There’s a huge contrast in filming an outdoor wedding and an indoor one. The key player here is the weather. In an indoor wedding, the weather usually does not affect the whole ceremony at all. However, an outdoor wedding is a lot more susceptible to weather changes. As the wedding videographer, you don’t have control over the changes in the natural light, and this makes filming more difficult and complicated.
This is why shooting outdoor events are challenging, especially when everything does not go according to plan. One moment you’re shot is of high calibre, the next, your subject is already either overexposed or underexposed.
In shooting outdoor weddings, it is preferable to film under overcast skies. The even exposure and the naturally-diffused sunlight does a great job balancing all the colours, giving your shot a perfectly saturated look.
However, everything will circle back to the weather not being in your control. There will be times that it’ll make your job more challenging.
In this article, we’ll discuss how you can overcome such filming hurdles and shoot outdoor weddings better.
1. Use cameras with easily-adjustable aperture settings
Expect that the weather can change at any given time during the wedding day. Even a partly cloudy day can drastically change the exposure levels of your shots.
A camera in which you can adjust the aperture in a simple and easy way will significantly improve your filming’s efficiency. You won’t have to worry about going through the settings on the camera’s OS just to adjust the aperture and miss filming anything important.
2. Invest in lens filters
Filters such as a UV filter, Polarizers, and ND, are extremely useful for photographers. Adding one to your arsenal will enhance your filming, bringing it to a whole new level. While you can always edit the photo or the footage later, a natural filter will give your material rich colours with less glare and are not overexposed.
3. Shoot at different angles
When filming, it’s best to always keep the editing process in mind while you’re still shooting. Since you can’t take too long in editing, especially for Same-Day Edits (SDE), you have to take good materials right there and then.
If the exposure starts going over or under, you’ll have to compensate by trying different angles. Keep shooting at different angles, then cut out bad parts during the editing process.
4. Have the groom wear a wireless microphone
Though this one is important for indoor filming too, it’s more vital when it comes to shooting outdoor weddings. There are more factors that can contribute to the creation of noise outdoors, which could ruin the important speeches during the wedding, especially the vows.
You can’t ask the couple to repeat their vows, so make sure you catch everything by asking the groom to wear a wireless microphone. Plus, the quality will significantly be improved, leaving your clients with an amazing finished product.
5. Scope the location and discuss potential problems
Don’t just accept projects right away without telling your clients any potential challenge you might have during the day of filming. People prefer honest creatives as they show that they care about the project, not just for the money.
Explain what they need to expect with regard to any problem that may arise. Also, visit the venue to visualize and determine how you want your approach to be. There’s a high chance that your clients will cooperate when they understand what’s possible or not. After all, this is a special moment in their lives, and they’re trusting you to preserve it in time.
If you are in Melbourne and are looking to hire a professional wedding videographer for your wedding day, get in touch with us and let us know how we can help!