Finding the right wedding photographer and comparing packages can be super overwhelming when planning a wedding. You begin to question what is important. Between wedding coverage, albums and canvases, to second photographers and engagement sessions, it’s hard to know what to take and what to leave. Well folks, if there’s one thing I will encourage you to TAKE it’ll be the second photographer!
Now, don’t get me wrong, all of those other things are very important as well! That’s why most photographers include them in the packages, but when pinching pennies, don’t underestimate the value of having a second photographer on the wedding day. The day that is claimed to be “the most important day” of people’s lives, it is vital to get every moment, every kiss, and every laugh on the day that will only happen once. Below are 5 important reasons you should opt for a second shooter on your wedding day.
We’ve all seen the beautiful pictures of the bride getting in her dress surrounded by her closest friends and family. Those shots are beautiful and important, but so are the pictures of the groom getting ready with his guys. So many wonderful moments happen before the ceremony and it is important to capture each moment. The main shooter is typically with the bride as she is getting ready, usually at the same time as the groom, which means that the second shooter is almost always with the guys as they get ready. Whether it’s hanging out in the hotel room drinking beer and cracking jokes, or making sure the groom is all sharp and ready to go before the ceremony, those pictures are just as precious and vital to capturing the whole day. By having a second shooter on the day, the main photographer can focus on photographing the bride without the fear of missing valuable moments with the groomsmen.
This is the biggest reason that I tell all of my brides and friends that ask about having a second photographer. Arguably one of the most important moments of the day is when the bride is walking down the aisle. Before, everyone used to focus on the bride as she is walking down, but in the last several years, people have begun to notice the groom as he sees his bride walking towards him before they promise their lives to each other. The pictures you can get from the groom’s reaction are powerful and so full of love! But the main shooter cannot photograph both the bride walking down and the aisle and the groom’s reaction when he sees her, especially when factoring in the change of light, distance, and the need to reduce distraction. By having a second shooter, the main photographer can be in the aisle photographing the bride while the second shooter can be on the side or top of the aisle photographing the groom. Same can be done during a first look (a moment before the ceremony where the bride & groom see each other for the first time) as the main shooter and second can be on either side of the couple to capture their distinct reactions. Imagine if you wanted all of these shots (which I’m sure you do!) and only have one shooter? They’d be running on either side of the couple the whole ceremony or first look! Photographers can get a lot of complaints about being distracting during the ceremony, so by having a second photographer that can cover one side of the ceremony while the main shooter covers the other or aisle, the less they will be moving all around and causing distractions.
You booked your photographer for a reason! You like their eye, perspective, and creative vision. Although we would love to be many places at once, photographers can only photograph one thing at a time. This is a huge reason that photographers hire second shooters. They need more photographers to be present and capturing the in-between details of the bridesmaids flowers during bridal party portraits, or the couple holding hands during the ceremony, or the whole church shot. By trusting the second shooter to get those secondary images, they can focus on nailing the essential images for which the couple hired them in the first place.
Wedding days have many moving parts and can be very stressful! The bride could be behind getting ready, and if the photographer is with her the whole morning prior to the ceremony, there’s no time to get important detail shots before the ceremony or reception. A second photographer can easily go shoot the details of the cake as soon as the baker assembles the table, or ceremony and reception details before guests begin to arrive. Many times the second shooter will also need to do formal portraits of the groomsmen prior to the ceremony, which works well as they spent the morning together during the getting ready process, while the main shooter is with the bridesmaids. This reduces the pictures that need to be taken following the ceremony and prior to the reception, and allows the main shooter to focus on family formals, the entire bridal party, and couple portraits in that time instead. During family formals, the second shooter can also photograph the cocktail hour and get fun candid shots of the couple’s friends and family. This allows for complete coverage of the day and not allowing for gaps in the day where the photographer was shooting other important things.
While this might not be something you consider during the day, the main photographer and second shooter have a lot of correspondence prior to your wedding to discuss and plan for the day. Many times the second shooter is a younger photographer trying to learn from seasoned professionals, gain experience and build their portfolio. As cheesy as it sounds, when you include a second photographer in your package, you’re supporting and encouraging someone’s dream of being a wedding photographer. The second learns directly from the main photographer by witnessing how they handle large groups, difficult lighting situations, and the general stress of the wedding day. They experience the general flow of the wedding day so that they can one day lead their own brides with grace and professionalism they learned from others. Additionally, the second shooter must alter their style to fit that of the photographer. For example, the two photographers I second shoot for the most have drastically different styles. Erin Kranz Photography has a light, airy, and clean style, similar to mine, while Austen Taylor Photography has a moody, dramatic, and more artistic style. As the second shooter, I am a representation of their brand and need to photograph in a similar way to them. I am fortunate to have worked with photographers who allow me to use the images I took on the wedding day, and simply provide the link to their websites as I shot these images for their weddings under their business.
Still thinking that you can cut costs by avoiding a second photographer? Trust me, y’all, it makes all the difference in the world to have someone else there on the wedding day! I’m so thankful to the wonderful photographers I’d had the opportunity to second shoot and I’m looking forward to the many more weddings I will shoot for them in the future! Y’all have to go check out these amazing photographers, they’re some of the best out there.
Love,