Wedding Photographer Second Shooters

One of the questions I get asked from time to time is “Do you shoot alone or are there two of you?”

The answer is there’s just me, but if you need a second shooter then one can be added for a fee.

I wanted to write about this topic so you can decide whether you need a second shooter for your wedding. There are plenty of photographers who work alone and plenty more who work together.

But the question is – do you really NEED 2 photographers?

Do I need 2 photographers?

Having 2 photographers at your wedding isn’t neccessarily a good thing, it depends on certain circumstances. Small weddings (under 70 people) certainly do not need 2 photographers. Large weddings can benefit from having 2 photographers, but it’s not a neccesity – it depends on your desired outcome from your day

Pros

• Photographers can be in multiple places at once
• You can get MORE photos of your day

Cons

•  I always tell me couples to remember that your wedding isn’t an “all day photoshoot”. It’s your wedding day, you want it captured but you dont want to feel like you are being papped from every angle all day. Small weddings with 2 photographers can feel a little bit like that. Larger weddings not so much
• During the ceremony it can be difficult for each photographer not to capture each other in the photographs
• Sometimes I think with two photographers you don’t get the same perspective – that’s not always a bad thing, but it can be at times. If you are a storyteller photographer then ideally you want to be the person who is telling the narrative through one persons eyes

But I want bride and groom prep coverage

So this is the part of the day where it really makes sense to have 2 photographers under certain conditions. If you and your partner are getting ready at different locations and the time doesn’t allow one photographer to cover both then having two photographers is a neccesity.

In my experience it’s not often the case though. When I do bridal and groom prep I am setting context to their day. It’s not about capturing every 5 minutes during the time they are getting ready up till the point they are done. It’s about a glimpse of what happened that morning. To that end there is rarely a wedding where I dont capture both bridal and groom prep myself.

However, if bride and groom are a long way apart then you do need to consider a second photographer to capture this

A second photographer catches more photos

That certainly is true! But that’s not always a good thing. A single photographer will typically deliver you 300-400 photos. Do you really need more than that? The answer depends on how many guests and what is going on with your wedding. If you have 150 guests in a venue with multiple rooms and lots of “events and activities” then more photos might be just the ticket in order to provide an even coverage of what has gone on at your wedding.

But photos just for photos sake are pretty pointless when your story can be captured perfectly with one person

 

So, in summary – think carefully about whether you need to book that photographer who comes as a two or the add on second shooter that the majority of wedding photographers provide for a fee. There are good reasons to go with one, but it’s also often surplus to requirements and can actually become a bit overkill for your wedding.

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