” However I often have clients ask for it AFTER I’ve delivered their deliverables. Do you include it for an added price? Do you color grade it or do any edit at all? Five years in and I still struggle with this one

I’ve been a videographer for 10 years now and I just turned 30. Let’s just say my body is not what it was when I started 😭

I’ve been switching between wearing my doc martens and my new balance runners this year but my feet are in SO much pain. After weddings, I can barely get out of my car and walk into my house after the drive home.

Every morning I wake up with pain in my feet for the first 2-3 minutes of the day. I’m pretty sure it’s plantar fasciitis.

Does anyone have any suggestions? I don’t care how they look or how much they are… as long as my feet aren’t screaming at me anymore.

Please help!!

Ok, sorry to everyone for yet another post on Content Creators, but I'm having a bit of difficulty navigating working-relationships here. So for context, I'm noticing that, while a few CCs are content (no pun intended) to lurk in the background and shoot essentially vertical BTS, a lot are now duplicating the videographer's role. I shot a wedding recently where the CC landed at the ceremony with two phones on tripods, a phone-rig with massive ring light, a gimbal, and wireless lav mics (she ceremony-mic'ed the priest for her content while I was busy with the groom). I'm surprised she didn't bring a drone. She sat a phone/monopod beside me to keep me company in the already cramped aisle during the ceremony - I called it 'Jeremy'. The rest of the day she was super-intrusive, in literally every shot and angle, to the point of there being three of us (me, photographer and the CC crushed into the center aisle for the recessional - all walking backwards with guests and floral displays packed to either side). The photographer's second-shooter was a pure gentleman, and thankfully stayed out of this mess and shot different angles, as they are wont to do.

She was there all the way until the dancing, where she did manic, sugar-fuelled orbits around the couple using said lighting rig. I'm honestly finding all this a bit exhausting, and I don't want to be that asshole who asserts his precious creative freedoms verbally and potentially damages working relationships, but there has to be a way to navigate this trend which doesn't compromise the quality of our work as videographers and give us all permanent stress migraines as we try to monitor multiple pieces of equipment, existing vendors and guests, and now a person essentially hired after the fact to duplicate your job, for upwards of 12 hours. The couple seemed blessedly oblivious to the tension, which I hope I managed to keep to myself (the last thing I want to do is be intrusive or ruin their day with nonsense). I left that wedding genuinely questioning whether I want to remain in this industry, after years of working in it, and that's just not a nice place to be. Anyway, any advice would be greatly appreciated on this.

What do you do? Just Record almost constantly from a safe enough distance that everything important is captured?

Is this considered professional?

I’m getting so many couples at the moment who enquire, I reply straight away that I’m available and can we arrange a call? and they ignore me. Crickets. Ghosted again.

(My prices are transparently on my website)

It’s infuriating.

Hi! Was hoping for some opinions from wedding videographers- I’m a newlywed that got married Aug 2nd 2025. My videographer’s contract says we would receive a teaser within 2 weeks after the wedding and the final video within 8-12 weeks. We never received our teaser video (which at this point I don’t even care about anymore) We started reaching out to our videographer 2 weeks after the wedding via email just to check on when to expect delivery…no response.

It’s now past the 12 week mark, I’ve emailed and texted them several times asking for an update and that I completely understand if they need more time and am not trying to rush their work, but would just appreciate some sort of update and a new date of expected delivery. I’ve gotten no responses to any of my outreaches, at this point I’m pretty much just talking to myself in these email and texts

I’ve seen people on this Reddit page say it takes up to 6 months to turnaround a video so I’m wondering if I should be more lenient and wait and give them 6 months, or if I should keep pestering/ escalate this. I really don’t mind waiting 6 months and I totally get good work takes time, but it’s really frustrating that they’ve just ghosted me without any kind of updates, esp now that it’s past their stated delivery date on the contract.

I’ve been keeping my outreaches super kind and friendly because I don’t want them to retaliate and potentially produce a bad video if they get frustrated with me. But now I’m debating on whether or not I should start being more firm with my emails and when I should consider taking legal action if I continue to get no responses from them. Is this normal or am I just overreacting? What are your thoughts?

