Canon5Dtips Photography is more than words.
Since I have not posted a book review recently and spring is coming, I thought it would be a good idea to talk about one that covers a very specialized topic: Wedding Videography
Content
The book covers the domain wide and large. Starting from answering the simple question ‘What does a wedding videographer do?‘ to giving advices on video editing and color grading.
As you can guess, it covers pretty much everything one needs to know to start shooting professionally. This is a very ambitious project and I think it is done reasonably well here in the sense that it gives a good overlook of what to expect, how to plan for it and what to do on D day. It is not a replacement for experience and I will call anyone who starts looking for contracts right after reading the book and idiot. Please assist a pro for at least one season!
This book is a starting point, know that you will need to deepen your knowledge in many areas. The hardest part when learning a new field (at least for me) is to structure your thoughts and know what you need to learn. Once you are aware of this list, the rest is much easier and I think this book serves this purpose well.
Moving from Stills to Motion
When I talked about this book to my friend (a wedding photographer), he wanted to know if the book would teach him how to add a video side to his business to promote it Graphically. While he is not the target audience for the book and some good chunk of it are valid for both stills and video, I think it can be of some help, especially when it highlights clients expectations regarding the end result.
Things I like
- The book includes a shot list that is a great starting point to build on.
- All the advices come from hard learn experiences.
- The book tone makes it easy/fast to read.
Things I really did not like
- As a lot of book on the topic of video, this one falls into the trap of describing how to use editing software.
- Some example are a bit cheesy and out of style.
- Some of the content is too beginner-ish.
Special complain
As weird as it may look, the book does not talk about HDSLR. Not even a a short mention! This puzzles me considering that houston wedding filmography must be the most popular professional use of HDSLR. Yet, it was published in 2010!
Conclusion
If you are planning to shoot a wedding this summer, getting this book is a worthy investment. But lets face it: no book can prepare you for the craziness of a wedding day. Except maybe a 6-pack of RedBull.
