When you are booking your favorite wedding photographer you probably don’t think about booking another one, right? Some do! But most brides don’t. And that’s completely understandable considering you’re worried about venue, flowers, dresses, invitations, wedding coordinators, how many chairs, videographers, etc. Also, it’s my job to hire the second photographer, this is just something you tell me “yes” or “no” to, and I take care of the rest! 🙂
I always make sure to remind brides during the consultation how important and necessary second shooters are and luckily they agree because in reality, second shooters can be one of the most important aspects of your wedding day. For example, the images below are showing what I get, and what my second photographer gets at the same time on the wedding day, both are so important, and sometimes one person will capture something that the other photographer couldn’t possibly get because of the position they were in to get another important shot.
If you’re wondering what a second shooter does, here you go! For wedding photography, there is a lot going on that day for everyone! The second shooter is there to help things go more smoothly for the primary photographer. While the primary photog works on capturing moments with the bride, the second photographer will be capturing more moments with the groom and his family! If you are wondering why photographers LOVE having a second shooter, or wondering if you should have a second photographer, this blog is for you!
Before we jump into this blog, I just want you to know that I’ll be guiding you through reasons why a second photographer are hired, and reasons why I suggest having a second photographer, as everyone has different reasons. I also want to mention that I always hire another professional photographer who’s been in business full time for at least two years. This guarantees I will have the great quality of images. I also hire my second photographer based on their style because I want someone who can match my style really well, so the images you see are consistent in style. This is why they cost so much to add on, but in the end, it’s totally worth it for you!
Here are some other quick reasons why you should hire a second shooter:
1) Having a second photographer will increase your overall number of images in your gallery. I give 50-75 images per hour for one shooter, and 75-100 when there’s two of us!
2) They are a great backup in case anything were to happen. I’m a big fan of backups for anything. Memory cards, gear, and photographers!
5) They capture different perspectives, angles, and use different lenses and equipment.
3) They help with gathering and posing groups to make things go faster.
4) We use each other to test lighting.
6) They capture great candid moments of friends and family that may be missed because I am busy following you and your groom around.
7) Less stress!! If I’m less stressed about running around getting every shot (because my second shooter is getting many of them) then I can focus on being creative and capturing images and moments that would be missed if I had to be somewhere else.
8) They help when timing is in a crunch. For example – If I need to take photos of you and your groom, the second shooter can be taking pictures of the reception space and details before your guests arrive.
9) One photographer cannot be in two places at once.
10) Two is always better than one!
Details – During the entire wedding day, the second shooter will be helping the primary by doing more detailed work. The second shooter will take the room shots, table shots, flowers, table settings, decor, cocktail hour, and many other things while the main photographer is getting family formals or romantics of the bride and groom. This helps the primary photographer a lot since they can’t be in two places at once! While the primary is busy working with the bride and groom shots for either the ceremony, formals, or romantics, the second will be getting those detail shots to check off the list, then move on to group shots during cocktail hour!
Backup – During the day there are a lot of spontaneous things that happen. It is nice to have a second in case the primary is busy with the bride and groom, ring shots, or they are capturing the same event happening, but on the other side of the room! A lot of great moments have been captured with a second shooter that a primary wouldn’t be able to get because the second photographer is always looking to get a different perspective.
Not all Heroes Wear Capes – We all know that accidents happen and we sadly can’t predict them. Lets say that the primary photographer gets sick, gets in a car accident, or really anything. Nothing to fear! You still have the second shooter who will take care of everything if the primary can’t. In my business, this fortunately has never happened to me, but I know of others it’s happened to. But if this were to happen, I would also find another second photographer for your wedding day, which is lined out in the contract.
Different Perspective – So many moments can be captured at the same time but in different ways! It is always one of the best times when the bride is walking down the isle with whoever is giving her hand away. Having different perspectives in that moment could really capture the feeling better!
The Bottom Line – If your wedding guest count is 200+, I always recommend having a second photographer. So many things happen with tons of people around and things are missed in the crowds. If you don’t hire a second, I promise I won’t be able to capture everyone on the wedding that was there, and that’s always a big goal of mine.
Even though I HIGHLY recommend second shooters, they are not mandatory. A lot of photographers prefer to do weddings without a second shooter and that is totally okay. When I started photographing weddings I would always do them by myself and everything was still captured that needed to be. Your wedding photographer is going to do awesome, regardless of how many photographers are there or not.
I hope this blog post was helpful in giving you a better perspective on second photographers!
add a comment
+ COMMENTS