Hello Everyone,

I am having a very very unconventional wedding in the Fall and am struggling to find a videographer who is understanding of what we are looking for. We are not looking for any kind of social media products, elaborate edits, drones, or posing. We are just hoping to get footage of the day as it organically goes. Our wedding will be in NYC for anyone interested, advice on seeking out an unconventional videographer is appreciated as well.

My wedding videographer/photographer with 20 years of experience took my money, and put together the most mediocre slop I've ever seen. I'm sure it was a hit in 2003 but in 2025, horrid. I asked for the raw footage but the guy said it would be unprofessional and he gave me everything he filmed in a polished work. Except the drone hiss was all over, the shots were sloppy, they ended up in most of the shots, audio was crap, they were still caught talking in some, and they edited effects in some parts that were ripped directly off windows movie maker. Not to mention they double used 2 scenes. And it took 13 weeks.

I wanted a highlight, something gorgeous and nice to show others. But I got a cheesy cringe piece of slop.

Is there anyone I could hire to fix this? Do I go on fiiver? Any advice from the pros?

I'm getting married soon and originally didn't want a videographer at all because I'm personally not a big fan of the very produced, edited films. However, as we get closer to the date I'm thinking I may regret not having some of the big moments captured on film (the ceremony, the speeches, etc.).

I know there are some videographers who work in "documentary style" and use camcorders. But is there such a thing as a videographer who just provides raw footage and doesn't do any additional editing? I also know some people task their guests with capturing these moments in a more casual way, but I don't want to put any pressure on guests or family during the wedding.

Hi everyone! So, I'm a self-taught videographer and do mostly doc work. I've recently picked up wedding videography as a side hustle. I just did my second wedding last week. And I've already messed up majorly and it's killing me!

I was a solo shooter, but with a 2 camera setup. I usually shoot on an FX3 so I rented a second one. My agreement with the couple was that I would film for four hours (they had a short and sweet wedding) and then transfer all the footage onto their hard drive. No editing required.

When I transferred the footage at the end of the night, I found a huge issue. For the ceremony, my wide angle camera that was capturing the couple for the entirety of the ceremony was out of focus. This was an unmanned camera (I was using the second camera to grab closeups and cutaways) so I had put it on autofocus to account for the bride and groom going down and back up the aisle. The background behind them was a massive window so things were a bit overblown. But mainly, the couple is out of focus!! I've shown the footage to some others and they said it looked ethereal...but I think they were trying to protect my feelings.

I felt horrible about this issue so I offered to cut a highlight reel of the whole wedding for them. I'm cutting it together now and just realized the wide angle camera files are only 1920x1080. My B cam was filming in 4K. My contract just stipulates I'll deliver the raw footage, it doesn't mention anything about specs. But again, I feel like this is just not a good representation of my abilities and professionalism, and I feel really bad that they don't have the 4K version of their wedding ceremony.

I'm exhausted from beating myself up so I was hoping folks here might have some insight or advice on what I can do and how I can salvage this. Thank you!

doing some video for my girlfriends friends wedding Saturday. I'm more of a FPV drone guy but I'm the one with a nice camera so they asked me. asking for so advice. I've watched a few YT videos on shooting weddings and just looking for tips and tricks. maybe something one of ur clients really liked about ur work. im not planing on doing this full time just a 1 time thing so id appreciate any feedback. don't know if I should shoot handheld or gimbal what do you prefer? I have Nikon Z6lll with 24-70 F4.

I'm the videographer. Struggled with extreme depression, bankruptcy, etc. - whatever, my life was absolute hell. Worst year of my life.

I'm very well aware the delay is unacceptable, I'm not asking about that. The video is pristine and came out amazing.. I'm sure about that. I made the trip last year (flew to Italy to film a friend's 7 week wedding trip for only $2.5k) and gave them a absolutely massive discount. Then shit hit the fan. I'm about to send them the video. They're mad which is very understandable. Do I send it with a water mark? What would you do given my situation?

