Things I like
1. Filming weddings
This is kinda a prerequisite to being a wedding videographer, right? The thing is though, when I started out on my wedding video journey I didn’t like filming. On reflection, the reason for this is that I wasn’t very good at it in the early years. But as I’ve grown in confidence and ability the filming part with all of it’s challenges and rewards has become my favourite part of the process of making wedding films.
2. Editing weddings
Editing was my first love and the reason I got into wedding video in the first place. I’m happy to say that I still love it all these years later. If the only thing I had to do as a wedding videographer was to film and edit then I think I’d have the perfect job 🙂
3. The drive home after a wedding
I always say that my favourite part of the wedding day is getting in my car and heading for home at the end of the day. No, that’s not because I didn’t like being at the wedding. It’s just a real feeling of having achieved something, to have dealt with all the inevitable obstacles on the day (traffic, time, maybe a cranky priest, etc) but to come out the other side with the footage you need to make a great film. Then it’s just me, the open road, spotify and that feeling that there’s valuable cargo on board in the form of someone’s wedding video 🙂
4. When someone confirms that they’d like to book me
It’s high-fives all round when I get that email or phone call (usually an email) from a bride or groom (usually a bride!) to say they’d like to book me. I work alone though so if you were to witness it it’d look a little weird!
5. Being my own boss
Theoretically this is a great thing. In reality though my current boss is the biggest slave-driver I’ve ever come across.
6. Happy clients
What it’s all about. I always say it’s a funny thing about being a wedding videographer is that you know you’ve done a great job if you make someone cry. Happy tears though 🙂
Things I don’t like (Controversial!)
1. Uncertainty
Like any self-employed person, a wedding videographer has to deal with a certain level of uncertainty. You’ll never know that a year will be fully booked until about half-way through that particular year – still some dates available for 2019 if anyone is looking to add a bit of certainty for me 🙂
2. The solitude
When working alone those high-fives just don’t mean as much 🙂 As well as that I can’t go to the pub with my colleagues and start bitching about the boss 🙂
3. Accounting
Does anyone want to take over doing my VAT returns. I can’t offer much/anything by way of money. As anyone who has done them knows, VAT returns are the worst.
4. Sales
POTENTIAL CLIENT: “Hey are you available on my date”
ME: ” I am indeed”
POTENTIAL CLIENT: “That’s great. Can you tell me about how you go about the day.”
ME: Talks forever about filming weddings until potential client has to tell me to shut up.
POTENTIAL CLIENT: So, how much…
ME: Aaaaaarghhhhhhhh. Talking about money. Let me pass you to my secretary… oh yeah, right, I work alone.
I’ll happily talk about weddings and wedding video and your wedding and what you want from your wedding video. It’s the sale part of sales I don’t like 🙂
5. Marketing/SEO
Did you know that I am an Ireland Wedding Videographer who is a Dublin Videographer and Cork Videographer and weddingvideoweddingvideographervideovideovideovideovideographerdublinirelandvideographervideo… etc
As you can see, effective SEO is not my forte!