PRO TECHNIQUE
Using Video to Boost Your Wedding Profit
Pro Technique: Using Video to Boost Your Wedding Profit
In a highly competitive field, those wedding photographers who can add video production to their offering are in a position to not only give clients something they appreciate but it can also add a useful extra revenue stream to the business without requiring huge amounts of training or investment.
WORDS: TERRY HOPE IMAGES & SCREENSHOTS: JO GREENFIELD
AS PROFESSIONAL PHOTOGRAPHERS we’ve been blessed by a wide choice of high performing hybrid cameras that can deliver not just stunning stills but also broadcast-level video, all at the flick of a switch. It’s created an opportunity to explore fresh services to clients based around motion, but there’s still some hesitation on the part of many who consider stills and video to be two completely different disciplines, each with their own separate demands and skill requirements.
Here to prove that, despite those reservations, there’s plenty of scope for professional creatives to deliver a hybrid package that will prove highly popular to an audience that’s increasingly social media savvy is wedding specialist Jo Greenfield. Without having to make a large investment in either kit or training she’s now regularly offering profitable short video productions that perfectly complement her regular stills coverage.
Having initially entered the arena of wedding photography through doing a favour for a friend, Jo endured a rocky start to her full-time professional career through a pair of unrelated life-changing events. “I was working as a graphic designer and then a teacher,” she recalls, “but that initial wedding I shot led to me being booked for several more, and it was all starting to snowball, with me covering between 10-20 weddings over the year in my spare time.
“This went on until, in 2018, I finally made the decision to put everything I had into it and to go fully self-employed. I gave myself two years to plan my exit strategy from the world of education, and ended up with 46 weddings booked for 2020. I told myself this was a solid, well-planned transition between regular employment and running my own business, but then I had a baby in October 2019, and my maternity pay ran out in March 2020, which was when my wedding income was due to take over. Then, as well know, Covid appeared and my world just caved in. I found myself with a baby and a failing business before I’d even got started!”
Turning to motion
Faced with a nightmare situation, Jo realised she had to become resourceful to try to find a way to generate the money she needed to keep going. Covid led to 27 of her wedding bookings being cancelled or postponed, and her sense of fair play saw her make the painful decision to refund every couple what they’d paid if asked.
“Whether it was right or wrong, I just felt it was what I should do,” Jo recalls. “The ones who went ahead after August 2020 had paid my full day rate, but I wasn’t allowed to stay for more than a few hours – this was when ceremonies could have a maximum of 30 people, with no partying allowed. I’d always loved films; in fact, I’m obsessed with them! So during these occasions I started to sneakily shoot some motion clips alongside the photos. It was my way of having some fun, and when I delivered these mini three-minute videos to couples they were very well received, which was totally unexpected and very much appreciated.”
While there was a learning curve involved, it wasn’t one that was overwhelmingly challenging, with the main issue not being a technical one as such, but rather how to work out the shots that were needed to tell the story of the day and then acquiring these while still remaining on top of the stills requirement. At the outset Jo had made the call to take on both elements of the coverage herself, not just to save on the cost of a second shooter, but also to ensure continuity and to have total control of the way the day was covered.
“Early on in my hybrid journey I also decided that a key part in offering both services simultaneously was that I could then be sure my photos and films would look the same,” she says. “I stumbled across other photographers using Lightroom to apply their chosen presets to their video footage and my world was blown wide open. Since that day I’ve never looked back, and I really do enjoy the fact that my films match my photos so well.”
On the equipment from Jo uses exactly the same kit for video clips that she uses for her stills coverage, which these days are Canon EOS R5s in combination with a selection of RF primes: a 16mm, 24mm, 35mm, 50mm and an 85mm. “I don’t like zooms,” she comments. “It’s just my personal preference. I love shooting videos with the aperture wide open, and I really enjoy not being too close to people so that they don’t change their behaviour. I find my 85mm allows me to capture people at their most authentic.”
There was just one investment, however, as motion started to become more important in Jo’s wedding coverage: “I spent the last pennies I owned during lockdown to sit my commercial drone licence in November 2020,” she says. “It was the best thing I ever did because it’s opened so many doors to me, and I actually love flying! Over the five years I’ve been shooting hybrid I’ve upgraded from DSLRs to mirrorless cameras and have gone from two bodies to four, but essentially that’s all I’ve needed to do to offer my video service.”
Simplifying post-production
On the editing front Jo is working with Lightroom and iMovie, something she confesses that she knows raises eyebrows, but that doesn’t concern her these days. “I’ve heard all the comments and received all the opinions from people who don’t agree with the way I work,” she says. “But it’s not because I’m lazy. I’ve tried every single ‘professional’ way to edit films, from Final Cut and Premiere through to Da Vinci, and have spent way too much money on LUTs that I’ve never used.
“I found myself getting very confused, upset and frustrated, with unnecessary random stuff sitting on the screen. It was overwhelming. So every time I’d go back to my trusty iMovie, which is designed so that children can use it. It’s perfect for me, and it’s essentially why I don’t look to define myself as a dedicated videographer. To me, it’s not about the technology, it’s about the memories captured. My clients are the kinds of couples that never considered a video, often don’t have the budget for it, aren’t that bothered but might have it gifted by parents. So there’s never a massive amount of pressure on, although I’m obviously looking to do a professional job.”
Similarly, Jo doesn’t acquire in-camera audio since she purposefully uses a lot of slow-motion footage in her productions, and she’s found it to be her most effective workflow. “I do record sound on separate Sony recorders,” she says, “and will overlay it over footage, but it’s never synced. I make it very clear to couples what I offer, and I do mean clear! On my website, in their contract and in my communication leading up to the wedding. I’ve never had any issues, and most of my clients comment that they hate the sound of their own voice in any case, so they’re more than happy!”
Presenting the film
Jo is successful in her video offering because she has a crystal-clear idea of what she can achieve, and it’s a package that clients have been hugely receptive to. “I deliver a teaser of around two minutes, a full film that’s between 12-15 minutes long and, if I want to use the film myself, I’ll make a 30-second Instagram teaser,” she says. “If possible – and I don’t make promises – I’ll also give the couple their speeches recorded on a static camera pointing at the top table.
“I ask a lot of questions during the journey between booking and the wedding, so I feel fully informed on the day about the couple and the most important aspects they want me to photograph or film. I explain in detail that I can’t promise to cover everything on both, and I’ll ask them to decide. “I’m careful to protect myself first and foremost, and will explain that, if having full video coverage is impotent to them, then they have to book a standalone videographer. It’s important to me that couples understand that I will turn down a job if I feel I can’t fulfill their expectations.”
While Jo’s approach is straightforward, it’s clear that couples love having this extra service offered, and might well only be looking for an extra piece of coverage of the day that’s short enough to share with guests and loved ones down the line.
Financially it’s also made sense for Jo’s bottom line. Initially this extra service was provided free of charge to enable her to gain experience, but as it proved itself she ultimately made the call to charge a £300 premium to supply the short video overview of the day.
“I now charge a fee of £3000 for stills only,” Jo reveals, “which rises to £4000 hybrid for a full day. But I also offer an hour-by-hour hybrid service, which makes up 40% of my business, especially in the elopement market. If two people are getting married, having a separate video and photo team around on the day can feel overwhelming, so having just one person doing both works well for couples and is financially viable for me at the same time.”
More information: www.jogreenfield.com
https://www.instagram.com/jogreenfield _/
https://www.facebook.com/jogreenfieldthephotographer
Head here to watch an Instagram video of Jo at work.
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