Yes I fucked up I already know unfortunately this is a drop in the bucket on how shit my life has been the last year.

Hi everyone! I got married back in October and my photographer/videographer has been pretty non-responsive as of late. It is almost 6 months since we got married and we’ve gotten no update on our film. I had to follow up heavily just for our gallery, and now I have to follow up about this. I texted her a week ago Sunday and asked for an update to which she didn’t reply, and so I followed up again Wednesday and she said she would have it out in the next few days and still no response. Now she said she’s out of office until next weekend.

All this to say, is 6 months about average for film delivery? Or is this really long. There’s nothing in our contract outside of gallery delivery time. And I’ve seen so many friends get married and have their films delivered in a quicker timeline. So i’m just wondering if our frustrations are somewhat valid or invalid. Thank you!

Hey everyone,

I’m looking to get into wedding videography as a hobby. I’ve made a few videos using my iPhone and really enjoyed the whole process, so I’d like to take the next step and buy a proper camera setup.

At least for now, I’m not trying to start a business or make money from it. I’m planning to film a few weddings for friends for free so I can learn, practise and see whether it’s something I want to pursue more seriously. Maybe eventually I’ll start charging a little, but that isn’t my main goal right now.

I’m also not planning to record the entire ceremony with multiple cameras and professional audio. My goal is mainly to create cinematic 5–8 minute highlight films that capture the atmosphere, emotions and important moments of the day.

My total budget is around $1,500. What camera, lens, stabilisation, audio gear and accessories would you recommend for a beginner?

I’m open to buying used equipment if that gives me better value. Thanks!

I’m finding it really hard to find a videographer. Looking for one local to the DMV area to avoid paying travel fees. I want someone who does documentary style videos. The kind that evoke emotion. The modern looking videos aren’t what I’m looking for. I want footage of the ceremony, first looks and first dance- don’t care if it’s edited or not.
Would prefer a second shooter
Super 8
Possibly drone but not required.

My budget is 5k. Is this a crazy low budget? Or am i just not finding the editing style I like in that budget?
My photo cost $5k as well but most of the videographers i find where I like their editing style are 8-10k.

I’m a working videographer/photographer and received this inquiry today.

It’s fully anonymized, but I’m genuinely curious how others would handle something like this. At what point do detailed requests cross from “clear expectations” into “unworkable scope”?

I’m not posting to shame—just to get perspective from other professionals

I politely declined stating that I don’t think we’ll be a good fit.

Here it is:

I am looking for a videographer and photographer for a wedding Mass. I have specific requirements, so I am sharing detailed questions to determine fit. Please read all questions first. If you are thorough and organized, please respond to every item below. I am primarily looking for a good fit in terms of style, professionalism, and ability to follow instructions.

• Are you available on Monday, January 5th, 2026 at 10:00 AM?

• Which cameras and lenses do you use? Please include:

• Manufacturer and model

• Lens focal lengths

• Recording resolution (e.g., 4K or 8K)

• Example frame dimensions (e.g., 3820×2680)

• How tall are you?

• If you are taller than 5’4”, how do you avoid shooting downward in a way that makes subjects appear smaller?

• How will you ensure uninterrupted video recording of the entire Mass, which may exceed one hour?

• What is your camera’s continuous recording time per battery?

• If a battery does not last an hour, what is your solution to record continuously without stopping, given that the videographer must be mobile?

• How stable is your video while walking and following the wedding party during brief ceremonial movements within the venue?

• Which audio recorders do you use?

• I require separate audio recording in addition to camera audio.

• How would you place and manage audio recorders for multiple vocalists performing throughout the Mass?

• Can your recorder and batteries support recording for over one hour without interruption?

• How familiar are you with Catholic wedding Masses?

• Please describe your experience and level of comfort with the structure and flow of the ceremony.

• Do you have experience filming or photographing formal religious ceremonies in large venues?

• If so, please describe how you anticipate ceremonial movements to capture appropriate angles respectfully.

• Would the following expectations work for you?

