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I have to be honest.. when I first received a call from my college coach in regards to filming his wedding, I wasn’t jumping up and down. Weddings can generally be dry, lots of pressure to shoot, and both a long day of production as well as many hours editing. But knowing I could do a job well done to capture his big day, I accepted. I can’t tell you how great the shift was in my mindset the night before the wedding. I browsed the internet to find some wedding films online to give me some ideas for the next day. What I saw blew me away, and truly made me rethink everything from beginning to end. What I saw were not merely wedding videos where the event was simply being documented, they were films that truly captured what the moments, big and small, were all about. Aside from being visually stunning, they had the one thing that always makes great films great, storytelling. I’m not sure why it took me to the point of sitting in front of my computer to realize this, but it struck me then and inspired both myself and roommate/business partner Brandon Fake to try and truly create something with what we were capturing.

Production Notes

This was the second wedding I’ve ever filmed, so there was still alot to be learned in many basic areas. Our primary camera was going to be the Canon 5D mkII, with second camera being an HVX200. Not one of these cameras match too well with each other, but it’s what we were working with. The basic idea was to use the HVX200 as our “safety” cam, covering all the action in its most basic form. This camera was manned by Brandon during the ceremony and at certain other times throughout the day. This gave me great flexibility to what I wanted to shoot with the 5D, knowing that I would always have backup.

50mm with monopod, bride and groom on alter after ceremony at church.

The images that I recorded with the 5D were simply stunning. The picture quality and the use of 35mm lenses to get the shallow depth of field made each part of the wedding look beautiful. I had a few Nikkor lens (35mm, 50mm, 105mm) and a Tamron 70-350mm. I made most use of the 50mm in combination with a monopod. I used it for my medium shots, as well as some really nice looking close ups.

35mm handheld, sparklers before reception.

I was forced to use the 35mm during the reception as it was an f2.0 (the 50mm is a f.3.5). It did the job, but I am not crazy about this lens. The colors aren’t great through the glass, and I would much rather be even wider or in tighter with the 50mm. It’s too much of an in between lens for me.

70-350mm tripoded, at church during vows..

The biggest pleasant surprise was my Tamron 70-350mm. I hadn’t used it much more than a few tests. It’s huge focal range really shined in the church, as I needed to be pretty far from the action to avoid interference. I would have only wanted to switch lenses to a super wide (once again, its missing from my collection) to capture the entire feel of the church. I was able to get quite tight on the ‘important’ parts of the ceremony as well as pick up nice details throughout the crowd. I even tested the lens out during the reception, the problem being I had to crank my ISO as the lens is a f4.5. But to my eye, the grain does not appear to make the shots unusable. I love the frame from the shot below.. I did a nice slow pan to the couple who was across the dance floor, with just them in focus and other couples going in and out of frame.

The major draw from the evening was that we were only rolling with one 5D. Our hands were a bit tied because the couple is really only going to want 5D footage after they see it compared to the other camera, and with only being able to capture from one angle and not cut to another really doesn’t let the film play out like it should. Again, after my new outlook on these types of gigs, anything can be turned into a great film. The technology that I have at my fingertips allows me to produce truly remarkable looking images. It’s just a matter of doing, and finding that story within the film that will make it great.

Its not even that I see myself landing a few more weddings per chance, I actually am excited to shoot another one. I will make things happen to get two-three if not four 5D’s rolling at the next venue, and will start bringing in the dolly and crane on top of it. There is such an opportunity to create something that people will truly treasure, and in the bottom line, will be willing to pay a lot of money for.

**all images are frame grabs from footage recorded with Canon 5D MKII and have not been color graded.