“The Right Way”
When it comes to Production in general, industry people who have successful careers tend to grow stuck in their ways. I feel its important for couples to not only ask questions that challenge their prospective vendors, but also empower couples to work with wedding professionals who can prove why they will be successful with them when asked. There is a difference between hiring someone to just ‘get the job done’, and hiring someone who will do their best on your wedding day.
In photo and videography, cameras are our the main tool to capture your day. As they vary in complexity with how they are configured, there are modes you can select that give the camera certain levels of autonomy in making technical decisions for the shooter, with ‘Auto’ being the most extreme, This is where the shooter is relying solely on the camera to dial in the look/lighting of the image - think ‘shooting with an iPhone’ or ‘point and shoot’. Contrastingly, shooting in ‘Manual’ means the shooter is managing each setting used to balance how the camera deals with light and motion as it passes through the lens.
You may think that in 2025, cameras must be so good that you can’t tell the difference between Auto and Manual. I personally know vendors who have based their entire career with this mentality, and have dozens if not hundreds of couples to back them up with good reviews.
So, what is the problem? Who cares?
Ultimately, what matters is the product you are delivered. The tangible difference between shooters using Auto vs. Manual, in my opinion, is two-fold:
There is a technical set of skills required to do a good job — even more than just in operating a camera — but those who go the extra mile with their gear are for more likely to posses the intuition on how to best place their cameras, capture your precious audio, manage your timeline, and adapt to changes without creating stress (and beyond).
Secondly, what happens when the camera gets it wrong? A backlit ceremony rendered completely faceless because the camera exposed for the sun instead of the couple; a nauseating set of reception toasts with lines flickering across the screen because the camera didn’t detect the flicker in the lights — these things are inevitable, and worse yet, rarely recoverable in post production.
People who flex their gear it to its highest degree will know how to avoid the mistakes that camera-intelligence can make. To answer the aforementioned question — you may not be able to spot the difference between Auto and Manual when both are at their best, but you certainly can at their worst, and the cost is astronomical. Don’t be sold on the idea that a vendor can do their job well — ask questions that help guarantee your success with them:
Do you shoot in Manual?
How do you handle low-light environments? Do you bring any extra lighting?
How do you handle outdoor lighting?
Are you recording good quality audio? (video)
What does RAW Footage mean to you? Will get my full ceremony/speeches? (video)
Perhaps it is worth dedicating a separate entry… something like “What to ask your prospective photographer/videographer” —
Whether you work with us or anyone else, it is your right to know that you are paying for quality knowledge and expertise.
In closing, my plea to couples is this: you are worth someone giving a damn about your day. This is a milestone in your life that you have allocated enough energy and money to celebrate and archive professionally. Ask informed questions that give you security with your investment into a photo/videographer.
and of course, all of our shooters here shoot in Manual.
Andy Meyer, Founder + Lead Shooter
Diamond Lake Productions