Photogs with handheld video lights are killing me!

[Dana Salsbury]

There are now several photogs in Phoenix who have their assistants hold mega-bright video lights during the Reception. If they could hold it still I might be able to save the shot, but my gosh it's getting crazy. At the last wedding they held it on the person giving the toast and my footage looked like a horror flick! /rant

From now on I'm dealing with this at first sight of those hideous things.

[Tom Hardwick]

I've never met this. What's wrong with good old fashioned electronic flash?

[Tim Polster]

I have seen this once where the photog turned on what looked to be a small MAG flashlight for a few seconds. It looked like a red-eye reducer or focus assist.

But to pull out a video light and blast for the entire toast, well that's the video person's job!

Seriously, it is pretty rude to put a light that is bright enough to effect the scene and not coordinate with the video person.

If it was that dark, I would suspect the video person would have had a light on already.

[Dana Salsbury]

We had two diffused lights on already. I'm not sure why they needed more. They need some light for their cameras to focus before the flash hits, but certainly not a shaky hard video light.

[Stephen J. Williams]

Dana...

It sounds like a somewhat of a disaster shot indeed. However, I do like the idea of the photog being the one blamed for the bright lights for a change :-)

I'm going to keep an eye out for this sort of thing. IMO I don't think it's a bad thing if photogs want to use video lights for illumination. They just have to do it the right way so it doesn't ruin the footage that we're trying to capture. IE, must be steady, Turned on for the duration of the scene (speeches, dances...) I think it would also look terrible if your shutter/iris is adjusted to match the output of their lights and then have to be adjusted because they decided they got what they needed and no longer needed the light.

Steve

[Erik Andersen]

I encountered this earlier this season. It wasn't so much the light as the monopod and softbox that was swooping around everywhere, cutting through our shots. We are so hyper aware of where the photographer is in order not to spoil his or her shots, but it seems with many photographers that it is not mutual.

[Danny O'Neill]

We too are starting to see this in the UK.

One did it to help his camera auto focus in the dark, another because it created beautiful shots and his shots were beautiful so had no problem with that. Often though they are happy with how we light things.

The one who used it for focus was a bit of a problem as he had a lightpanel fixed to his shoe instead of a flash and would turn it on, get a shot, turn it off.... just to save battery.

[Philip Howells]

Although I recognise it may not be the complete solution, we always ask the couple's permission (before the event) and then instruct the venue (before the event) of the couple;'s agreement, that we have the room lights upped to full before the speeches.

Hotels, which want to clear the room as quickly as possible after the speeches, generally like this because it helps them start the move.

As I say, not necessarily the complete solution but it serves in most cases; I would have thought it solves the focusing problems.

[Tim Polster]

As a photographer and a videographer, I can not see how adding a lightpanel LED in place of a flash is going to emit enough light to freeze motion in a dark reception room.

I just don't see the technical reason even with the high ISO performance in todays cameras.

There is barely enough light for the video cameras often wide open at 1/60th.

[Dave Blackhurst]

A "full on" light could act as a fill or eye light or to eliminate nasty shadows, I sometimes position while shooting to "help" the photographer for this reason - but you've got to work together.

[Philip Howells]

Tim, some electronic flashes with infra red devices don't use them for focusing and need a modicum of other light to focus. My Sony Alpha's like that - though of course it probably isn't what most pros would use. Mind the OP did write about very substanital video lights, not on-camera LEDs.

[Dana Salsbury]

In this case the photographers were on 5ds using flash, 10 ft from the subject with both my wife and I using Litepanels at full strength. We as videographers were just fine without their light. It leaves me scratching my head. Their handheld was as strong as a headlight and without diffusion. I can't see how their shots would not be overexposed, but then I don't understand how a normal flash is insanely bright, yet photographers get great shots.

[Craig Terott]

I don't get it?? I like light. I had a photographer at a wedding a few weeks ago use a video light during the first dance. I loved it.

At the time, I didn't see a downside. Now looking over the video, I still don't. Nope, the shots look great. In fact, the light coming from another direction add a nice look to my closeups. Looked as if I was using a hair light. Their highlight reel will most definitely include some of these shots.

hmmm.... Videographers complaining about video lights. Is that like a photographer complaining about flash? I mean, how contentious do you want to be?

[Denny Lajeunesse]

Probably as contentious as someone lighting a film set only to have someone walk around with one of those 10 million candle power hand held flashlights and waving it around while you're filming.

[Dana Salsbury]

Blair Witch Project.