Wedding Video Business

Wedding videos are the specialty of this webmaster. Out of all the types of video businesses you can own this one is the most loved and the most hated. Videographers either love doing weddings or they hate them. If you like people and you don't mind working mostly Saturdays then this might be a great video business for you. If you are the type that wants freedom on your weekends and would rather stand back and film then this might not be the best choice for you.

Below are some tips for starting a wedding video business for those that want to pursue this busy industry.

1. You will need a good camera, but even a nice consumer level camera is fine to start if you are willing to video weddings for free, or very cheap.

- I started by filming weddings for free and after buying a Sony PD170 and Abobe editing software I started charging ($200 per wedding and moved up slowly from there)

2. You will want to incorporate as a business to protect your personal assets and to gain tax benefits. Check with a local lawyer for incorporation and an accountant for tax issues. I handled all the paperwork and incorporation myself, but each state is different so I won't even try to advise you in this area.

3. After you are well-established word-of-mouth advertising will be your best friend, but to get started you will need to advertise. Look for local wedding magazines, local Internet sites, and your phone book for advertising opportunities. Make sure you print business cards and give them out to everyone as well as those in the wedding industry.

4. To learn how to actually film a wedding video I suggest buying a wedding video book to teach you the basics.

5. One more tip is to practice with your camera before you get to a wedding. You don't want to get to the wedding and learn that the wireless microphone doesn't work and you can't figure out how to fix it.