After reading through this forum for the past few months, I'm noticing that are few to no women who post on here.

I know there are tons of women wedding photographers, but not a lot of videographers.

I was just wondering, if there are other women out there working in this field, and if they're running their own business like I am.

You just missed the POSH cruise for female wedding videographers!

POSH 2010: A Retreat and Workshop for Women Filmmakers and Photographers (http://posheventonline.com/)

Hi Megan

There probably are plenty of videographers of the fairer sex but they are not as obsessed with the technical side of production and post production as we tend to be. We love talking about complicated issues, camera and kit pros and con and specifications whilst women just tend to get on with the job. You will find a couple of posts regarding the more personal side like "how the working hours of a videographer affect your family" but seldom do you find any technical posts.

They are out there just doing their thing and getting good results without any fuss!!

Chris

Megan, I have no idea where you get your basic information from - is anyone doing polling even allowed to make the gender relevant these days? Or perhaps you're referring to apocryphal polls?

What I will say very strongly is that I'm pleased that my wife is one of the camera people in our team of three, not for any technical reason (because I don't think there are any differences based on gender) but because she's able to relate to different people in different ways. Weddings are emotional events and when emotions rise to a crescendo a woman in the team is a huge advantage.

So why don't you see her writing here (which I think is Megan's other concern)? She maintains she doesn't have time so that's all I have time to write!

Megan, there are plenty of female videographers. In fact one of them was listed as an event dv top 25 a few years back.

Bliss* Productions Blog (http://www.blissvideoproductions.com/blog/)

Megan is referring to the lack of wedding videographers
posting to DV Info Net who are women. Not about the
industry in general, but at this site in particular.

That's something I'm already aware of, and would like
to change. We've had some terrific forum leadership
by Lorinda Norton and Meryem Ersoz, and I would
like to expand our moderator team to include more
of the ladies.

In the long run, though, I've never seen gender -- or
race, age, orientation, etc. as any sort of barrier to
entry into the DVi universe. All it takes is civility,
pluck, and genuine enthusiasm. Hope this helps,

When I first started in video, it was helping my husband out as a second camera operator. But I've slowly taken over the operation to the point that I pretty much run the business, and he's my second.

My wife helps me with wedding videography if she's not doing the photography or officiating. She has more technical knowledge of her DSLR but has no problems using the video cameras.

Like with Philip, often times my wife can communicate/relate to the bride and families better than I can. She also provides great advice during rehearsals (since she's officiated so many weddings) and the couples really love her.

That being said, she has no real desire to post on the various video or photography forums. To be honest, I've seen some forums (not this one) that are disrespectful to women.

When I have time I check in here.
Perhaps we should try to be more active on the list.

Although my wife helps with weddings, she says it's more of a man's job. We have cameras, tripods, lights, bags, and cases that needs to move from location to location. She said helping me has built up her upper body strength. Although she likes weddings, she hates talking about technical stuff.

It's more likely that posting on forums is more of a boy thing & it doesn't matter what the subject of the forum is. At least it is a bit better than in the old days on Usenet Newsgroups.

Hi Megan,

yep there sure are lots of female producers around - agree with Chris H that women tend to get on with the job and it certainly would be worthwhile checking Posh out.

90% of the time I chat with my male colleagues and find that for myself, I have few female networks in OZ...perhaps a goal to change for the future.

I would love to go to the Posh event next year and meet more like minded females.

I would love to go to the Posh event next year and meet more like minded females.

ME TOO !!!!!

Ahhhh come on guys....... you know darn well you thought the same thing...... well at least you single guys did !!!! :-)

Oh dear!!! My buddy Chip is at it again!!! Any opportunity to meet someone of the opposite sex!!!

Seriously Rochelle, I do think that female videographers are a minority group in Perth!! I advertised for a few weeks at the beginning of the season for a mature lady with either experience or prepared to be trained and got just one response. (I wanted someone mature as in past the "want to have children" stage, or "my boyfriend is jealous" lost me quite a few good freelance photogs!! )

Maybe videography doesn't have as much appeal to the ladies???? My only lady who did seem enthusiastic faded away pretty quickly within a few weeks!!! Maybe photography appears more glamorous ????

I am now is my busiest part of the year without a second shooter which really would make life a whole lot easier, especially when you have to cram in groomsmen prep, bridal prep and still get to the ceremony 30 mins before the bride. There seem to be quite a few young guys that would be happy to do it but I do like the idea of bridal prep to be done by a lady videographer and the girls are more comfortable too!!!

I think you do have to realise that most women between 25 and 50 are busy bringing up kids, running the house and running husbands so they seldom have time for anything else!!! I really would have thought that there would have been some interest amongst the 50+ group who's kids have left the nest and hubby has become self sufficent at last.

Chris

Chris, do you think the adjectives "mature" anmd "experienced" were the right ones to use?

I do think that even without the complication of the various labour laws we have to meet, defining a lady by her age is always difficult.

Perhaps you could try "wanted - Jane Fonda lookalike video camera operator". Still doesn't mean she'll know her neutral density from her hyperfocal distance.

It isn't that they don't exist - after all I'm happily married to one - but defining them effectively and legally.

When the UK employment equality laws were first introduced I seem to recall a building contractor advertising for "bricklayers willing to work bare-chested" - but even that didn't work out as he intended!

Hi Philip

What do you suggest ??? Of course, the simplest answer is the one you already have!! Marry a videographer but I know how busy ladies get running kids, home and husbands and purely figured that someone who has "been there and done that" and now has either retired or has time to spare would be a better bet.