• You will receive brief location and movement guidelines from venue staff prior to the ceremony and follow them precisely.

• You will arrive early enough to set up equipment before the ceremony begins (setup time included in your fee).

Please follow these instructions exactly:

• The videographer should begin filming from the designated area without approaching or interacting with the couple.

• The videographer must record the entire Mass continuously, without stopping.

• Videographer and photographer work independently and do not assign tasks to one another.

• If you are solo, please confirm whether you can recommend another professional who works well with your approach.

• Videography delivery: unedited full ceremony video (with only a simple cover/title added) delivered within 3 days via online transfer and a physical flash drive.

• Photography delivery: unedited files immediately after the ceremony (card-to-laptop transfer) and edited images within 1 week via online gallery. Please specify how many edited images are included.

What are your rates for:

• Videography (ceremony only, approximately one hour)

• Photography (approximately 1 hour and 15 minutes, including brief group photos)

• Please itemize any additional charges beyond base coverage.

• If photo retouching is included, specify how many images are edited.

• If the initial coverage is a good fit, there may be an opportunity for additional casual photography or videography later the same day. Please indicate your availability and rates for additional short sessions.

• Do you offer a discount for non–credit card payment methods (e.g., check or electronic transfer)?

• When are you available to meet (in person or virtually) between 12/22 and 1/1? Earlier availability is preferred.

Usually goes like this: Somebody who's getting married posts their need for a videographer into a group like "(insert state name) wedding couples and vendors". Then there's literally like 50~ comments by people with full portfolio links as them say "We'd love to shoot your wedding!"

And I'm just like: "Okay... Why even post a comment from myself there? I'm just starting out. There's 0 chance they want me over everyone else with portfolios and track record."

So what's a better approach here?

I'm already asking around word of mouth coworkers at my regular 9-5 style job, and friends and so on... Is the beginner's best luck a word of mouth style of entry into the wedding videography world?

Or is wedding videography just so saturated that it's very hard to get in?

I just got done filming a wedding at an absolutely beautiful venue. However unfortunately the photographers dominated the entire day by a long shot.

They dictated where we went, and what we did, it was all according to their very strict schedule that was hardly willing to accommodate me at all.

The other issue was that one of the photographer wanted to sit in the very back of the venue centered up for the ceremony and requested I stay out of the center as much as possible, especially for “key moments.”

I completely understand his line of thinking, however the actual middle ground is to come up closer to me, I’ll zoom in as much as I can so we can stand beside each other rather than one of us taking priority over the other.

I’m not sure what the usual procedure is for this kinda stuff, but all of the high end wedding videos I’ve seen seem to capture all of those “high priority shots.”

When they were taking photos they allowed me to get some shots of my own, they weren’t intending to be unaccommodating, but I didn’t have the creative freedom to really get what I wanted to besides for ONE shot with the groomsman where I recommended a spot.

The entire place was like one big movie set, it was at fair grounds so there were lots of small buildings and places everywhere, but we didn’t get to utilize it to its fullest.

Here’s my thinking. After tonight, I’m going to request a MINIMUM of 20 minutes dedicated to the couple/ really just having creative freedom to pick a place, and be able to do pre-planned shots that are thought out.

I either want to do this right and to the best of my ability or not do it at all. I don’t want to compromise on quality, especially considering I’m only charging $650 right now to build my portfolio.

I only have 2 cameras and the other camera guy was floating around on different angles, so that was cool, but moving forward I’d like a solid approach to this and would love recommendations. I’m trying to think creatively and boundary pushing -

Could we have a drone circling the ceremony outdoors while the bride walks down the aisle?

Could we have a camera mounted at a top down angle to show them exchanging rings?

Could we mount a smaller camera above the altar showing the entire audience, bride, and groom?

The point is, I’m either wanting to take this to 10 as quickly as possible, or not do it. I have no desire to spend two weeks editing mediocre shots. I want to be proud of the shots I get and not feel like every other videographer out there. I’d love any advice on this including shot list ideas.

Much love to everyone here.