What is wedding Photo & video fusion (hybrid) and why do I want it for my wedding day?
Wedding Photo & video Fusion is a very new buzzword in the area of wedding services. photo & video fusion is when one person shoots BOTH wedding photos and wedding videos, using the SAME multi-media camera to shoot BOTH types of media. New HD DSLR technology is what enables one person and one camera to capture BOTH still wedding photos and moving videos BOTH at full resolution without any degradation of either format. If done right, the customer receives great full resolution wedding photos, and a short form wedding video with a 1080P High Definition video highlight edited to music. The picture quality of today’s HD DSLR’s (short for high definition, digital single lens reflex camera) that shoot video, is far superior to the quality of conventional video camcorders even more expensive High definition camcorders. There are some high end wedding videographers who use these high tech cameras just for video. Milestone also uses them for BOTH photo and video on the same wedding by the same “fusion artist” !
Advantages and disadvantages of photo & video fusion (hybrid)
There are a quite few advantages for the wedding couple when they get photo & video fusion (done by an experienced Fusion artist), They include:
- Wedding couples pay less than getting photo and video services from a separate photographer and videographer (with a similar price range for other services)
- It is less obtrusive to have only one person doing both services.
- The new HD DSLR technology gives a better picture quality than a conventional video camera, because of the huge image sensor on today’s DSLR photography and videography cameras. DSLR cameras have image sensors that are between 10 and 15 times larger surface area than conventional video cameras.
- HD DSLR cameras can use a variety of cool photographic lenses to give a different “look” to the video, this advantage was only available to photographers before HD DSLRs could record incredible 1080P high definition video.
- Since HD DSLR cameras have the ability to get a “shallow depth of field look”, so that the wedded couple could be in sharp focus and have everything in the background out of focus. This yields a great “cinematic look” to the video.
- Since HD DSLRs get better low light performance than conventional video cameras, the “fusion artist” will either not need a video light, or a use a video light that is of a lower wattage than would be used for a conventional videography
- Since the “fusion artist” is shooting photos and videos at different times, the flash that the photographer uses wont be used (during video recording) and there will be no annoying flash during the wedding video. (except when a guest takes a photo with flash)
- Since there is only one person recording media, there is no problem with another media person (photographer or videographer) getting in the other person’s way.
- Only one person to feed at the reception and one person who takes up less space at a small reception or in a small limousine.
Some of today’s latest technology Digital single lens reflex cameras (HD DSLRs) include the Canon 5Dmark II, Canon 7D, Nikon D7000 and Nikon D5100. These hybrid cameras look exactly like regular professional photography cameras, These Photo cameras can shoot incredible High definition 1080P video at better quality than any portable video camera available today.
The drawback to using an DSLR versus a regular video professional camcorder is the DSLR can have limits to the record time (of individual clips). The Canon 5Dmark II can only shoot for 10 minutes at a time per clip. The Nikon D5100 and D7000 has a limit of 20 minutes per clip. Once the 20 minute clip is shot, the camera’s recording must be stopped in order to record more 10 or 20 minute (or shorter length) clips. With conventional video cameras, most cameras can record as many (longer than 20 minutes) clips until the tape or other media is filled. This means that shooting video fusion means shooting shorter clips and not shooting an entire ceremony, just the important parts that a wedding couple would want. However if there is also an unmanned professional High definition camera used that camera will record the whole ceremony. Milestone Photo and Video uses a separate HD camcorder for longer record times.
Another small disadvantage of shooting HD video with a DSLR is that they get lower sound quality than conventional video camcorders. Also since the “fusion artist” is also shooting photos and is rotating the camera to shoot verticals and horizontals makes it difficult to hook up wireless microphones to the HD SLR for better sound.
