Crossing Over

Last Sunday, Little Guy Productions filmed a wedding at St. Francis of Assisi Church and the reception at Terrace on the Hudson (Haverstraw, NY). We were teamed up with super photographer Nick Carter, one of my favorite photographers (and humans) to work with.

Whenever we work together, Nick and I tend to examine/pick brains about latest gear/trends in the wonderful world of wedding documentation.

Nick seemed extremely interested in the Canon Rebel T2i, 5D, and 7D's ability to shoot high definition video. He was doubly impressed when I told him we were using these cameras to film corporate stuff, not just home videos anymore.

When I explained to him my eventual move to HDSLR videography, that caught his attention.

And that's when I started to sweat a little; I could see Nick's brain in gear; he's going to enter the world of wedding videography, and then I'm doomed.

I began to wonder, which is easier; a photographer moving into the world of videography, or a videographer switching from 30 frames per second to one.

I love comparison shopping.

Photo to Video:
I'd love to give Nick one of my High Definition Cameras. His creative eye is brilliant when using a still, and his understanding of light and shadows, color, composition; all would aid in a smooth transitions to the world of video.

I'd imagine it would be frustrating for a photographer to be working with a fixed lens for a length of time.

There's little margin for error as well, it's not like you can ask the priest at a wedding to go back and have the couple repeat the vows because you were changing out a tape or there was some static coming through the wireless lavs.

Sound. There's something that takes a good while to learn and master.

I figure that thinking about sound has caused me to lose at least 300 hours of quality sleep at night.

Finally, the editing process is something that the photographer would have to pick up. These days, Final Cut Pro is almost too easy to use and isn't cost prohibitive. Most photographers already own a Mac, so investing in a couple of extra hard drives won't crush the budget.

Video to Photo:
As a videographer, I'm constantly on the move, constantly tweaking shots, scanning for my next shot and trying to predict what I should be shooting next. Here's an example of what went through my head at St. Francis this weekend:

Piano guy singing...priest should be getting up to speak soon...look the flower girl is asleep; should I shoot that....probably not...Bride probably won't appreciate....Kristen is fiddling with her camera, better stay wide on this until she's calm....Priest is moving to get up....swing over to Priest in three, two, one....focus looks a little soft...crap auto focus is screwy because of the mic on the alter....switching to manual...hehehe, switching to manual, sounds like something Han Solo shouts during that Tie Fighter battle on the Milenium Falcon...speaking of ties, where the hell is that tie I had that went with this red shirt....

All in a matter of two minutes.

I don't know what I'd do with all that extra time if I were a photographer. I've seen some photographers who take two or three shots during the ceremony and then take the rest of the day off.

And they have the nerve to go up and accept communion. They've obviously broken the little known 17th commandment; Thou shall take more photos than Aunt Nelly during a Wedding Ceremony.


As a videographer, I understand the principles of shot composition; rule of thirds, predicting movement, color balance, lighting, etc.

File management and the editing process would be a tough conversion. Most videographers have a basic understanding on how to navigate their way through Photoshop, but probably not enough to make an album that'll "Wow" a client.


So, as per most of my comparison articles, I can never seem to find a clear cut winner. Switching from Photog to Videog or the reverse is probably easier to do on the production end of life. Post Production seems to present the biggest challenge.