It's arguably one of the most crucial decisions you'll make for your wedding day (other than choosing the person you're going to marry!). Who will be the person behind the camera capturing your memories? And if you're opting for videography as well (which you SHOULD be, that's an entirely different blog post), there's going to be multiple people behind cameras capturing your memories! Your photographer and videographer are the two wedding vendors who work alongside each other all day with the same end goal: to capture your wedding day so you can relive it forever. While some couples end up choosing their photographer and videographer separately, they are missing out on some major benefits from hiring these creatives as a cohesive team. Below, we'll dive into 5 reasons why hiring a photographer/videographer duo can save you time, stress, money, and more. So let's get into it!
1. Streamlined Coordination
From the time you begin searching for your wedding vendors, until you receive your final images and videos (and even beyond that!), hiring a photo/video duo from the same company means that every aspect of your wedding vision has been coordinated thoughtfully by a true team. When you first connect with a photo/video duo, you have the benefit of communicating with both vendors at the same time. For us, Bonnie (the videography half of Mars and The Moon) takes the lead with e-mail communications while looping in Jon (the photography half of Mars and The Moon) when responding to couples.
Once you've decided to move forward with a photography/videography team, you'll be signing one contract and paying one invoice. It doesn't sound like much, but the little things add up (in both cost and time), and having one less booking process to worry about is an added benefit to booking both photography and videography from the same team.
Before the wedding, many photographers and videographers will want details from you about requested shots, a detailed list of family photo groupings, the story of how you and your fiancé met, and a whole other slew of questions usually sent to you in the form of an online questionnaire. These questionnaires can sometimes take a VERY long time, and even LONGER when you have to do them twice! Not when you hire a team, though! When booking a photographer/videographer duo, you'll only have to answer these questions once, and you'll be confident that you've communicated the same information with each vendor from your camera crew. "Wait, did I tell the videographer about this surprise moment?" - won't be an issue!
Stephanie and Tom's wedding photography (above) and videography (below) from their Squam Lake wedding in New Hampshire
2. Consistent Style and Aesthetic
You've been scrolling and scrolling on Instagram for DAYS, and you've finally narrowed down how you want your wedding photos and videos to look - the vibe, candid vs. posed, raw vs. editorial, light and airy vs. dark and moody...there is no end to what wedding photos can be these days. We call this our stylistic "look and feel." For us, we describe our look and feel as candid in nature and true-to-color, among other things. NOW, the challenge becomes finding a photographer and videographer who's style match your vision, and who's style matches each other's. This can be a HUGE undertaking. However, it doesn't have to be if you book a photographer/videographer duo!
Many couples don't realize how the shooting and directing style of a photographer can greatly impact the footage (and ultimately your wedding video) of the videographer, and visa versa. For example, when Bonnie is filming a wedding alongside another photographer from a different company who overly poses, constantly walks in frame to adjust hair or hand placement, and makes the couple fake laugh and giggle constantly, it's going to be more difficult to create a wedding film with authentic movement and flow. But when working alongside Jon, who KNOWS this and directs the couple from afar, while also taking advantage of the videographers need for movement, you're getting a wedding film that feels more candid and "real," with the added benefit of photos that captured that same movement!
Another great example of this is talking and audio. Our wedding films use a ton of in-camera audio (audio that's captured candidly in the moment). Things like bridesmaids laughing and complimenting the bride, or mom saying something sweet to the bride while she's helping her into her dress. When you hire a photography/videographer duo, the photographer is way more attuned to the audio of these moments, and knows when to stop directing and talking so the videographer has usable audio. Another insane example of this is during First Looks. I (Bonnie) can't tell you HOW MANY first look moments were ruined (or just made my job so much harder) because a photographer was in the background going, "AWWWWW, SO CUTE, GIVE HER A SPIN!!!!" Jon, our photographer, is well aware that it's "quiet on set" during first looks so YOU can have the audio from your first look captured.
Elizabeth and Carson's wedding photography (above) and videography (below) from their wedding at Isla Del Sol in St. Petersburg, Florida
3. Cost Savings and Package Discounts
This one is pretty straight forward, but also perhaps the most important point for couples. Many photographer/videographer duos will offer discounted packages when booking both services, and we're no exception! For our most popular package with 8 hours of coverage, you'll save $1,000 vs. the combined cost of those packages individually for photo and video.
Why?
If you watch enough Shark Tank, you've maybe heard the term "acquisition cost." Well, it costs us money for advertising, marketing, expos, etc. for couples to find us, not to mention the time spent on those things. If we're able to book both services for one date, drive the same miles, stay at the same hotel, share a 2nd shooter, etc., there's major savings associated with that, and an incentive for us to pass those savings on to you!
