Due to the C-word, more and more of my couples are thinking about live-streaming their wedding so that family and friends who may be far away don’t need to miss a moment of their special day! Here are a few of the most commonly asked questions above live streaming, I hope this helps demystify how to find the right live streaming option for your day!
Do you offer live streaming?
Unfortunately, I’m not offering live streaming as I’m so busy during a Wedding day with the many hats I wear as a photographer! If something were to happen to the stream I might not have the opportunity to chance to resolve the problem – or the photography would be compromised and I would hate to miss anything!
What are my options to share our day with those that can’t be there?
The first option is still to DIY your live stream, but to make it hands-off. A lot of people are using a live streaming app or service and are setting up their smartphone up on a tripod. I have a mini tripod that you are more than welcome to borrow to do this. Considerations here are, making sure that you have reliable internet or that you can move quickly to data if their internet drops out.
The second option is to allocate someone who can be responsible for live streaming via their device. This means that they can be more hands-on – moving the device around as appropriate for the best view possible for guests!
Option three is to hire a professional. If you really want good audio and image quality it’s best to hire someone to do it for you who has proper equipment with specialty gear to make sure the signal for the feed is good. It’s always worth asking your live streaming operator how much experience they have, and to view some of their past work to make sure that the product aligns with how you’d like your audience to see your day!
In all honesty, I’m not the expert on this, so I’ve asked Cameron Wiklund from Horizon Videography to share his thoughts below, to help guide you through finding the right person to live-stream your Wedding day.
First up, Cameron’s top tips of what to consider:
Good live streams are delivered seamlessly without buffering, with nice quality imagery. Poor streams will buffer a lot and in some cases a fail to stream the whole event or look pixelated.
Check if your venue has fibre internet. If not cell phone signal may be needed for some live-streams. Signal strength is greatly reduced at weddings due to the number of cell phones that are present in a small area.
In this case, your venue needs multiple networks attached to their system to increase the likelihood of a stable cellular signal. A satellite solution will work but can be very costly. I use a system that combines multiple sim cards from spark, 2 Degrees and Vodafone connected together with technology designed for streaming.
How does your provider capture audio?
In a produced video they cut out the bad parts, in a live stream that’s not an option. You want to make sure they use lapel microphones and /or can access the celebrant’s handheld microphone.
How many cameras do they use for the live-stream feed?
While multicam is more costly, it is a game-changer and greatly increases the viewer experience, making your viewers really feel like they’re there with you. Personally, I don’t offer single camera streaming but if you’re on a budget and can only afford a provider offering a single camera then keep it short and sweet. It’s difficult for viewers to watch a single camera for long periods of time.
What happens if something goes wrong?
Worst case scenario livestream providers should have a backup recording available for uploading later should things not go well. Check that they can provide that service, just in case!
If you’re considering live-streaming your wedding or have any more questions go straight to the source, Cameron would be happy to help.
