A lot can be said about this, but a few comments: 1) The photographer's work needs to be respected and not infringed upon. 2) The videographer can always ask the photographer if it is okay to film these set up shots 3) The photographer can request the videographer not to film the set up shots at all, or just indirectly, to just film the overall scene of the shots being taken, as part of the general show 4) In any case, it would be poor form for the videographer to release the video of the set up shots before the photographer does his presentation and selling of his shots, and 5) Since the wedding party is paying the photographer and the videographer, they deserve as much as possible of what they are paying for, and that needs to be remembered by everyone, and they could be included on the decision of what happens at their wedding.

Galen, I have to disagree with you on a few things.

I don't see any need for a videographer to ask a photographer if he can film any set-up shots. I also don't agree that the photographer has the right to disallow the videographer from filming the set-up shots. My wife is a photographer so I'm not speaking from a completely biased position. The notion that the photographer has a higher priority or authority is ludicrous in my opinion, as is any notion that his 'posing' is somehow copyrighted.

I also completely disagree that it's poor form for the videographer to release footage of any set-up shots before the photographer releases the shots. We're talking about two completely different mediums here, and again, the photographer's poses aren't copyrighted or anything.

Something to keep in mind here is that photographers already have the upper hand because they are generally in control of how the photoshoot goes. So while they do have to come up with poses and get everything just right, they also have the advantage of being in control of setting up those poses. Most videographers don't get any input on poses that would work better for video, and that's our disadvantage.


In my case, whether I'm working with my wife or not, I make sure to work WITH the photographer and I have the couple pose and perform some interactions that will be more useful to me for the video. Oftentimes this creates great opportunities for the photographer. I would never ask the photographer not to photograph those opportunities, or not to post his shots of those opportunities until I had the DVD done.

Thanks, Travis for the counter. If I were a photographer, I would agree with you 100%.

Galen, I totally disagree with you.

Videographers has the right to shoot the entire day with out any permission from the photographer. (unless the B&G don't want some shots in the video).

That's right, that's why videographers and photographers have to document almost the whole day for the B&G, that's what they pay us for. isn't ?

Believe it or not, here in Hawaii, there are well known photographers that has the couples sign a contract that specifically states that no videographers are allowed during their photo shoot. Their reasoning, besides having the video guys "steal" their poses they set up, is that the people being photographed get distracted by the extra cameras and often don't look at the right camera. Also, the videographer slows down the photoshoot and gets in the way when the photographer is trying to work as quickly as possible on a tight schedule.

Our work-around these guys is to start earlier and do a separate video session. Honestly, this works out great because we can direct the couple to do moving sequences that are clearly meant for video, as opposed to trying to videotape static images.

Well, I am being paid by the couple to do what I do, and part of that is covering the photoshoot. I have no contract with the photographer, so he has no authority to stop me from filming the photoshoot. That leaves him with taking the matter up with the couple. I suppose he could just refuse to shoot stills, but that's not going to get him any love from the couple.

I actually call photographers I haven't worked with before the wedding. This helps ease their mind on how I will work with them, and it lets them know that I'm a professional and I plan on doing my job.

In my humble opinion, any photographer that can't work with a videographer during the photoshoot is lacking in either experience, skill, professionalism ... or all of the above.

The surprising thing is that these photographers with the contracts have been around for over 20 years! They are doing extremely well, are always booked solid, their work and clients are considered "high end" in the industry. The other thing I won't complain about is that they send us lots of referrals. They tell their clients we're easy to work with (although we don't do photoshoots together.) Very interesting but paradoxical....

Hey David,

We actually send out a questionnaire to all of our couples, and one of the questions we ask is who is your photographer. We also get the contact info!

We then check out the photogs site, and see if they're any good! We also keep in mind that if the B&G are paying the photog then they must like something about him or her, even if we think they're no good!

We then shoot over an email to the photog and invite them to go out to get some coffee, and just shoot the breeze! Most of the time this works great for us! Sometimes the photogs have had a bunch of bad experiences with unexperienced videographers who have no clue!

If you can befriend the photog, all is gravy! There are some photogs who just are stubborn, and usually those photogs are the one's who are compensating for their suckiness [i know thats not a word] :)

my .02