For many, the day of the wedding is one to be memorialized for the rest of the participants’ natural lives. Effectively the jack-of-all trades within the production arm of the film industry, videographers are highly motivated individuals who are skilled in the capturing of footage, as well as editing and the basics of cinematography. The business model used by most Wedding Videographers is that of an independent contractor or proprietor of their own business.

As a combination camera operator and editor, the videographer is responsible for knowing about lighting and the aesthetics of shots, as well as for knowing how to operate editing software to optimize the shot beyond its actual reality to produce the perfection of memory that will be recalled decades in the future once the actual day of the event is long forgotten. As entrepreneurs, videographers must be experienced in the ways of business and have both the business acumen to maintain a stable business model while leveraging the people skills necessary to acquire new clients.

Wedding Videographer​ Education

As the owners of their own businesses, videographers are not technically beholden to any specific type of degree; however, it may be helpful to have Art & Design training, and perhaps Small Business Training. As camera operators and editors in the film industry at large find that they require 4-year degrees in fields that have to do with film, broadcasting, or technology, videographers are recommended to have such a degree or a corresponding amount of experience in order to compete.

Advancement

As the owners of their own businesses, advancement really isn’t part of the equation for videographers. Over time, a successful videographer will gain a reputation and find sustaining a business to be easier than before. Further, a very successful and skilful videographer can gain the notoriety necessary to command higher rates than his peers.

Job Outlook

There are two factors at work here driving the job growth of videographers. On a whole, the film production industry is poised to grow at a rate that is approximately one third the expected average for the American job market. The Bureau of Labor Statistics quotes a push by the film industry to consolidate its specialists into more generalized roles that resemble videographers as one of the primary engines behind this. That being said, as the videographer has already effectively gone through this consolidation, their corner of the industry should remain untouched by such pressures.

Further, the videographer tends to service private citizens instead of businesses that are still adjusting the way they operate in an effort to better survive the next economic downturn. Given the drive to record the big events in life, such as weddings and bar mitzvahs, is as powerful as ever, the profession can expect to grow at about the same rate as the population of the United States, thus making it a particularly safe profession for those who have the skills necessary to be successful in the current market.