Yeah, our laws are also a bit silly and you need to take extreme care with descriptions otherwise you are accused of racial, age, gender and many more kinds of discrimination..in fact just advertising for a female is probably wrong to start with!!! I guess you have to be totally open and then sift thru the ones you don't want.

I'd probably be better off struggling on my own then the issue will not arise at all.

Chris

Chris, in truth, I don't think there is an answer, at least not an easy one.

I'm not an expert on labour laws but I guess as single person businesses we could probably seek a female camera op - on the grounds that a female could work in the bride's bedroom when required more easily than a man.

You'd still have to choose a mature candidate from the number who apply - but how many might that be? Female camera ops may be quite common in studios these days; I don't recall many in the 70's or 80's.

Hi Philip

Thanks for the insight!! Hmmm maybe I need to go to a "lonely hearts" site ... they certainly couldn't discriminate there for a male videographer looking for a female partner!!! We are coming close to the joke where the farmer advertised for a wife with a tractor and added "please send photo of the tractor"

To be serious again I have a shoot on 11th where the bride actually said that she would prefer a lady videographer to do the girls prep shoot... that way they can just get ready without having to shut the camera person out of the bedroom when they are changing. It's a very valid point!!! I also did a 2009 shoot where the bride (due to her culture) was only permitted to have women in the prep area of the home so she ended up not having any prep shoot!!

Chris

Thank you Carla, Marion and Rochelle.

It's good to know that you're out there in DVinfoland.

My experiences looking for a second shooter with the "chick" perspective.

I put my posting on Craiglist and said I preferred a chick. I got quite a few responses, mostly from guys. I posted again some time later and was more pointed about wanting a woman for the female perspective she can bring to doing wedding videos.

All totaled I received responses from 4-6 women, compared to 4 or 5 times that many from guys. As Philip pointed out, the older people were men who began in local broadcast TV. The younger were people where many had degrees from one of the colleges/universities here in Wisconsin. Most of those were looking to be trained so they could end up being my next newest competitor.

In reality, photography, and quality equipment for it, has been around for decades, where quality consumer video hasn't been easily/inexpensively acquired until the last 15 years or so. When you back up the ages of those women that responded to my posting, quality video has been available for all or at least most of their post high school lives. I think that plays a big part in why older female videographers are not around. There was no opportunity for them to acquire an interest compared to photography.

The second issue I have experienced, as Chris and I have discussed, being able to have someone "on call" is just about a waste of time. I honestly think if we are going to retain a second shooter, that person is going to have to have an expectation of regular income and regular opportunity if they are going to commit and really become the second shooter for any length of time.

Now as far as Mr. Harding's comment about me looking for any opportunity to meet ladies. I have a one word response for that....... yup!!!! :-)

Thank you Carla, Marion and Rochelle.

It's good to know that you're out there in DVinfoland.

Yep, we are out there...inspite of the guys chatting on this thread. AND I thought women can talk...ha LOL

Hi Megan

I'm a female wedding videographer ...I've just joined here and I don't think there is that many of us around. But we are on the increase!

I work in Ireland and I know of a few female videographers in the industry here. I would say that there would be less then 20% female (at an estimate) but its just in the last few years there has been quite a few new additions.

The reason for this (I think) is women are a little intimidated but the technical aspects of the business... I know I was when I started out!

Hi Megan.

I'm here! (WAVES).

@ana

I've worked in all techy areas in network broadcast and broadcast-related for well over 35 years before setting up on my own (having retired twice).

I'M HERE TOO!

Hi Ana, where are you based? I'm way down in Cork (enjoying the snow at the mo!)

I def think it's a lot to do with the heavy lifting etc involved, but I work on films/tv etc, so I'm kind of used to all the lugging of things around.

I absolutely love all the gear and tech talk, but I suppose, I don't post a lot here because most of my questions are already answered, so for that-thank you everyone!

Hi Claire and Mary

I think Claire the equipment is getting smaller which helps!

Mary...
I'm based in Dublin and Mayo. I live in Dublin and Mayo is my home county so I'm happy to work out of both locations.

How many of us would you say is in Ireland percentage wise? I reckon its pretty low! Even though your based in Cork I do recognize your name but that's no surprise as Ireland is so small with so few ladies videographers!

How's business going for yea....I'm surprise the booking are still trickling in despite the state of the country!

Two of the members of my team are female. I want more! I have to say that females see things us men don't... And when it comes to weddings that is incredibly valuable!

I've found there to be a lack of women in the video field in general. When I worked in news I was the only female photog at my stations and there was only one other that I ran into in the markets I've worked in. My main business right now is legal videography and almost on a weekly basis I hear, "I've never worked with a woman videographer before." I actually kind of like the novelty of doing a job that people don't expect when they look at me. I was also a competitive snowboarder in my younger years and I ran into the same thing then. I guess I like showing up the boys, or at least trying to.

I don't post here very often because I haven't been shooting weddings for very long so I don't feel as though I have any wisdom to contribute. Oh, and the lack of time.

-Leslie

The comment I like is the Who do you work for! Or the assumption that I'm an employee of the male photographer

People are always so shocked that it just me working for myself

That's hilarious Ana, I get that a lot too because my 2nd camera op is a guy, so people always assume that I'm working for him!

As for a percentage of females doing weddings in Ireland, I know of about 3/4 others (which isn't to say that more don't exist), so yes, percentage wise, it's fairly low.

same thing for me!

My 2nd is a guy, and people are always asking him questions, he's awesome enough, to say "oh! She's the big boss. You should ask her!"

I also get a lot of people thinking that I'm in a relationship with my 2nd. Because I guess a lot of male/female teams are a couple. But nope! My hubby is a contractor and knows very little about what I do. (Although he's trying to learn, which I love!)

I guess there's just always going to be generalizations.