Second shooter

A highly asked question when it comes to our client meetings is “Should I book a second photographer for my wedding?

The debate of second shooters

This is a highly controversial topic amongst wedding photographers, wedding magazines, wedding planners etc. You often get the “Second Photographers are definitely needed on you wedding day” and the “Second photographers are only needed based on the primary wedding photographers judgement“. Understandably this creates confusion and possibly stress amongst couples as second photographers are not cheap additions to your wedding day varying from £150-500+.

The Jack of all trades

Now there are certain photographers out there which highlight themselves as being able to do it all on your big day and this is possible depending on the size of your wedding and the skillset/style of wedding photographer you hire. I pride myself in constantly wanting to improve my skillset, attending courses, practising out in the garden and even hosting styled shoots. We as a team have strong work ethic towards your big day with Lauren focussing on ensuring everyone is catered for and helping me as and when i need it e.g. carrying lights etc. Together we are a perfect duo to ensure your wedding day is captured in a creative and professional way.

The deciding factors

However, during the consultation phase we will discuss with the happy couple the plans of their big day: How many guests are you having at your wedding? How many locations does your wedding day have? Have you got any wedding day entertainment? Are you both getting ready at the same venue? if not how far apart are the preparations on the wedding day?

These questions allow us to get a good idea on how the wedding day is going to look, we are now able to make great judgements based on us photographing nearly 30 weddings in the 3 years we have been in business. Typically we tell our couples that we are more than capable of covering all aspects of their wedding day without any compromise on the quality and quantity of images. This has never been a struggle for us as we make informed decisions and leave our photography ego at the door. We always capture the first kiss and everyones reactions around them, the laughter shared amongst everyone during the traditional best mans speech where the groom receives a lot of banter by his best friend! even we have time to chuckle at some of it.

When you should consider having a second shooter at your wedding

If however your wedding day includes three+ locations and 150+ guests all day then we do advise that the couple seriously considers adding on a second photographer to their package. Second shooters provide tremendous value to a wedding day by not only removing the additional stress on the primary photographer but also capturing different angles and moments which the primary photographer may not be able to capture due to taking the couple off for couple portraits.

The benefits to having a second shooter

As mentioned, second photographers provide an additional angle and due to me not being able to be in two places at once I will only be able to photograph one angle at a wedding whereas a second photographer adds another vantage point to your wedding ceremony. However, once again I am more than able to photograph your entire wedding day on my own but please expect reduced angles compared to what you would get with the addition of a second shooter, sometimes restrictions simply don’t allow us to move about during the ceremony. Some photographers will say that they will be able to capture every angle but how would you feel about your photographer running around the room like a headless chicken in a venue as big as the second image below?

Are you private regarding certain moments?

It is understandable that some moments in the wedding preparations are more private than others and sometimes the bride or groom would prefer to have the same sex photographer in the room to capture certain moments. Maybe putting your dress on? Now this has never been a problem for me during my time as a wedding photographer as I show 100% respect to my clients and strategically plan shots so that there is no distress. Putting the wedding dress on? No problem, let me go out the room tell me when you are in the dress and I will come back in to photograph the back getting tied up and all those precious moments you are sharing with your bridal party.

Still undecided if you want/need a second wedding photographer? Give us a message and ask us for our opinion, We are not going to up-sell a second if they aren’t needed!

We make a good team mind…

Similar Posts