If you have decided that you want Photography as well as Cinema to preserve your wedding day memories than it is important to hire a Photographer as well as a Cinematographer that have a relationship and have worked together before. Sadly cinematography is not something every couple chooses to get so Photographers often times get to shoot an entire wedding without having to work with a Cinematographer. When they do have to share the turf they have worked with some no so great Cinematographers so they are used to someone getting in all of their shots and not being respectful of what they are trying to do and a turf war ensues. I can understand why they are hesitant. At Serendipity we are big fans of playing nice in the sandbox with Photographers. We look at Photographers in a kum-by-yah let’s all work together to get a couple the best photos and wedding film possible. We are big fans of communicating at the beginning of the shoot with the Photographer and letting them know “hey we are here to work with you not against you so let’s discuss a game plan and make this a teamwork type of shoot”. That conversation paves the way for a pleasant shoot that is not only fun but fosters creativity between the two mediums. You can start to see why picking a Photographer and Cinematographer that have a positive working relationship is a good thing for you as the couple. Both of our jobs directly effect the documentation of your wedding day and if you have a team that enjoys working together and knows each other your photos and wedding film are going to be that much better. When you have picked a Photographer and Cinematographer team that work well together and respect each others art it removes the whole “my job is more important than yours” attitude that can plague a shoot. When I sit down with a potential client I ALWAYS ask who is their Photographer. If they haven’t hired a Photographer yet I ALWAYS give recommendations because if I can have a hand in that decision I know that the outcomes for the couple are going to be that much better. If they have hired a Photographer and we haven’t worked with them yet I ALWAYS reach out to that photographer before hand and make introductions so that they again know that we are there to work with them and not against them.

So how do you find a Photographer and Cinematographer that work together well. Quite simply ask your Photographer for Cinematographer recommendations and vice versa. Find out who each other likes to work with and go from there.