Paul and Will's wedding photography (above) and videography (below) from their wedding at Autumn Lane Estate in Sebago, Maine.
4. Timeline Coordination
We're not saying that photography is easier than videography, but videographers will typically have 3x the equipment photographers will on wedding day. While videographers and photographers may look like they use the same equipment, they DO NOT. And one of the biggest timeline challenges as a wedding videographer working with a different photographer is coordinating timelines to have enough time between events to move equipment, while also not missing anything. The biggest example of this are the moments leading up to the ceremony, where a photographer will create a timeline only giving a 15 minute buffer between getting ready moments and the beginning of the ceremony. To me, this sounds absolutely insane, but it's simply a photographer only worrying about a timeline that works for them. Videographers will typically require about 30 minutes before the ceremony to set up tripods, shoot B-roll, acquire audio through the DJ, and put lapel mics on the officiant and couple. Then, after the ceremony, it all has to get moved. These things take time, even when done efficiently.
When you hire a photographer/videographer team, they are working TOGETHER to create a timeline that not only works for them, but for you! Because if it doesn't work for them, your photos and videos suffer. This coordination should happen regardless, but when you hire a photo/video duo, they WANT as smooth of a day as possible, for everyone. Because we capture weddings together, we know how much time the other person needs for set-up and breakdown, and how much time you may need as buffers between events.
Olivia and Forrest's wedding photography (above) and videography (below) from their wedding at The Greenery in Milton, New Hampshire
5. Lighting
I was once asked, "what is the lightning going off in our video?"
Lightning?⚡️ Hmmmm....
I was a bit confused by this question, until the bride sent me a video clip from the toasts. Me: "Ohhhh, you mean the flash? That's the photographers flash going off, I can't control that."
It's something that not many people think about, other than photographers and videographers. How will the other person's lighting effect my footage or photos? It drives me up a wall when I have to edit video footage from a wedding where I worked alongside a flash-happy photographer. I get it...they need light. But here I am, with my video lights, providing CONSTANT light, but they are only familiar with shooting and editing while using their set-up. Again, I get it, and I don't blame them! But it sure does make for some annoying video footage when your dad is crying during his speech, and there's constant lightning going off!
That's when a photographer/videographer duo flies in to the rescue! For many years, Jon has been working alongside Bonnie with her handy-dandy video lights, using them to his advantage whenever possible. When he needs a bit more of a lighting boost and pulls the photography flash out, he uses it sparingly, knowing that the flash shows up in video. This leads to better video footage, and in our opinion, better looking photos! It also saves us time when we only need to set up one group of lights, and we can spend that time capturing the day instead.
Chloe and Mikah's wedding photography (above) and videography (below) from their wedding in Enfield, New Hampshire
6. *BONUS* Experts Behind The Cameras
All of the previous reasons could be applied to ANY photography/videography duo or team, however there is one big difference between them and us!
I have a confession. Back in the day, when my business was "Bonnie Newman Creative" and I only did wedding videography, I would actually tell inquiring couples that they shouldn't book a photo/video team, because usually the videography was secondary to the photography.
I still believe this!
In most circumstances (but not all!), I notice that the videography and photography from many teams are not on equal par with each other, and it's usually the videographer that is...less than amazing. It's someone who has a solid photography business, knows that they'd get more business if they offered videography, and persuades their husband to learn how to use a video camera. And there is nothing wrong with this business, or the couple's who hire them. At the end of the day, they got SOMETHING on video, and I can sleep at night.
But if you're looking for a photography/videography team where each person is actually good at their craft, you've come to the right place!
[Insert shameless plug where I finally make this blog post about why you should hire us as your wedding photographer and videographer in New England]
Before we were even together as a couple, we had our own wedding photography and videography businesses. Bonnie owned Bonnie Newman Creative which offered wedding videography, and Jon owned Marsley Photography, which offered wedding photography. We were each experts in our own craft. Then, when we got together and things started to getting serious romantically, we made the obvious decision to combine our forces and birth our creative love-child: Mars and The Moon Films + Photos, where we offer BOTH videography and photography that is equally artistic and creative.
So to wrap this up, if you're engaged and trying to find your perfect photographer and videographer, there are many reasons you should consider hiring a photography/videography duo, and one BIG reason why you should consider hiring Mars and The Moon as that team! All the reasons above will make your life so much easier while planning your wedding, and will also benefit the final images and videos you receive. You'll almost certainly save some money as well!
If you're interested in learning more about the discounted packages we offer for both videography and photography, reach out today for our Info and Investment Guide!
