You are meeting with the wedding photographer and going over all the various options that they have for your wedding day.

One of the questions that pop up is getting a second shooter.

Well, second shooters can be great in certain situations, but you don’t always need to spare the expense of having one, it can be overkill.

Today on the blog, we’re going to help explain why and tell you when you should get one for the wedding.

What are second shooters anyway?

Normally, a second shooter is designed to help the main wedding photographer for the day. Sometimes they come with the package that you’re purchasing and other times they offer them for a fee.

If it’s a paid option, then you need to think about a few things, but more in that in a moment.

Most second shooters today are going to fall into a couple of categories:

• They are learning the business and are being paid to work the wedding day

• They are also professionals just looking to make additional income

If they are vanilla, then they are at the wedding to learn from the professional, that’s not a bad thing either. Many times second shooters will be of great help to the wedding photographer when it comes to the more basic images, think photos of the venue, the flowers, detail shots, or even more basic shots like of family members and the like.

If they are also professional, they will know what to shoot and do a much faster and better job than a newbie.

When Should We Consider a Second Shooter?

Great question.

Well, if they are included in the cost, just gladly have them on the wedding day.

If they are paid, then you need to ask yourself a couple of questions.

First, how many guests will you have at the wedding?

That’s important because a second shooter usually doesn’t come in as handy as you think until your guest list reaches closer to 200.

Sure, there is a benefit to having one with fewer guests, but they truly don’t see a huge benefit until you reach that number.

That’s because once you reach 200, there is too much going on with guests during the reception and oftentimes, the ceremony.

Second, you’ll need to ask the photographer, how many additional images could we get with a second shooter?

That number will determine if the cost is worth the added images.

For example, if the photographer says that you can expect to have 500-700 images from them during the day and the second shooter will add another 200, you’ll need to see if their cost is worth the added images.

Sometimes it is, sometimes not.

If you can get about $2-$2.50 per image out of the added cost, then that’s worth doing.

What Should We Look for in a 2nd Shooter?

There are a couple of things that you want to seek in a second shooter.

• Make sure they have a similar camera system

  • Not all cameras are the same when it comes to sensors, some give different color tones than others and if your name photographer is a Canon shooter, but the second shooter is Sony, your images could have very different looks to them.

• Also, check to see if they have any level of experience.

  • While they will not have a ton under their belt, having someone brand new to the job and never have shot a wedding will not yield you a lot of results.

  • The more they’ve done jobs with the main photographer, the better they will also work together

Advantages of Having a Second Shooter

Of course with the added expense, you’ll also find a bunch of advantages of hiring one. That can include:

• Able to photograph both the bride and groom with their wedding party as they get ready.

  • This can generate a lot more images and prevent the photographs from having to rush from a couple of different locations. The more time they have in the bridal or grooms suite, generally the more detail you will receive.

• Allows two different areas to be covered at once if a venue is very large or spread out.

  • This is especially true if the wedding is outdoors for example. Having two photographers allows you to get the more traditional images (think down the aisle) and also moving about for closer, more intimate shots in the process.

• Family formals take less time, getting the couple to their reception sooner.

  • If you would rather get to the wedding reception, having a second shooter can help speed things along during the family formals and it means more time dancing, drinking, and having fun!

• More dancing and party candids.

  • In fact, you’ll average 23% more when you have two shooters on the dance floor

• The main photographer has a backup.

  • While most professionals will have cameras with dual card slots for redundant imagery, having a second shoot, even at a different angle can help make sure that you have what you need.

• The second shooter covers the cocktail hour and reception while the primary photographer shoots a couple of portraits.

• The second shooter assists with difficult shots, holding lights, ladders, and carrying extra gear.

  • Having someone to help with lighting, ladders, even holding the bridal bouquet can be a huge benefit to the photographer and allow them to focus on the job at hand. Translation, faster images

• Two photographers give you more images than one photographer would.

  • And of course, you’ll get more images in the wedding album. You may get a few or double what the photographer takes, but none the less, you will get more, you just need to ask yourself how many more and is the added cost worth it.