Photography versus Video

Special thanks to Alex M Photography for the images and the idea for this post.

Let me start by saying that this post isn't going to be downplaying photography or anything- I love photography and we love our wedding photos to death. But I just wanted to take a moment to highlight some of the differences between these two media, and I think a good way to illustrate that is with imagery from a recent wedding that Alex and I shot together. Davi and Jonathan wisely decided to have a first look before their ceremony, and I loved documenting it.
This girl was so excited, it was adorable! And the groom was sufficiently nervous, which was also adorable.

Look at the series of Alex's photos below. They're great, skillfully shot with a good eye. They show what happened and they're truly a pleasure to look at.

Then watch the video below. The exact same events are portrayed, but there is a certain richness present, and I would like to think that you're left with a strong impression of the emotions of the moment. Video has 30 frames per second, so in a way you could say that this short clip contains 3,450 photos.

You get to see Davi turn around toward my camera and grin widely at me; she really couldn't contain her excitement. The "hide and seek" lyrics are a playful and subtle nod to the "reveal" concept. I love how we get to just follow alongside Davi as she walks toward her groom, with the bushes sliding past and the anticipation building. We get to see Jonathan inhaling nervously (in Super 8, which creates an interesting contrast to the crisp digital video). When he turns around you can hear Davi squeal. And then a few moments later you hear Davi exclaim, "We're getting married!" These are all things that video can offer and it makes me so thrilled to be able to use this amazing medium to capture and present people's most cherished moments. Not to mention how important these moments will be in 20 or 50 years to future generations. Really, just imagine being able to watch your grandfather horse around with his best buddies, or your grandmother hug her mom as a little girl for the last time. Priceless.

*Update: I just received this heartwarming email from Davi. I think she really "gets" video so I wanted to share it here:

"We received the DVD tonight and just finished watching it. I don't even know what or how to say what I am feeling. It was absolutely the best decision we made about the whole day. I cannot believe how you captured our special moments and such thought went into the music and special effects. I loved loved loved the video. Vanessa, you have such an amazing talent...we literally got to see the wedding from another point of view and it was amazing. Also, with my obsessive personality (haha) I have been really stressing and having a hard time letting go the fact that I got sick in the middle of the wedding and that we missed some of the pictures because of it. You put my mind at ease....everyone really had a good time and I don't even think you could tell I was sick!

Thank you so much for all you have done. I wish I could say something more effective or witty and clever....I am just literally so happy right now all I can think of is "thank you." I cannot wait for my children's children to watch it, and to know that my precious parents and grandparents will forever be preserved on that little
round piece of plastic made by you is priceless."