The integration of photography and videography can be beneficial for telling your company’s story. The question often arises: is it necessary to include a photographer in a video shoot, or can still images be extracted from the footage? 

In this blog, we'll explore the benefits of  including a photographer, cases where it's necessary and not necessary, and address the challenges of relying solely on video for stills.

Why Budget For a Photographer? 

Having a photographer on set provides several technical advantages for capturing high-quality images. 

A photographer can adjust camera settings, such as aperture, shutter speed, and ISO, to ensure the best image quality in various lighting conditions. A photographer can fine-tune settings specifically for still photography, resulting in sharper and more detailed images.

In addition, Photographers often use specialized lenses and lighting equipment tailored for still photography. These tools allow them to control depth of field, and minimize lens distortion, resulting in visually stunning and professionally executed images.

Photography equipment typically produces higher resolution images compared to still frames extracted from video footage. This ensures that the final images have sufficient detail and clarity, suitable for various applications, including print media and large-scale displays.

Photographers have a keen eye for composition and framing, allowing them to capture images with strong visual impact and storytelling elements. By focusing solely on stills, they can dedicate their attention to composing each shot meticulously, ensuring that every image tells a compelling story or conveys the desired message. Allowing the video production team to focus solely on the video component.

When to Include a Photographer

Naturally, it’s good to know when it’s an appropriate time to bring on a photographer for your company’s video production shoot. There’s a few scenarios that prove to be beneficial. 

While video excels in storytelling and conveying narratives, still images are essential for static advertisements, product catalogs, and social media posts. By having a photographer on set, your company can ensure that both mediums receive dedicated attention, resulting in a comprehensive visual package that caters to different social channels and target audiences.  

Photography and videography involve distinct technical considerations in terms of equipment, camera settings, and post-processing techniques. Photographers are adept at managing these technical aspects to ensure optimal image quality, sharpness, and color accuracy. By having a dedicated photographer on set, companies can address these technical considerations effectively, resulting in visually stunning images that meet professional standards and exceed expectations.

Why Grabbing Stills from Video is a Bad Idea

While the idea of extracting still images from video footage may seem efficient, it comes with drawbacks that compromise quality. 

Still images extracted from video footage suffer from lower resolution and image quality compared to photographs captured with dedicated cameras. Video frames are optimized for motion rather than stillness, resulting in reduced clarity, detail, and sharpness in the extracted stills. This limitation can hinder the visual impact and professionalism of the resulting images, especially when used in print materials or high-resolution digital formats.

Video frames captured during motion sequences may exhibit motion blur, especially in fast-paced or dynamic scenes. This blur can detract from the overall sharpness and clarity of the extracted still images. In contrast, photographers have the ability to control shutter speed and capture sharp images even in challenging lighting conditions or fast-moving environments.

Conclusion

Including a photographer in your corporate video production shoot is essential for ensuring the highest quality visual content. Their expertise in camera settings, specialized equipment, and composition adds significant value to your storytelling and marketing efforts. 

By recognizing when to include a photographer and understanding the technical considerations involved, your company can ensure professionalism and visual excellence across all channels. The collaboration between videographers and photographers enhances the storytelling experience, resulting in compelling narratives and visually stunning imagery.