{"id":158338,"date":"2024-10-21T19:28:26","date_gmt":"2024-10-21T10:28:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.fujifilm-x.com\/?post_type=story&p=158338"},"modified":"2024-10-21T19:28:56","modified_gmt":"2024-10-21T10:28:56","slug":"cinematic-celebrations-wedding-video-with-scott-johnson","status":"publish","type":"story","link":"https:\/\/www.fujifilm-x.com\/no-no\/stories\/cinematic-celebrations-wedding-video-with-scott-johnson\/","title":{"rendered":"Cinematic Celebrations: Wedding Video with Scott Johnson"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Wedding photographer Scott Johnson reveals how image makers can seamlessly transition to video<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Scott Johnson has been documenting weddings for 20 years, specialising in grandiose, fine-art portraiture. He is singled out by clients seeking images with a vintage, timeless quality \u2013 but even among this slice of the wedding photography market, certain modernities have come to be expected.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cVideo has certainly come to the forefront,\u201d Scott begins. \u201cNow, especially with the cameras we use \u2013 it\u2019s just a flick of a button to go from stills to video. It\u2019s something I tried to start doing coming out of the lockdowns. It\u2019s difficult, I always used to second-guess myself that I should be making pictures here or doing video there. But I\u2019m going to be offering it even more this year.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Video coverage of a wedding is simply an expectation nowadays, and Scott claims that photographers will need to either adapt or risk being left behind.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe days of just being a photographer are over,\u201d he remarks. \u201cYou have to be multifaceted in this industry, especially in weddings now, because so many people are doing it. And if I\u2019m sending work to photographers doing video, there\u2019s a chance I could lose out on the photography side. Offering both is very important in this day and age.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Photo 2021 \u00a9 The Edge Photography | FUJIFILM X-T3 and FUJINON XF8-16mmF2.8 R LM WR, 1\/800 sec at F3.2, ISO 320<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

What\u2019s Expected from a Wedding Videographer?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Video coverage of a wedding isn\u2019t anything new, Scott points out \u2013 although the coming of the digital age has made it a much more common request. What has changed significantly over the course of the last few decades is the style of presentation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen my parents got married, it used to be a three-hour epic,\u201d laughs Scott. \u201cPeople these days haven\u2019t got time to sit down and watch all that. They want a ten- or 15-minute snapshot of their day. It\u2019s about highlighting the key aspects of that day and not over-egging the pudding. We do film the entire ceremony and all the speeches, so if the couple wants to sit down and watch all that, they absolutely can. But we\u2019ll put snapshots together, capturing the energy and fun of the whole wedding in ten minutes.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For filming those set-piece moments, Scott\u2019s methodology is about keeping it simple.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe set up a couple of tripods \u2013 one at the front, one at the back \u2013 then wirelessly mic up the vicar and groom. We obviously don\u2019t put a lapel mic on the bride \u2013 that\u2019s not cool, having a big microphone sitting on top of her dress. Then we just sync it and cut it all together.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s the same for speeches. We put a mic on the table, focus one camera on the speaker, one at the top table, then film a couple of guests\u2019 reactions to certain points and cut that together, too.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Photo 2021 \u00a9 The Edge Photography | FUJIFILM GFX100S and FUJINON GF63mmF2.8 R WR, 1\/1600 sec at F3.2, ISO 160<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Filming Authentic Moments<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

