This leads to a lot of questions, and here are a few answers to the ones I get most often.

What is the difference?

Quite simply, High Definition(HD) means higher quality.  Technically speaking, HD is higher resolution. Standard Definition (SD) such as regular television or DVD is 720 x 480 pixel frame. HD varies but can support up to 1920 x 1080 pixel frame (FULL HD). This translates to not only a larger picture but also greater detail. Think higher thread count. Additionally, HD supports greater color depth (10 bit) versus SD (8 bit). That might not sound like a big difference, but when you do the math that translates to HD’s ability to display over 1 billion color variations as opposed to the 16.7 million variations by SD. That’s 64 times as many! What does all this mean to you? Prettier pictures that are more true to life and a better viewing experience.

Please note the two example videos below were compressed for the web and so neither is at it’s optimum playback – but you can see some of the basic differences from these examples.

This first video is in standard format:

This is HD:

Why would I choose standard?

Standard video on DVD is still great quality.  Many people do not have HD TVs or Blu-Ray players, and so cannot watch HD video at all or in it’s optimum viewing quality anyway.  Also, Blu-Ray players and systems generally still play standard DVDs so, even if you do upgrade in the future and choose standard, you will still be able to play your DVD for many years to come.  And, finally, HD costs more than standard.

Why is HD more expensive?

First of all, the camera equipment, as well as the hardware and software needed to edit, compress and master, are much more expensive.  It also costs a lot more to capture a wedding live.  The digital tapes used to capture a wedding cost about $60 and can be held onto forever. The P2 cards needed to hold enough footage from one camera for one wedding cost about $2000 and the footage needs to be transferred off the cards onto a computer or other storage device before using the camera again.  HD footage takes up a lot of hard drive space.  One single camera wedding, shot in HD, takes up approximately 200GBs, which is a lot to store over time.  HD also takes more time to work with during the editing process, as the files do not import, export, or compress at anywhere near the same rate as standard definition.

Why would I pay more for HD?

If you already have a HD TV and a Blu-Ray player you already know the answer to that.  If you are not there yet but think you might want to upgrade in the next few years, HD is something you should consider.  A video shot originally on HD can be down compressed to play on a standard DVD player, but video shot originally in standard format cannot be made into HD later.

If it was your wedding day, what would you do?

I would want my wedding video shot in HD.  I am a wedding videographer and so I would want the highest quality for my own wedding.  However, I have shot so many beautiful wedding videos on standard format that I still think look gorgeous when I put them on my TV, that I can say I wouldn’t be heartbroken if standard turned out to be the best option for my budget.

I worked with a lot of great vendors from the DC Green Wedding Consortium, but the people I work closest with are the photographers, and I got to work with two of DC’s best – Andrea Jacobson and Tom Van Veen.


The photos featured here are just a couple examples from each of the gorgeous pictures captured by Andrea Jacobson for The Observatory and Tom Van Veen for Documentary Associates.

Check out this video from a wedding in paradise:

Chris Baltazar also provided me with a link to this photo montage. You can see all his gorgeous photos from the weekend here.

About Baltazar Photography
Based in the Washington DC metro area, Baltazar Photography is a nationally recognized wedding and lifestyle photography studio. Baltazar’s work has been featured in Grace Ormonde, the Knot, Destination I Do, Real Simple Weddings, and many other wedding publications and venues. In 2009, Baltazar Photography received the Knot’s Best of Weddings Award, as voted by local brides. Baltazar Photography is quickly becoming the most sought after wedding photography studio in the nation. Also specializing in destination weddings, Baltazar Photography has photographed in destinations which include Hawai’i, Bahamas, Jamaica, St. Lucia and numerous locations in the United States. For additional information, please visit us at http://baltazarfotos.com.

This video includes footage from Rome, Venice, France and the Dominican Republic.  Where you go to say “I Do,” make sure you have a professional there to document your journey.

