You may have noticed on social media recently a surge of people offering combined Wedding Photography and Videography or Hybrid Shooters. I take a moment to discuss the pros and cons of this.
In the current climate we are seeing couples seeking out the best deals from their wedding suppliers for their big day, and on the face of it why pay for a separate photographer and videographer when one person is offering both? It's true that modern cameras are fully capable of capturing both stunning still images and high quality video. Whilst employing one person may seem cheaper and the perfect way to save a bit of money here's the catch.
Even though I am both a photographer and videographer (or film maker as I prefer) I would not consider offering both disciplines on the same wedding day shooting on my own and here is why. Imagine the scene, you are walking down the aisle, how is your hybrid shooter going to capture your full walk and partners first look with one camera in both stills and video? Yes the camera they are using can do both very well - but it cannot do two things at the same time, you have to switch from one mode to the other. This is just one example where both a photographer and videographer are needed to capture moments like these.
So while it may be seen as cost saving to employ a hybrid shooter for your day, think hard about how you want the finished film and photos to look. You may be told that images can be taken from the video footage - they can, but will always be from the same angle as your video.
My advice would be to employ someone who either uses a second shooter i.e one person doing stills and the other shooting film (if you can afford), or decide what will be more important to you in the future when you look back on your special day.