Milestone understands both the pervious disadvantages and they can be eliminated by using a separate unmanned High definition conventional video camera that records continuously. These cameras use better audio circuitry to record the sound for the wedding video. By using a separate conventional camcorder to record the sound and using it to get the longer (longer than 10 to 20 minutes) record time, the customer gets the best of both worlds. They record longer footage than HD DSLR’s alone, and they get better sound recording quality on a camcorder made for that purpose. Milestone Photo and video uses this technique to make a video with the picture quality of a HD DSLR and better record time and sound quality of a conventional HD professional video camcorder.
What to look for in a company offering photo & video fusion.
Milestone Photo & Video is one of the first companies in the USA to offer Photo & Video fusion. We did our first photo & video fusion wedding video in December of 2008 upon the introduction of the first DSLR camera that also shoot video, the Nikon D90. The quality of the video that DSLRs shoot has come a long way since the D90 and Milestone has grown with the technology and has purchased the best in fusion HD DSLR equipment. We now use an unmanned professional High Definition camera on a tripod and wire the groom for sound feeding that camera. We can also use additional high definition mini camera mounted in strategic locations to get other angles of the ceremony on occasion. The customer receives all the photos taken on DVD, a video DVD of the wedding video. This consists of a short tightly edited wedding video edited to the couples chosen song. They also receive all of the footage that the “fusion artist” shot edited in order with chapters on the DVD. The customer also gets a photo montage of the best wedding photos. Also they also get an outdoor engagement photo session, 13″x19″ print and leather 60 image album.
All of Milestone’s “fusion artists” have successfully shot many, many, wedding videography and photography jobs. We are not just a photographer who shoots a little video from time to time. Or a videographer who shoots a few stills. We pay attention to both medias and shoot video candid events and switch between photo and video constantly. We have the capability to shoot 16 megapixels of great photo detail and flip a switch and shoot great 1080P video in incredible quality. While shooting photos the fusion artist must me thinking “what video shots am I missing by shooting photos. While shooting video the fusion artist must also be thinking “what photos am I missing?” The work of a fusion artist is never done, Both photo and video can not be done at the same time but can be switched in a split second. Some still photos are also incorporated into the wedding video. We do shoot full resolution still photos of all posed shots. The number of photos shot by our “fusion artists” is similar to the number you would get with a conventional wedding photographer. The length of the total video footage ranges from 25 minutes to 75 minutes depending on the length of the ceremony and number of events in the day.
Previous wedding videographers shooting fusion?
There are some companies who previously shot wedding video only, who have purchased a DSLR (for video purposes) and want to offer photo & video fusion as well because their camera can shoot photos too. I have seen their work, and I was disappointed with the still photos they shoot. These companies do not know how to pose the bride and groom like a still wedding photographer, and they usually make the still photos from moving video. These generated stills are only 2.5 to 3 mega pixels and can not be blown to 4″x6″ without degradation. These videographers do not understand how to use flash, shutter speed and great photo lenses (or how to correct all the photos in photoshop) as well as a certified Milestone fusion artist. Only a professional Milestone photographer and videographer who has shot many photo AND video jobs can properly shoot a photo and video fusion wedding.
Previous wedding photographers shooting fusion?
There also are some companies who previously shot photography only and now have a DSLR that also shoot High definition video and they think they can do photo video fusion as well. I have also seen their work. Although their photos look great because they are a wedding photographer, and know how to pose. In this case the video is lacking, these previous photographers forget to get the great candid moments on video and shoot more photos instead. They do not have a second unmanned camera with high end wireless mics to get great sound. Additionally they do not have the video editing experience (or equipment) to do an incredible job on editing a great video highlight. Milestone has edited over 1000 wedding highlights over the years, and we know how to evoke emotion with our creative editing style.
Why Milestone?
Only Milestone photo & video’s “fusion artists” know how to properly balance shooting photography and videography keeping in mind the advantages as well as limitations of this new HD DSLR technology. We know how to get great still photos and video without sacrificing anything. Milestone’s photo & video fusion customers get the “best of both worlds” with our fusion package. This package is $1899 and is quite a deal when you consider all you get. It is only $500 more than just getting wedding photography from Milestone photo and video.