Here’s why hiring a professional videographer for your destination wedding is important.

1.  Video is necessary. There will come a time when you look at your photo album and wonder, what made me laugh in that photo?  What did he say that brought a tear to my eye?  You can play your video 5, 10, or 20 years from now to find out.

2.  Many destination hotels offer on staff photographers and videographers.  Unfortunately, this usually means that you don’t have a selection – that there is only one choice.  That person may or may not be a professional in the field he will be booked for your event.  It is hard to attain assurances in advance when the person is not local.

3.  Once your video is taped, you will want it to be edited.  This takes a lot of time and a lot of correspondence to make sure it is being edited to your taste.  Working with someone in another location could entail language barriers, format issues, or just a lot of long distance phone and shipping costs.

4.  I have a BFA in production from NYU film school.  I have been professionally capturing events for the past 11 years and have traveled many times with my camera gear.  You want to be sure you are in good hands and don’t have to worry about anything going wrong on your wedding day.  Hiring a professional will take one more concern off your shoulders.

As we celebrate the 40th Anniversary of Earth Day, it is important to remember a few basic rules to live by.

Reduce. Lower your consumption.  Turn off the water while you are brushing your teeth.  Turn off the lights when you leave a room.  Don’t print out that email if you can review it on your blackberry.  Don’t buy that extra pair of shoes or hand bag or TV if you don’t really need it.  When you reduce your consumption, less energy is used up from what remains and fewer products have to be manufactured.

Reuse. Cut back on disposable items.  Use a real broom, not one with throw away cloths.  Use a sponge instead of paper towels.  Use a razor that can be used many times over and not just once.  Use the blank side of used paper to make a notepad.  And buy one of those fancy aluminum water bottles from REI or Target, rather than continuing to use plastic bottles that contain hazardous chemicals anyway.  When you reuse items, you not only get the most for your money, but you also cut back on waste.

Recycle. Obviously recycle products that your local recycling company picks up – paper, cardboard, glass, plastic, cans, etc.  Additionally, make sure your local garage recycles the oil when they do an oil change.  Recycle the ink or toner from your personal or company printer.  Recycle old CDs and DVDs – usually through your recycling pick up, though check with your local recycling center.  And take your old TVs, monitors, and computers to a company like PC Recycling that recycles technology.

Those are rules to live by.  And remember, when you get married, make it a Green Wedding!

For more information on Green Wedding practices, check out the DC Green Wedding Consortium!

I had a great time recently at the L’Enfant Plaza Hotel.  Kristi St. Peter, the catering manager at L’Enfant Plaza Hotel, brought together a great team of vendors and arranged the ballroom and the lounge to showcase what a dream wedding at L’Enfant Plaza Hotel would look like.

You can see different floral and linen arrangements, as well as food, vendors, and ballroom set up, in the video above.  Vendors featured at the event included:

Ace of Events

Bialek’s Music

DC Rental

Intrigue

Kara Correspondence

MallowDrama

Mike Lesnick Photography

Swank

For more information about weddings at L’Enfant Plaza Hotel, Contact:

Kristi St. Peter | Catering Sales Manager

Call Me – 202.646.4414

Fax Me – 202.646.5060

Email Me – Kristi.st.peter@lenfantplazahotel.com

L’Enfant Plaza Hotel- Events & Meetings

Wedding Wire Link – L’Enfant Plaza Hotel

Vendors in attendance:

Piedmont Country Club (I love this venue.  Beautiful on the inside, and out – just like their catering director!)

Chocolate Twist (A Fountain of chocolate.  Need I say more?)

Cupcake Heaven and Cafe (I ate way too many of their delicious cupcakes!)

Power Trips (Want to get away from all this snow?  Call Lori today!)

Design In Bloom (Winter, Spring, Summer, and Fall.  Check out her gorgeous floral arrangements in the video!)

Musical DJs (The music was great, lighting set up looked cool, and they provide live music too!)