Handheld vs Gimbal: Why Your Wedding Film Needs Both
When you watch your wedding film, you don’t just want to see what happened. You want to feel it. The way the day moved. The emotions. The energy. A big part of creating that feeling comes from how the camera moves.
In wedding filmmaking, there are two main ways to shoot: handheld and gimbal-based. If you’ve read my other posts about why I love the DJI Osmo Pocket 3 or how I use the DJI Mini 4 Pro drone, you already know I use gimbal tools a lot. They help me get those smooth, cinematic shots everyone loves.
But I also use handheld shooting during parts of the day, because handheld adds something different: honesty, texture, and real-life emotion.
The best wedding films use both styles. They work together to make your video feel natural, beautiful and fully alive.
What Is Handheld Video
Handheld video is exactly what it sounds like. The camera is in my hands with no motorized stabilizer attached. I still shoot with technique and control, but the movement is a little more natural.
Why Handheld Footage Matters
Handheld shooting adds a tone that feels:
Real and unfiltered
Quiet and emotional
Candid and personal
Perfect for moments that aren’t staged
I like to use handheld during the getting ready time, emotional moments with parents, reading letters, and parts of the reception. These are times when I want the camera to feel like a person in the room, not a machine floating through space.
What Is Gimbal Video
A gimbal is basically a powered platform that I mount my camera onto. It uses tiny motors to keep the camera locked in place, even while I’m walking or moving around. Think about how a chicken can move its whole body, but its head stays perfectly steady. A gimbal works the same way.
That’s why you’ll often see me carrying around that big clunky-stick-looking thing. It’s doing the hard work of keeping every shot smooth and steady while I focus on capturing the moment. This creates that smooth, floating look that feels very cinematic.
I use a few gimbal tools on a wedding day:
DJI RS3 Pro for main video work (with my Fujifilm XT-4 as my primary body)
DJI Osmo Pocket 3 for fast, lightweight shots in tight rooms, or to hand to the wedding party to infiltrate the dance floor
DJI Mini 4 Pro drone for aerial shots
If you’ve read my blog about the Osmo Pocket 3, you know how tiny and powerful it is. And in my drone blog, I break down why the Mini 4 Pro is perfect for wedding days because its camera is literally floating on a gimbal in the air.
Why Gimbal Footage Matters
Gimbal shots help your wedding film feel:
Smooth and polished
Cinematic and grand
Perfect for big, important moments
Ideal for showing the venue and scenery
Think of shots like walking through the venue, your dress flowing behind you, or sweeping views of your ceremony location. Gimbals are made for those.
Handheld vs Gimbal: What They Each Bring To Your Film
Handheld
Great For: prep, candid moments, emotional close-ups, reception
What It Brings: honesty, intimacy, feeling like you are right there
Gimbal
Great For: portraits, entrances, exits, scenery, aerials
What It Brings: smooth motion, beauty, cinematic feel
Why Using Both Makes Your Film Better
1. It Creates Variety
If every shot looked smooth, it would feel overly staged.
If every shot was handheld, it would feel too raw.
Mixing the two keeps your film interesting to watch.
2. Certain Moments Work Better With Certain Styles
Here are a few examples:
First look: gimbal
Detail shots: gimbal
Reading a letter: handheld
Venue views: drone
Walking shots: gimbal
Hugs and reactions: handheld
Ceremony entrances and exits: gimbal
Dance floor: a mixture
Emotional close-ups: handheld
Your wedding day has a lot of different moods. The camera movement should match each one.
3. It Helps Tell a Better Story
Handheld captures the heart of the moment.
Gimbal shots capture the beauty of it.
When I blend the two, your film feels personal and cinematic at the same time. More like a movie, but still completely true to your day.
How I Use These Tools Together
Here’s how I usually mix everything:
Osmo Pocket 3 for quick transitions, tight getting ready rooms and fast movement
Drone for establishing shots and scenery
RS3 Pro for smooth, steady movement during portraits, entrances and important moments
Handheld camera for emotional reactions, candid details and moments that feel more real and unscripted
Everything is intentional. I use each style for a specific purpose so your film has emotion, beauty and flow.
Final Thoughts
You shouldn’t have to choose between handheld or gimbal video. The best wedding films use both. Handheld gives the film its heart. Gimbal shots give it its style.
Together, they make your story feel real, cinematic and unforgettable.
Want to dive deeper
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