Wedding videography's a lonely business and it's easy to feel isolated. Even a hardened videographer's at the mercy of technology, and the ability to borrow a camera at short notice could be a life saver. Or you may just need advice on how to tackle a new problem. By joining an association of videographers, you're no longer alone and can easily call on the invaluable experience of others. At least that's the motivation of many for joining a professional organisation, but with so many free forums offering advice, professional organisations need to offer more than just an opportunity for exchanging ideas. There are currently two large organisations in the UK for professional videomakers: the APV and the IOV. Both of these aim to improve standards with the professional videomaker industry and both offer accreditation and annual rewards. On the surface both would seem to offer identical services, but it seems there's subtle differences between the two which may make one organisation more suited to you. Just as importantly, are either organisation for you?

Budding wedding videographers set prices on one criteria: make 'em lower than the opposition. The internet's awash with £350 prices from both new starters and even the more experienced, but these kind of prices simply aren't sustainable in the long term. And certainly aren't compatible with producing a quality product to a valued customer. Key to charching appropriate prices is to consider your wedding videography service as a business, not an extended hobby. Whilst there's a temptation to see weddings as a means of additional income, this serves to distort prices and undervalue your time and effort. By perceiving your service as a business with the associated bottom line, you'll soon see that £350 prices are unrealistic.

There's two main criteria affecting your pricing structure: level of experience and skill; and the costs you need to cover. Lets take the first of these, experience and ability.

Think you're ready to plunge into the world of wedding day filming? Camera wielding gurus and Premiere geniuses certainly have the raw talent, but the wedding videographer needs a whole range skills to create a lasting memory of one of the most expensive days of the bride and groom's lives; Oodles of talent behind an expensive High Definition camera are wasted if you're in the wrong place at the wrong time. Marc Peters prepares you for your first or hopefully many smooth run wedding day shoots. Get the basics right and let your talent behind the camera shine.

In a three part guide to starting out in wedding videography, Marc Peters takes you through what you can expect. In this first part Marc looks at your motivation for becoming a wedding videographer and a brief look at the equipment you'll need. The second part will look at the wedding day filming itself with tips for making the day run smoothly, and the third looking at presenting a professional product and ways to promote your business.

So you're a wannabe wedding videographer? The first question you should ask before you set out on your new adventure is "why wedding videography?". And this time be honest. Wedding videography is a demanding and competitive industry. You'll be sacrificing your weekends, investing significant sums of money and setting yourself up for quite possibly one of the most stressful jobs you've had. So what's your motivation for filming weddings? If you're thinking it's an easy way of earn a few quid from your family camcorder, think again. If your friends and family rave at your editing skills, you're heading in the right direction. But to really succeed in the world of videography takes far more than just a skill for video editing. As the videographer, you're expected to capture and present precious memories of the most important day in a couple's lives and those that get it right justifiably command significant fees. Wedding filming is a career not a hobby for the creme de la creme of wedding videographers.