Why should you hire a second shooter?
In this crazy, marketing-packed world in which we live, we as human beings are now seeing 5,000 + ads every single day. Isn’t that crazy? It can so easily and truthfully feel like everybody is trying to sell you something, all the time, to simply feed your discontent. In this world, this real and tricky world, why oh why should you hire a second shooter for your wedding?
Is it just another add-on expense from wedding photographers who want to trick and up-sell you? Or, is it truly something more, something with actual, and real value?
I’ll forever argue the latter. Here’s why.
What is a second shooter?
A second shooter is literally a second photographer. A person hired and paid by your wedding photographer, to work for and under them.
As a bride or groom, you should not have to find this person, or pay this person personally. You pay your photographer, they pay the second shooter.
Why should you hire a second shooter?
The benefits of hiring a second shooter for your wedding day are MANY, and include:
Twice as many photos for your photographer to choose from, edit and deliver. You will get the best of the best, as your photographer has double the images to work with.
Simultaneous coverage of your whole day. It sounds simple and obvious, but unlike one photographer on their own, two people can be in two places at once and capture two moments simultaneously (such as both the bride and grooms reaction as she’s coming down the aisle, and both the guys and the girls getting ready simultaneously).
Two photographers provide two different angles and perspectives of the same moments. It provides a much more well-rounded coverage of any wedding day.
Having a second shooter provides space for creativity! If there are two people on top of making sure the ‘must-have’ shots have been taken care of, there is so much more time and space to get creative.
It greatly helps with organization. Having a second set of hands, ears and eyes to help organize family members, arrange bridal parties and keep track of the time is invaluable. It helps everything run so much smoother.
It’s a great back-up plan! In case of unforeseen emergencies, or when things take much longer than they were supposed to - it’s invaluable having a second professional who can take over (worst case scenario) or simply provide the ability to be in two places at once. Second shooters are an amazing safety net.
A second shooter allows your photographer to have so much more freedom to focus solely on doing an amazing job at capturing your wedding. When they don’t have to focus on: rounding up relatives, moving their car, keeping their gear safe, continually changing lenses, running back and froth between hotel rooms, etc, it’s a life giving gift to have a second shooter.
After all the quick and beautiful craziness of a wedding day has passed, there’s only one concrete thing that remains for generations: your photographs.
They are going to be what flood your living room walls in the short-term, and get passed down to your grandchildren in the long-term. They matter, and they last.
In my opinion, having a second shooter is 100% worth the investment, and will be a choice that you won’t regret. Feel free to reach out to me if you have any questions!