For the rest of the wedding, Scott focuses his attention on recording short vignettes. \u201cI want an unfiltered view of the day,\u201d he explains, \u201cand video is at its best when it\u2019s undirected.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNobody wants a video of people standing still, it\u2019s just boring. I\u2019ll film interactions with the couple \u2013 so they\u2019re talking, laughing, sometimes looking at the camera. Couples want a video that complements the photography, and videos full of movement and expression are best.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Knowing what will make a good photo versus what will make a good clip is a skill that comes with experience, advises Scott. \u201cAll you want is a ten-second bit of film, then you can cut it together. Get the photos done, then flick to video and hit record for ten seconds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2019m getting much better at being more aware about what I should be filming and what I should be photographing now. You just have to trust yourself and your ability. At the start it\u2019s very difficult, I was definitely all over the place. But like anything, the more you do it, the more proficient you get \u2013 and the better the end result.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A camera that can fluently switch between stills and video certainly empowers this process. Scott makes use of the FUJIFILM X-T5<\/a> for this very reason. \u201cAutofocus is really quick on the X-T5,\u201d he points out. \u201cSo I\u2019ll be using that for documentary photography, then turn a dial and hit the same button for video. It\u2019s literally one dial, it\u2019s so much simpler now.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Coming to video after years of experience as a photographer has an upside: the core skills are the same. The rules of composition apply equally when making short video clips. \u201cObviously, you can\u2019t film in portrait, everything\u2019s in landscape,\u201d Scott states. \u201cBut it\u2019s just about capturing that narrative. When you see a picture, you might see someone laughing, but don\u2019t necessarily know why they\u2019re laughing. A good video fills in the gaps between the photos.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Photo 2022 \u00a9 The Edge Photography | FUJIFILM GFX100S and FUJINON GF23mmF4 R LM WR, 1\/250 sec at F4, ISO 100<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

How to Edit a Wedding Video<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Photographers considering a video service should keep in mind that, when the wedding has finished, the work has only just begun. Editing down a whole day\u2019s worth of material into a finished product can be a painstaking process \u2013 so it helps to have a system in place.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe\u2019ll probably film four or five hours of coverage, then sit down and catalogue it all \u2013 good stuff, okay stuff, B-roll stuff. After that, we drop a little bit of everything in together, so you get a nice, balanced end result.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The wedding industry is known for having very particular clients. But when it comes to editing the final video, Scott says what may seem like a small request is likely to create a lot of headaches. Drawing boundaries ahead of time can help temper a couple\u2019s expectations of creative control.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou pretty much have to say: \u2018This is how you\u2019re going to get it,\u2019\u201d he notes. \u201cThat\u2019s because we use certain musical beds and cut in time to that. Just by asking for a quick two-second change, it\u2019s an entire re-edit. So we say: \u2018This is how it\u2019s going to be.\u2019 When you get the video, it\u2019s the finished video.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Photo 2022 \u00a9 The Edge Photography | FUJIFILM GFX100S and FUJINON GF23mmF4 R LM WR, 1\/3200 sec at F4, ISO 100<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

A common theme of Scott\u2019s approach is never forgetting he has been hired for a reason. A couple will put a lot of thought into choosing their wedding photographer, so once he\u2019s on the job, he acts knowing that he has the complete confidence of his clients.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

His parting advice for any photographer interested in exploring the world of video is for them to have the same confidence in themselves.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cJust trust yourself,\u201d he concludes. \u201cIt\u2019s okay to second-guess, but the more you try video, the better you\u2019ll be at it. Before you know it, you\u2019ll be doing both seamlessly.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Wedding photographer Scott Johnson reveals how image makers can seamlessly transition to video Scott Johnson has been documenting weddings for 20 years, specialising in grandiose, fine-art portraiture. He is singled out by clients seeking images with a vintage, timeless quality \u2013 but even among this slice of the wedding photography market, certain modernities have come […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":273,"featured_media":158339,"template":"","category":[],"post_tag":[],"b2b-solutions":[],"class_list":["post-158338","story","type-story","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"pp_statuses_selecting_workflow":false,"pp_workflow_action":"current","pp_status_selection":"publish","acf":[],"fujifilm_category_label":"","publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-10-17 22:30:37","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fujifilm-x.com\/no-no\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/story\/158338","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fujifilm-x.com\/no-no\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/story"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fujifilm-x.com\/no-no\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/story"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fujifilm-x.com\/no-no\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/273"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fujifilm-x.com\/no-no\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/158339"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fujifilm-x.com\/no-no\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=158338"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fujifilm-x.com\/no-no\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/category?post=158338"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fujifilm-x.com\/no-no\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/post_tag?post=158338"},{"taxonomy":"b2b-solutions","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fujifilm-x.com\/no-no\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/b2b-solutions?post=158338"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}