While searching for a second photographer, I decided to set up a wedding portrait session as a trial run. Luckily, Shani and Eric were totally up for it since they didn’t really have an opportunity to do official portraits on the day of their wedding. That makes this shoot even better for me, that they now have portraits they can cherish for years to come!
For me, providing a second photographer is about providing an additional perspective on the day of your wedding—but more importantly, it’s about allowing me to be in two places at once and providing my brides a sort of insurance policy. Next week I’ll post some visuals on how a second photographer can be super helpful and supplement your final gallery—but today, I’m just going to give a quick explanation on why I now include a [qualified] second photographer in ALL wedding collections!
Because sh*t happens. Taking on weddings is a big deal to me. The significance of being chosen to capture a once-in-a-lifetime, cannot-be-duplicated event is not lost on me. Because of this, I take every precaution and have backup plans in place in case anything, no matter how unlikely, happens. I keep up with maintenance on my gear, I have a backup camera body, I copy each photo to two memory cards as I’m shooting, I backup images to two locations as soon as I get home, etc. Going along with that, my second shooter is absolutely MY backup!
I would literally have to be bed ridden to not make it to my couple’s weddings, but should I ingest ecoli on the day of your wedding due to my Chipotle obsession, you can rest assured that you already have a TRUSTED, qualified photographer already booked and ready to shoot your wedding! (Silly example, I know, but it’s so much better than considering all the other sh*t that could go down when you least expect it!)
This is the most significant reason I include a second photographer and take my second photographer selection process seriously. My second photographers are photographers that I can trust to take over and shoot similarly to how I would if I’m not available.
Because I can’t literally be in two places at once! In the rush of a wedding day, it’s sometimes extremely helpful to be able to photograph to locations at one time. I work with my brides on their timelines to avoid this as much as possible, however, sometimes the unavoidable happens and no matter how much time you’ve padded in, things run behind! When this happens, for example, I might sometimes send my second shooter to capture the guys getting ready, so I can be sure not to miss the bride getting her dress on! (One of my favorite parts of the wedding day.) Or if there’s a delay in setting up the reception venue and it’s not complete until I’m scheduled for portraits, my second photographer will go ahead and capture those details before guests arrive!
Because a second perspective can offer a totally different view on the same moment. So much is going on, on wedding day. The obvious focus is on bride and groom, the way they look at one another, the moments they have with their closest friends and family, etc. But outside of that, there’s the guests reacting to a touching moment during the ceremony, or a flower girl doing cartwheels during portrait time. Even with the best ninja skills, it’s not always possible to capture two moments happening at the same time! Insert second photographer and it’s possible!
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