A second photographer is something I recommend to my couples more often than not, and a lot of the time the suggestion is met with confusion. “Two wedding photographers?” you may think. “Why would I need two wedding photographers?! What on earth do you mean?” If you’ve been wondering this, then I’ve written today’s blog post especially for you, as I explain what a second shooter is, and what the benefits are to having one.
What is a second shooter?
A second shooter is, in essence, another photographer who works alongside your main wedding photographer to capture your wedding day. They’re not an assistant or shadowing for work experience: they’ll always be an experienced, pro wedding photographer in their own right. But don’t worry: on the day your main photographer and second photographer will always be working as a team, so it’s double the opportunity for you but half the hassle!
Every wedding photographer has a close, hand-selected group of brilliantly talented wedding photographers they can call upon as second shooters. So, you need not worry about finding the second shooter yourself – that’s something I’ll do, picking someone who I know will blend in seamlessly with your style and vision.
In fact, all you need to do is decide whether having two wedding photographers is the right decision for you! With that in mind, I’ve popped some of the reasons why you might below…
Why might you need two wedding photographers?
There are loads of pros to having a team of two wedding photographers there on your day, but it essentially all boils down to making the most out of the day you have planned.
You get photos of both of you getting ready
As great as I am at stealthily taking natural, candid photos of you during the day, there’s one thing I can’t do: and that’s clone myself. (I know, I know, you’re disappointed – me too!) This means that on parts of the day where you may be separated – for example, if you’re getting ready at different places in the morning – I will likely only be able to cover one of them. With two wedding photographers, this isn’t a problem: I can stay with you, whilst my second shooter can be with your partner, capturing all their magical moments of prep too.
You get even more angles
Another major benefit of having two wedding photographers is being able to get the same moment from two different angles. For example, if you’re getting married in a church, I will usually be standing behind the altar for the majority of the ceremony. With a second shooter, we can also get photos from the back. This means that not only will we get photos of you walking down the aisle looking stunning, but we may well get your partner’s reaction when they see you for the first time too!
They’re a helping hand when organising group photos
As a wedding photographer who specialises in creative, relaxed wedding photography, it’s an important part of my job to make the group shots as chilled and enjoyable as possible. This means making sure that they don’t take a huge chunk out of the day. Because of the sheer number of people involved, they are notoriously time-consuming to organise: but a second shooter can be collecting and organising groups whilst photos are being taken, practically halving the time needed (and therefore maximising the time for drinking, eating and dancing. Win win!)
You get more moments captured
Your portraits session is a really important part of the day, where you can take some time out to just relax and soak up what’s just happened (that is, you just got married! Yay) In fact, it’s one of my favourite bits, and my couples always tell me how surprised they are that it ended up being a highlight for them, too. Whilst we’re living it up and loving it up, a second shooter will stay with your guests, capturing emotion and moments that will be lovely for you to look back on when you see them for the first time.
This is also an important consideration if you’ve got a sizable guest list, as it means you’ll be able to immortalise even more memories of your nearest and dearest. With that in mind, I always recommend two wedding photographers to couples who are having 50+ guests on their wedding day.
What happens after the day?
After your wedding day, I’ll get all the photos from the second shooter and then proceed to edit them all in one go, alongside the photos I took on the day too. This way, your gallery will be totally cohesive, and you won’t be able to tell the difference between the photos taken by your main photographer, and their second shooter.
How do I get a second shooter for my wedding day?
So you’ve decided that having two wedding photographers is right for your wedding – hurrah! The next step for you is to kick back and relax. Yep, you read that right – I’ll take it from here. I have a small inner circle of incredible industry colleagues who I can call upon with 100% confidence, so I will set to work confirming them for your day. I told you: double the opportunity, half the hassle!
If you’ve got any questions about wedding photography for your Berkshire wedding or beyond, please don’t hesitate to pop me a message – I’d love to chat to you more about it.
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